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Arctic by Cycle: Savukoski-Pelkosenniemi Gravel Loop

Finnish Lapland
Located in Reindeer Herding Land
Distance
137 km
Duration
2-3 days
Total ascent
842m
Highest point
303m
% Unpaved
86 %
% Singletrack
0 %
Difficulty (1-10)
2
% Rideable
100 %
The Savukoski-Pelkosenniemi Gravel Loop is a pleasant and easy 137km 2-3 bikepacking route connecting the two villages and municipal centers of the East Lapland area on some forgotten world-class gravel and dirt roads. The route can be ridden by spending the night in one of the villages, camping, or taking advantage of the refugios along the way. The route also functions as a gateway deeper into the Eastern Lapland and it can be connected to Korvatunturi Gravel Loop and Pyhä-Luosto National Park MTB Loop, as a part of the longer East Lapland tour.

The Eastern Lapland municipalities have usually a reindeer-to-man ratio of at least 10:1 and in that Pelkosenniemi and Savukoski are no different. The two villages of these municipal centers have some of the rare services in the area, making them natural stops, whether you are doing the great Central Lapland Gravel Loop, hitting the single tracks of the Pyhä-Luosto National Park MTB Route, or have the Korvatunturi fell in your radar. The two alternative connecting routes between the villages also form a nice 2-3 day and 137km bikepacking loop on gravel roads and occasional double-track.

The northwest leg of the route has two fantastic alternatives for the night: camping and a rental sauna at the Tarkkala Wilderness farm and the Kuisvaara reindeer herders’ hut, which by the generosity of the local reindeer herders is, for now, open for an overnight stay for cyclists. The Kivitunturi hiking trail is also located on the northwest leg of the route and, if you have the time, is a nice half-a-day trek, not too far away from the Savukoski village.

The southeast leg of the route again is quite different with some double-track dirt riding connecting the two villages in a rather efficient manner, The cabins of the Marjasuvannon lomamajat are a possible lodging for the night, as well. Riding is easy and non-technical the whole route, though a few rougher sections still require focus, making riding interesting enough to keep miles ticking without much thinking about it.

