SANTA'S EASTERN
GRAVEL LOOP
LOCATED IN REINDEER HERDING LAND
DISTANCE
472 km
% UNPAVED
78 %
DAYS
5-7
days
% SINGLETRACK
1 %
TOTAL ASCENT
4750 m
DIFFICULTY (1-10)
7
HIGHEST POINT
278 m
% RIDEABLE
100 %
The Santa’s Eastern Gravel Loop is a slightly more challenging cousin of the Santa’s Western Gravel Loop. Excluding the start at the Rovaniemi City and the Santa Claus Village at the arctic circle, the two are fairly different beasts. The 472km and 6-7 day Eastern Gravel Loop includes some long single track sections in the Pyhä-Luosto National Park as well as a remote 200km service-free forest section, making it physically, technically and logistically more demanding than its Fjell Lapland neighbor. The route connects Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi, Pyhä and Luosto into a versatile one week route in the central Lapland taiga, spiced up with the most southern high fells in the country.
The 472km and 6-7 day Santa’s Eastern Gravel Loop starts from Rovaniemi to Kemijärvi and onward to Pyhä by following the Cental Lapland Gravel Loop and then across the Pyhä-Luosto National Park following roughly the single tracks of the Pyhä-Luosto National Park MTB Loop, though with some magic touch making the route 99% gravel-rig-friendly. However, after that the route loops back to Rovaniemi on previously undiscovered remote gravel roads, which nicely link together the wilderness shelters of the area. If the first part of the route has a nice rhythm of high quality services and places to stock up food and eat pizza, the latter part of over 200km in distance has no services at all.
The route starts from Rovaniemi on recreational routes over the local hill before the route dives into the deeper taiga toward the CIty of Kemijärvi. The connecting route between the two cities - and the two major railway stations of the area is great riding with a beautiful wilderness cabin and two nice lean-tos on the way. The route onwards the Pyhä-Luosto National Park offers some great forest roads too, though still awaits shortcut to Pyhä area to avoid the busy main road completely.
At Pyhä, the route gets on significantly more challenging hiking trails of the Pyhä-Luosto National Park, which have been turned into gravel covered single tracks. Surprisingly, more than half of the national park can now be crossed on a skinny tired bikepacking rig - at least if you have some basic mountain biking skills and can tackle the rollercoaster-like up and downhills of the route. Nature in the national park is stunning with rare old-growth forest and treeless fell tops. Wilderness shelters and great camping areas are numerous too.
After the Pyhä-Luosto National Park the route returns to remote gravel roads again. This time though, there next service point is days away at the end of the route at Rovaniemi. Like in most of the Lapland, high quality water can be found regularly and by the wilderness shelters, but on the last 200km of the route there are no places to restock food at all. Therefore, you need to haul everything you need till the end of the route from Luosto, making it 2-3.5 days depending on your pace.
Overall, the route offers an interesting take of the Lapland scenery, nature and wilderness culture by showing some of the best long forest roads, high quality wilderness huts and lean-tos, unique primary forests of the one of the oldest national parks in Finland and some amazing single track. The single track section and the remote return route to Rovaniemi spice up the challenge and breaking the occasionally meditative vastness and endlessness of the Arctic taiga.
Read more about the route and what it has to offer in the Trail notes below…
REINDEER HERDING & ROUTE OPENING TIME
No limitations to the bikepacking season have been requested by the local reindeer herding community.
For general guidelines for trekking and camping in the reindeer herding area, check here.
Photos: Taneli Roininen
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Riding on easy single track across the old growth-forests and fells of the Pyhä-Luosto National Park
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Great wilderness shelters on the way, offering comfort, protection as well as wilderness history of the area
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High quality services available in Kemijärvi, Pyhä and Luosto in otherwise wild and remote Cental Lapland taig
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Crossing the 200km section of no services is a nice contrast to the otherwise relatively service rich route.
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Riding on traffic-free endless gravel roads of Central Lapland
