Wolverines, arctic foxes, golden eagles, and reindeer - Pyhä-Luosto National Park holds some of Finland's most remarkable wildlife. Here's what you might encounter and how to find it.
Most people come to Pyhätunturi for the activities: the ice floating, the northern lights, the fell skiing. What surprises them is the wildlife. Step into the old-growth forest and you are walking through one of the most intact boreal ecosystems in Europe, inhabited by animals that have roamed these fells since long before any human built a cabin here.
Pyhä-Luosto National Park covers 142 square kilometres of ancient fell landscape in Finnish Lapland. It is one of the oldest national parks in Finland, and its relative remoteness - 130 km north of Rovaniemi, well above the Arctic Circle - means its wildlife populations remain healthy and largely undisturbed. Here is what lives here, and how to find it.
Reindeer: The Living Symbol of Lapland
The animal you are most likely to see in Pyhätunturi is the reindeer (poro). Lapland's reindeer are semi-domesticated, managed by local herding families in a practice that stretches back thousands of years. But in the national park they roam freely, and encountering a small herd crossing a fell slope or pawing through snow to reach lichen beneath is an entirely wild experience.
In winter, reindeer grow a dense double coat that insulates them down to -40°C. Their hooves act like shovels, scraping aside snow to expose the lichens and mosses that form the bulk of their winter diet. A lone reindeer on a frozen lake at dusk, exhaling clouds of vapour into the Arctic cold, is one of the iconic images of Finnish Lapland.
Wolverine: The Fell Ghost
The wolverine (ahma) is the most celebrated and least-seen large mammal in the park. Roughly the size of a medium dog but built like a small bear, the wolverine has a reputation in Finnish folklore for near-supernatural endurance and strength. In a single night it can travel 40 kilometres through deep snow in search of food.
Finland has roughly 300 wolverines, many of them in Lapland. Pyhä-Luosto is within their territory. Seeing one is rare - they are solitary, elusive, and cover vast ranges - but the possibility is always present. What you are more likely to find are their tracks: large, asymmetrical five-toed prints that bound across the snowfield in a loping gait unlike any other animal.
During Arctic bushcraft sessions, our guides teach track identification. A wolverine trail in fresh snow, crossing a frozen lake and disappearing into the treeline, is one of the most thrilling things the winter forest can offer.
Arctic Fox: White on White
The arctic fox (naali) is one of the most beautiful animals in the circumpolar north and one of the most endangered in Finland. The population fell to near extinction in the twentieth century due to hunting and competition from the more adaptable red fox. Conservation efforts have rebuilt numbers slowly, but sightings in Pyhätunturi remain genuinely rare.
In winter, the arctic fox's coat turns pure white: a camouflage so effective that a resting animal can be invisible until it moves. The ears are short and rounded to minimise heat loss. The paws are heavily furred even on the soles. Every feature is an answer to the problem of surviving in a landscape that can kill an unprotected animal in hours.
When an arctic fox is spotted in the park, it is invariably a significant moment. Keep your eyes on open fell terrain above the treeline, particularly in the blue twilight hours around midday in midwinter.
Moose: The Forest Giant
The moose (hirvi) is Finland's largest land animal. A full-grown bull stands nearly two metres at the shoulder and can weigh 700 kilograms. In winter, moose are solitary and spend much of their time in the forest browsing on willow and birch twigs. They are more commonly heard than seen: a heavy crashing through undergrowth, or the hollow clop of hooves on frozen ground.
The best time to spot moose in Pyhätunturi is early morning and late afternoon, when they move between feeding areas. Trail edges, frozen lake shores, and the margins between forest and fell are their preferred corridors. Fresh tracks - massive, deeply impressed slots in the snow - reveal recent activity even when the animal itself has moved on.
Siberian Jay: The Bold Companion
Of all Pyhätunturi's birds, the Siberian jay (kuukkeli) is the most likely to make your acquaintance. This small, curious corvid has evolved an extraordinary tolerance for humans and is known to approach walkers and campers closely, hopping within arm's reach in search of scraps.