gravel road and rolling hills
Lingoberries in a bag
Old wooden house and bike
Small forest road
Download GPX
Trail grades
  • The gravel routes in the arctic are usually open from early June after the routes have dried and hardened up after winter, to mid-October, when the winter sets in again. However, the climate crisis makes seasons more unpredictable than before so the season start and end can vary year to year by a couple of weeks. The route is open full season, with no restrictions requested by the local reindeer herding community.
  • The infamous Lappish räkkä (the high population of mosquitos, black flies, biting midges and horse flies) starts usually by late June and lasts usually till mid August, making the early June or from mid-August till October ideal time to ride the route.
  • The route can be ridden with any bike, as long as the tire size is a minimum of 40 mm and you have smaller gears as well. Experienced riders can, however, get away with a little smaller tires too.
  • The route is Easy access and it works for a trailer and for wider rigs.
  • The route suitable for e-Bikes which can do the nearly 90km village-to-village distane with one charge, meaning it's out of bounds for many at the moment...
  • Temperatures during the snowless season a lot and week-to-week but expect the spot-on daytime temperatures of 15-23 Celsius from mid-June to late August with nights in the range of 0-10 Celsius. Early June could be warm too but could be significantly colder as well. In late August and September, the temperatures start to drop significantly week by week and the first snow is not uncommon in late September. Especially late in the season, in late September and early October, be prepared for daytime temperatures of 5-10 Celsius and nights getting already below freezing.
  • When choosing a sleeping bag, you should assume that the night temperatures can drop to 0 Celsius even during the mid-summer months and then even colder later the season gets. The classic -7 C/ 20 F sleeping bag works like a charm in Lapland, too, with the lower limit low enough for the late-season exploits.
  • The midnight sun or “the nightless night” lasts from around 6 weeks in Southern Lapland to up to 3 months in Northern Norway. Getting used to the 24h sun can take a while to get used to…
  • The best time to see the northern lights is roughly starting from September and as the nights get darker and longer towards the end of the season, chances are getting better week by week. It’s not uncommon to see the auroras multiple times a week at the end of the season, given that the weather gods are on your side and the sky is clear.
  • The route has only digital navigation; for instructions and tips for successful navigation, see here.
  • Always stay on the routes and aim to only use the recommended spots marked on the route map.
  • The mobile phone network does not cover the whole route area: in case of an emergency, call 112 or use the 112 app, which automatically shares your location to the emergency services as well. It might be wise to carry a personal emergency beacon, especially when traveling alone.
  • The route is located in a traditional reindeer herding area, please read more about the etiquette of traveling in the reindeer herding land here. Please respect any guidelines given for the route use or the use of reindeer herder’s cabins in the route description or on the map. Cooperation and respect for their needs and culture make having these routes publicly available possible.
  • Bears, wolfs and wolverines are not an issue at all when wild camping as the arctic predators avoid human contact to all cost. There are practically no encounters, ever. Therefore, there is no need to have a bear bell on handlebars, bear safe food containers or hand your food in a tree for the night.
  • The worst of the mosquito season lasts usually from around mid-June to late August, though luckily cycling speed is usually fast enough to keep them away when on the move. During the peak times, a net hat and long sleeve shirt and pants are recommended, if the temperatures allow. As the temperatures drop, the mosquitos disappear, making September (if not also early June, if the roads are dry enough) an ideal time for touring.
  • Lodging is available in the municipal centers of Savukoski (a couple of options) and Pelkosenniemi (one B&B south of the village, as well as in Marjasuvanto cabin, on the south leg of the route
  • Organized campsites are located in Savukoski
  • Tarkkala wilderness farm, one of the few Lappish wilderness farms that survived the WWII, offers great camping on it's yard with a river flowing by for water. The farm might also turn back into rental hut use soon, so keep eye on the route updates for 2023...
  • Camping at the Tarkkala erämaatila wilderness farm, one of the few wilderness farms which survived WWII. For now, the yard of the wilderness farm is for camping only, but might turn back into rental hut use for 2023.
  • Kuisvaara reindeer herders’ hut is open for cyclists and a great place for the night, or camp next to.
  • Camping is allowed and free of charge along the route by All Man’s Rights in Finland, however, due to the fragile and slow-growing arctic flora, you should always aim to use only the campsites marked on the route map.
  • All the camp spots are next to a high-quality water source, unless stated otherwise - which is rare.
  • The restaurants and grocery stores are located in Savukoski and Pelkosenniemi only. Nothing in between.
  • Not much food is needed to be carried, as the route is short. Snacks, dinner, and breakfast are all you need to haul.
  • Water is most of the time drinkable straight from streams, ponds, and lakes, but you never know if there is a reindeer carcass upstream, so better to be safe than sorry: water treatment is recommended.
  • Sources of water are plentiful, so you’ll get away with carrying just 1 liter of water. The best spots for refills are marked on the route map.
  • All the camp spots are next to a high-quality water source, unless stated otherwise - which is rare.
  • Tap water is always drinkable in Finland and the locals are more than happy to fill your bottles
  • When cooking in the camp, know that making a fire is strictly prohibited during the forest fire warming period. See the local restrictions here
  • Traveling to Pelkosenniemii from Helsinki can be done by first taking a train to either Rovaniemi (multiple times a day, 8.5 hours) or Kemijärvi (night train multiple times a week, 14 hours) and then taking a bus to Pelkosenniemi. You can book train tickets from vr.fi
  • Rovaniemi airport is located a 3-hour bus ride away from Pelkosenniemi, making international arrival by flying (via Helsinki) easy.
  • In-advance booking of bicycles for the bus rides is likely to be necessary to ensure the bike fits in the cargo hold. You can book bus tickets from matkahuolto.fi
  • The route is connected to the Pyhä-Luosto National Park MTB Loop and the Central Lapland Gravel Loop, so riding this as a part of a longer tour makes the logistics straightforward, having Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi as a tour starting point.
The route can be done equally in both directions without much difference in difficulty. Here are some trail notes riding it counter-clockwise, starting from Pelkosenniemi:

Day 1, Pelkosenniemi to Tarkkala Erämaatila rental hut (76km, 996m of climbing)

Starting from Pelkosenniemi, the route heads to fabulous gravel and dirt roads straight from the village, after crossing to the other side of the elongated lake of Mairipudas. There are rental cabins by the river 35km from the start at Marjasuvanto, if you happen to start the ride later during the day. The Savukoskinvillage has all the basic services with a grocery store and a hotel, so it is a great place to split the route in two, as well.

Tarkkala Erämaatila rental hut is a great historic location to camp or rents a bed for the night, and it’s located roughly 75 km from the start. Kivitunturi hiking trails are a nice detour on the way there, though doing the trails takes half a day. The routes from Savukoski onwards are mostly fast gravel, but the last 6km to the Tarkkala wilderness farm on rough and old 4x4 road, though still doable with a gravel bike if you just slow down a little.

Day 2, Tarkkala Erämaatila rental hut to Pelkosenniemi (61km, 647m of climbing)

The return to the Pelkosenniemi is a little shorter on backroads around the higher fells of the area. Most of the day goes by on small forest roads and eventually on double track, before reaching the main road and heading back to the village on mostly paved roads.
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