Discover the best things to do in Pyhätunturi, Finnish Lapland: ice floating, Arctic bushcraft, ice fishing, winter SUP and northern lights in small groups.
Things to Do in Pyhätunturi: Your Complete Winter Activity Guide
If you're planning a winter trip and wondering what things to do in Pyhätunturi are available beyond skiing, you're about to discover one of the most underrated adventure destinations in Finnish Lapland. Pyhätunturi sits within Pyhä-Luosto National Park — ancient fell country about 130 km south of Rovaniemi — and while its ski slopes attract winter visitors every year, the experiences that truly set it apart happen on the frozen lake, deep in the old-growth forest, and under the open Arctic sky. This guide covers the full range of outdoor activities in Pyhä, from the extraordinary to the genuinely unforgettable.
Ice Floating on Lake Pyhäjärvi
Nothing captures Pyhätunturi's unique character better than ice floating on the frozen Lake Pyhäjärvi. You pull on a professional dry survival suit — the same type used by Finnish sea rescue teams — wade into the ice-fringed shore, and float flat on the surface of the lake. The forest closes around you in silence. The sky above is enormous. You are completely warm, completely weightless, and utterly removed from ordinary life.
Ice floating is an entirely Finnish invention, and Pyhätunturi is one of the best places in the world to experience it properly. The lake is sheltered by the fell on three sides, so even at −20°C the sensation feels peaceful rather than brutal. Groups are small — typically 4–8 people — and no experience is needed at any level. For aurora hunters, the evening Aurora Floating session transforms the lake into a viewing platform like no other: you lie back on the water while the northern lights ripple across the sky above you, a defining Lapland moment that very few visitors ever discover.
Arctic Bushcraft in the Old-Growth Forest
Pyhätunturi stands at the edge of some of Europe's last intact primeval boreal forest — ancient Scots pines hundreds of years old, draped in wolf lichen and reindeer moss, exactly as they were when the Forest Sámi people hunted and fished here. The Arctic Bushcraft Skills programme takes you into this forest for a half-day of genuine wilderness knowledge: fire-making with steel striker and natural tinder gathered from the forest floor, basic shelter construction, reading the landscape for water and wind, and cooking over an open flame on the snow.
If you want to experience two of the most elemental sides of Pyhätunturi in a single day, the Arctic Bushcraft + Ice Floating full-day combination moves from morning forest to afternoon lake — fire to frozen water — finishing as the winter light fades from the fell.
Ice Fishing on a Frozen Lake
Ice fishing is the oldest winter tradition in Finnish Lapland, and Lake Pyhäjärvi is an excellent venue for it. A hand auger bores through 60–80 cm of clear ice. You drop your line into the cold dark water below. Then the particular silence of an Arctic lake in midwinter settles around you — broken only by the distant call of a Siberian jay or the slow creak of the ice.
The Arctic Winter Fishing experience includes all equipment, a local guide, and a fire on the ice with coffee and snacks. No fishing experience is required. For a full day of traditional Arctic skills, the Winter Fishing + Bushcraft Skills combination programme covers both activities back to back — one of the most immersive outdoor activities in Pyhä available.
Snow Surfing and Winter SUP
Pyhätunturi's ski area has 15 slopes and 150 km of cross-country trails, but the most adventurous things to do on the fell aren't in the resort brochure. The snow surfing experience uses a monoski board to ride ungroomed fell terrain — powder gullies, tree runs, and open slopes guided by someone who knows every line on the mountain. It suits intermediate skiers and boarders ready for something beyond the piste.
For something completely unexpected, Winter SUP — stand-up paddleboarding in a dry suit on Arctic water — is one of the most unusual outdoor activities in Pyhätunturi. The combination of physical focus, balance, and total lakeside silence produces a flow state that's genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else.
Snowshoeing in Pyhä-Luosto National Park
The national park surrounding Pyhätunturi covers 142 km² of fells, ancient forest, and frozen lakes, with over 100 km of marked trails maintained as snowshoe routes through winter. The most dramatic natural feature is Isokuru — Finland's deepest gorge at 220 metres, carved by glaciers — whose rim offers sweeping views across the national park (the gorge floor trail closes in winter due to avalanche risk). Closer to the village, the Aittakuru canyon is accessible year-round: its rock walls are clad in elaborate ice formations through January and February, just 2 km from Pyhätunturi centre.
Snowshoe rental is available at the resort, and the park is free to enter. For a guided experience with wildlife and wilderness interpretation, local operators run half-day snowshoe tours through the most scenic sections of the national park.
Chasing the Northern Lights
At 67° north, Pyhätunturi sits well inside the auroral oval, and its small size means light pollution is almost non-existent. The northern lights season runs from late September to late March, with the strongest activity around the equinoxes in November and February. The Pyhä resort runs its own Aurora Alert notification system. For the most immersive aurora experience in Finnish Lapland, the Aurora Floating session places you flat on the surface of the lake under a completely open sky — nothing between you and the light show overhead.
Getting to Pyhätunturi from Rovaniemi
Pyhätunturi, Finnish Lapland is located 130 km south of Rovaniemi along road E75 and route 5. The nearest airport is Rovaniemi (ROI), with direct winter flights from Helsinki, Stockholm, and other European cities. The drive from Rovaniemi takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes; there is also a seasonal bus connection. Kemijärvi, the nearest town, is about 50 km west.
- Getting there: Fly to Rovaniemi — drive or take the bus ~1h 45 min south
- Best months for winter activities: December to March
- Ice floating, fishing and SUP: January to late March
- Northern lights season: September to March
- Group sizes: All Outdoor Artisans activities run with 4–8 people maximum
Plan Your Pyhätunturi Winter Trip
Three nights gives you time for ice floating, a bushcraft or fishing day, and an evening aurora hunt. Five nights lets you work through the full range of things to do in Pyhätunturi — with time left for independent snowshoeing in the national park between activity days. All Outdoor Artisans experiences are led by expert local guides who know the lake, the forest, and the weather patterns of this fell. Equipment is professional-grade and provided in full. No prior experience is required for any activity — just the willingness to step into one of the last genuinely wild corners of Europe.
Experience It Yourself
Book one of our guided Arctic adventures in Pyhätunturi
