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Tankavaara Koppelo nature trail

—•Hiking Trails

2.4 km

Route

P 1

Description

Luontoon.fi – Tankavaaran luontopolku Kuukkeli+

Description

Tankavaara Koppelo nature trail is about 2.4 km of marked loop walking in Sodankylä on the Urho Kekkonen National Park edge at Tankavaara village, Lapland. The line threads candle-spruce forest, passes a kota and two campfire clusters, and reaches Tankavaaran lintutorni before closing back toward Sompio House and Tankavaara pysäköintialue. The same neighbourhood hosts Tankavaara Gold Disc Golf along Tankavaarantie for a different activity after your walk. Luontoon.fi does not list Koppelo as its own trail card yet, but Metsähallitus still maintains this loop with the wider Tankavaara network. The Luontoon.fi page for the Kuukkeli nature trail at Tankavaara covers the same Sompio-talo parking and trailhead pattern and is the handiest official sibling entry to open first. Gold Museum Foundation material explains how UKK trails circle the Tankavaara hills, how Sompio House replaced the old visitor centre, and where to read more on national-park hiking. Taipaleita’s on-the-ground notes from summer 2021 spell out the blue pinecone marks on green posts, the gravel opening, rootier and rockier middle, short duckboard steps, and roughly fifty metres of cumulative climb spread around the loop. Visit Sodankylä bundles the Gold Prospector Museum with ideas for spending a full day around Tankavaara when you combine indoor exhibits with short hikes. From Tankavaara pysäköintialue you walk the maintained path toward Sompio-talo, where Urpiaislenkki, this Koppelo ring, and the longer Tankavaaran luontopolku Kuukkeli branches split: Taipaleita describes Koppelo as the middle departure among those three summer loops. About eight hundred metres along the ring you reach Tankavaaran luontopolun kota and Tankavaaran luontopolku tulipaikka 2 almost together, with dry toilets in the same cluster as the official line on our map. A third stop, Tankavaaran luontopolun tulipaikka, sits farther east before the route turns west toward Tankavaaran lintutorni roughly two kilometres into the walk—useful for scanning treetops and open patches. The loop finishes back at Tankavaara pysäköintialue; links in the terrain join Tankavaaran geologinen polku and the Kuukkeli loop for anyone wanting a longer day from the same trailhead. Interpretation panels along the network carry Finland’s official languages plus Northern Sámi, English, German, and French copy. Taipaleita also mentions a rebuilt wartime korsu visitors can step inside near the route. Respect forest-fire warnings, campfire instructions at Tankavaaran luontopolku tulipaikka and Tankavaaran luontopolku tulipaikka 2, and quieter hours near the kota when other groups are present.

Length & route

The trail is about 2.4 km as one loop on our map. Guidebooks and blogs often round the same Koppelo ring to about three kilometres and quote roughly one to one-and-a-half hours on foot with modest ascent spread around the circuit. Expect a gravel start, then narrower forest tread with roots, rocks, and short duckboard bridges in wet spots. Total climb in that independent account was on the order of fifty metres for the whole loop.

Getting there

Use Tankavaara pysäköintialue at the UKK trailhead beside Sompio House. Taipaleita gives the street address for the parking field as Tankavaarantie 11, Tankavaara, Sodankylä, which matches the practical approach via national road 4 through Tankavaara village. Gold Museum Foundation notes two junctions from highway 4 into Tankavaara and reminds that services such as the museum and restaurant sit right on the corridor.

Good to know

Taipaleita noted hiking during forest-fire warnings and skipped lighting a fire at the campfire spots; follow Metsähallitus fire and camping rules in season. No YouTube clip met the trail-overview quality bar during research; rely on Luontoon.fi, park blogs, and on-site boards before you travel.

Managed by

Sodankylä

Official Maintenance

GPX data from: © Metsähallitus, 2024

Trail info

Walkable in either direction; Taipaleita hiked the Koppelo ring counter-clockwise.

Route direction

National Park

Area

Recreation Area

Blue pinecone symbols on green posts for Koppelo. Black pinecone markers along the separate war-history spur that shares the early Kuukkeli corridor.

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Taipaleita – Luontopolku Koppelo (blog)

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

2.4 km

Distance

About 1–1.5 hours for the 2.4 km loop at an easy pace.

Est. Time

Dirt / Gravel

Surface

Loop, Single Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Taipaleita – Luontopolku Koppelo (blog)

Location

68.17769°N, 27.09713°E

Parking coordinates

FinlandCountry

LaplandRegion

SodankyläCity

TankavaaraVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

Explore nearby

Tankavaara Gold Disc Golf

359 m

Free

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Answers to your questions

Our data was researched from Sodankylä, and other trusted sources, in March 2026. Our route / place GPX data comes from Metsähallitus / Lipas, last updated March 2026. Always check their official website for safety-critical updates.

Finland Lapland Sodankylä Hiking TrailsTankavaara Koppelo nature trail