Unlike most birds, the Siberian jay does not migrate. It survives the Lapland winter through food caching - storing hundreds of individual food items in bark crevices and lichen tufts across its territory throughout autumn - and through a remarkable resistance to cold. In the silence of a winter forest, the sudden appearance of a Siberian jay, its rusty-brown plumage bright against the snow, is a genuine gift.
During our ice fishing sessions, Siberian jays regularly visit the lakeside, attracted by the smell of bait and the activity around the fire. They are bold, entertaining, and entirely fearless.
Willow Ptarmigan: Snow White and Invisible
The willow ptarmigan (riekko) is a grouse-family bird that performs one of the most impressive camouflage transformations in the animal kingdom. In summer its plumage is mottled brown and grey, perfect against lichen-covered fell rocks. By November it has moulted to pure white, with only a thin red stripe above the eye remaining visible. Even its feet grow a dense covering of feathers that function as snowshoes.
In Pyhätunturi, ptarmigan are found on the open fell slopes above the treeline, where they use their camouflage to shelter from golden eagles and gyrfalcons. Spotting one requires both patience and a sharp eye. A flock disturbed from the snow erupts in a burst of white wings and alarm calls before resettling invisibly a hundred metres away.
Golden Eagle: King of the Fells
The golden eagle (maakotka) is the apex aerial predator of the Pyhä-Luosto fells. With a wingspan of up to 2.2 metres, it soars in wide circles over the open terrain, scanning for ptarmigan, mountain hares, and the carcasses of reindeer that serve as vital winter food sources.
Fell summits and exposed ridges are the best vantage points for watching eagles. On clear winter days, when the low Arctic sun catches an eagle's golden nape as it banks over the treeline, the sighting is one you remember for a long time. Our snow surfing trips take you into exactly this fell terrain, and eagle sightings during a hike to the summit are not uncommon.
Reading the Snow: Animal Tracks in Winter
In winter, the forest floor becomes a record of everything that moved through it. Fresh snow captures tracks in extraordinary detail, allowing even a casual observer to reconstruct the movements of animals from the night before.
Common tracks in Pyhätunturi include:
- Mountain hare (metsäjänis): Large bounding tracks with the two long rear feet landing in front of the two smaller front feet. The hare turns white in winter and leaves a characteristic Z-pattern as it zig-zags through the forest.
- Red fox: A neat, almost perfectly straight line of single-register prints, each hind foot landing precisely in the track left by the front foot.
- Stoat: Tiny paired prints bounding through the snow, often disappearing into tunnel entrances beneath the snowpack.
- Wolverine: Large, five-toed bounding prints with a distinctive 2-3 or 2-4 bounding pattern. The stride can exceed a metre between impressions.
Learning to read these tracks transforms a walk through the winter forest. You stop seeing a silent, empty landscape and start seeing the invisible city of animal life that moves through it every night. This is a core element of our Arctic bushcraft experiences, and once you learn it, you can never quite walk in winter woodland the same way again.
When to Visit for Wildlife
Wildlife in Pyhätunturi is present year-round, but each season offers different opportunities:
- January and February offer the deepest snow and the most readable tracks. Wolverine and arctic fox are most visible against the white landscape. Ptarmigan flock on the fells. Golden eagles are actively hunting.
- March brings lengthening days and more active wildlife as animals begin preparing for spring. Reindeer gather in larger groups as calving season approaches.
- November and December see the first deep snow and the onset of polar night. Animals are adjusting to winter conditions and movement increases. Wolverine activity is often highest in early winter.
The most important piece of advice for wildlife watching in Pyhätunturi: slow down. The natural instinct is to cover ground. The productive approach is to move slowly, stop often, listen carefully, and watch the edges - the places where forest meets fell, where shoreline meets lake, where light and shadow intersect. That is where animals travel and feed.
Combine wildlife awareness with a guided bushcraft skills session for the deepest possible introduction to the living forest of Pyhätunturi. Our guides have spent years reading this landscape and know where to find fresh sign and what it means.