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Urpiainen nature trail (1 km), Tankavaara

—•Hiking Trails

0.9 km

Route

P 1

Description

Luontoon.fi – Tankavaaran luontopolku Urpiainen 1 km+

Description

Urpiainen is a short, easy gravel nature walk of about 0.9 km through candle-spruce forest on the flanks of Tankavaara hill in Sodankylä, inside Urho Kekkonen National Park. Metsähallitus maintains the route — the Urpiainen trail page on Luontoon.fi is the best place to confirm current conditions and any changes. The trail is a compact loop under an hour, often described as “Urpiainen” or the Urpiaislenkki. The surface is gravel and the profile is gentle; sources describe it as an accessible route that can be used with a stroller or wheelchair with assistance. Marking is by green posts with coloured pinecone symbols shared with the wider Tankavaara footpath network; Urpiainen itself is the green-marked loop. You normally start from the Tankavaara visitor hub near Sompio-talo (the former Koilliskaira nature centre building, now conference and exhibition space). Tankavaara pysäköintialue offers shared parking for Urho Kekkonen visitors and the Gold Museum — there is plenty of room for cars. About halfway round, Tankavaaran luontopolun kota and Tankavaaran luontopolku tulipaikka 2 form a rest spot with a Lappish kota and a campfire site; bring your own firewood or buy supplies locally — the kota is not on a stocked firewood rotation. Dry toilets are available in the same cluster. Further along, Tankavaaran lintutorni gives a raised view over the forest; trees have grown up around it, but the tower is still worth climbing for a sense of the surroundings. Tankavaara Gold Disc Golf sits close to the line for anyone combining a short walk with disc golf. Displays beside the path recall Tankavaara’s Second World War defences: a field gun and a replica korsu that visitors can step into, illustrated with period small arms as a museum-style exhibit. The wider area was part of a German-built fortification belt in 1944; thousands of soldiers and civilians laboured here before the line was abandoned. In winter the wider Tankavaara trails are popular on snowshoes; deep soft snow can make ungroomed sections heavy going, while Urpiainen and the geological route may see a packed trace from snowmobile grooming — still bring snowshoes if you are unsure. For a longer day, the same trailhead links to Kuukkeli nature trail, Tankavaara, Koppelo Nature Trail, Tankavaara, and Tankavaaran geologinen polku. Jonna Saari’s Retkipaikka article captures the winter mood in the candle-spruce canopy and the lookout from Tankavaaran lintutorni. Maailma kotina adds practical winter notes on waymarking and packed trails.

Length & route

The route on our map is about 0.9 km. It is a short circular footpath through forest on Tankavaara with only small elevation changes. Allow roughly 30–45 minutes with stops at the kota, campfire, and lookout tower.

Getting there

Tankavaara lies along highway 4 (E75) roughly 30 km south of Saariselkä and 90 km north of Sodankylä centre; turn in at signed junctions for Tankavaara — the southern access leads directly to the Gold Museum parking area. Park at Tankavaara pysäköintialue (shared with the museum and national park hikers) and walk to the Sompio-talo courtyard trail gates; Urpiainen starts from the right-hand gate together with Koppelo and Kuukkeli. Street address often given for the hub is Tankavaarantie 11, Tankavaara.

Good to know

Wood-fired cooking at Tankavaaran luontopolku tulipaikka 2 is only sensible if you carry firewood or purchase it nearby — the kota is not on Metsähallitus firewood service. Snowshoe rental and winter guidance are available from Tankavaaran Kultakylä operators. Check Luontoon.fi for national park rules that apply to pets and campfires.

History

During the Lapland War in 1944, German forces developed a defensive belt through northern Finland to protect supply lines; at Tankavaara the line included dense rows of earth bunkers (korsu), machine-gun nests, and gun positions. A replica above-ground korsu near the Urpiainen path illustrates what those quarters looked like, while original earthworks and warnings remain in the forest on longer loops such as Kuukkeli. The Gold Museum recounts that the Koilliskaira nature centre opened beside the trailhead in 1983 and closed as a visitor centre in December 2018; the building continues as Sompio-talo while Metsähallitus maintains the trails.

Managed by

Sodankylä

Official Maintenance

GPX data from: © Metsähallitus, 2024

Trail info

Either direction along the loop

Route direction

National Park

Area

Winter Maintenance

Green posts with pinecone-type waymarks (Urpiainen loop)

Route Signs

Wheelchair Accessible

Accessibility

Stroller Friendly

Accessibility

Activities allowed

Run

Activity

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

0.9 km

Distance

30–45 min

Est. Time

Gravel

Surface

Loop, Wide Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

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 TrailsUrpiainen nature trail (1 km), Tankavaara