A view to the top of Finland

The highest point in Finland lies near the summit of Halti (Haltitunturi in Finnish; Háldi in Sami), on the Norwegian border in the far north-west of Finland.  At a height of 1324m, it is a spur of the mountain whose main summit lies within Norway.

Getting to it from the Finnish side involves walking or skiing some 50km from the road, a journey which usually starts in the village of Kilpisjärvi.  However, it is more accessible from the Norwegian side, at least in summertime.  On a recent visit to KAIRA in early June, I went to see if it would be possible.

From Kåfjord, a dirt track winds it's way up into the mountains, terminating only a few kilometers from the summit of Halti, on the side of a reservoir.  In the picture the reservoir can be seen, still frozen, in the middle with Halti as the large mountain in the background.  With the snow staying late this year, the road was impassable from about half-way up so getting to the summit of Halti itself was out of reach of a one-day trip and this was as far as I got.

The dog, incidentally, is a seven-year old Labrador and also a regular visitor to KAIRA.