Hossa National Park

The magnificent wilderness of Hossa National Park is an excellent destination: the trails running along pine heaths invite you to hike and cycle, and the crystal-clear lakes to go canoeing and fishing. The rock paintings of Julma-Ölkky and Värikallio depict stories of shamanism, dating back thousands of years.

Hossa is an old Sámi hunting ground. The rock paintings at Värikallio Cliffs are at least 3,500 years old. The oldest dwellings found in thenational park are almost 10,000 years old. Water routes have allowed people to travel through the Hossa area from the Lake Ladoga to the Arctic Ocean and from the Gulf of Bothnia to the White Sea. The series of rock paintings at the Värikallio Cliffs are the largest prehistoric paintings in Finland.

The forests and waters of Hossa are easily accessible to visitors. There are a wide range of hiking and biking trails, and the waters invite you to go canoeing and fishing. On your trip, you will travel along the same routes as the area’s first inhabitants did 10,000 years ago.

There are about 90 km of trails in the national park. The trails, most of which are easy to walk on, run through the handsome esker and lake scenery in Hossa. You can set off for a long hike by combining circle trails and by using the connecting trails.

Hossa has always been a favourite of fishers. During the 19th Century the fish caught here was transported as far as to the town of Kajaani, where the Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) caught from the Lake Iso-Valkeainen was a much wanted Christmas dish.

Hossa Hiking Area was established in 1979 and the visitor centre opened in 1991. Hossa National Park was established in 2017.