Starting Points for Excursions
The trail can be travelled from south to north or from north to south.
- The main starting and end points for the Hetta - Pallas Hiking Trail are Hetta Village and Pallastunturi Visitor Centre.
- In Hetta, boat transport is needed to cross Ounasjärvi Lake. Call a local entrepreneur to arrange for transport and potential car relocation service.
- Car relocation services are available between Hetta and Pallas, and boat transport across Ounasjärvi Lake can be arranged:
You can also join the trail at other points
- In Hetta, you can also join the Hetta-Pallas trail following Mustavaara private road. This road starts from the eastern side of Hetta village, around 3 km to the east of Fell-Lapland Visitor Centre, and is around 7 km long. The distance from the road end to Pyhäkero wilderness hut is about 1.5 km.
- The road is closed with barriers. Travellers taking this road with a motor vehicle need a key for the barriers. The price of the key is EUR 15/day for cars. You can rent a key at Fell-Lapland Visitor Centre or Hetan Kota.
- Mustavaara private road is not kept open in winter. However, you can follow it in snowshoes.
- The fell trail from Ketomella via Hietajärvi to Pahakuru leads you to Pahakuru wilderness hut and towards Sioskuru. The distance from Ketomella to the Hetta-Pallas trail is less than 9 km.
- By following the trail from Ketomella to Marasto you can get to Tappuri open wilderness hut around 1 km to the west from the Hetta-Pallas trail. The distance from Ketomella to the Hetta-Pallas trail is around 9 km.
- Montelli fell trail leads from Vuontisjärvi to the campfire at Montelli and connects to the Hetta-Pallas trail. The distance from the starting point is around 5 km.
Trail Sections
The Hetta-Pallas Trail is not a circle trail. It can be divided into several sections by rest spots.
- Hetta Village – Pyhäkero 6.7 km
- Pyhäkero – Sioskuru 8 km
- Sioskuru – Pahakuru 12.1 km
- Pahakuru – Hannukuru 1.5 km
- Hannukuru - Montelli 12.5 km
- Montelli – Nammalakuru 1.2 km
- Nammalakuru – Pallas 13 km
- The summer trail route description
- The winter trail is different from the summer trail and unsuitable for walking in the summer.
Trail Markings
The trail is marked with wooden arrow signs at every 50 m. The trail markings were replaced in summer 2018. Trail junctions and rest stops also have signposts that point to the following destinations and show the distances to them.
Connecting Trails
Pallas-Ylläs hiking trail, 69 km
The Pallas-Ylläs hiking trail takes in the summits of three fells (Koivakero, Äkäskero, Kukastunturi) and also leads you through vast forests. There are several serviced rest stops on the trail, but the distances between them are long in places. Camping is only permitted in the immediate vicinity of the rest stops, except in the wilderness zone (Koivakero area and the area between Kolvakero/Mustakero). You can also contact the entrepreneurs in Rauhala village and Peurakaltio café to the south of Äkäskero to enquire about accommodation.
You can complete the Pallas-Ylläs hiking trail in four days, for example as follows:
- Pallastunturi Visitor Centre–Mustakero open wilderness hut 12 km
- Mustakero wilderness hut–Rauhala–Pahtavuoma wilderness hut 21 km
- Pahtavuomopen a wilderness hut–Äkäskero–Kutujärvi open wilderness hut 19 km
- Kutujärvi–Kukastunturi–Varkaankuru–Yllästunturi Visitor Centre 17.5 km
Other trails
