Auttiköngäs is a waterfall and nature reserve on the Auttijoki river, about 75 kilometres east of Rovaniemi on the road to Posio. The river falls 16 metres here through a cleft of dark rock, in the middle of a tract of forest that has never been commercially felled.
For much of the 20th century, timber cut in the backwoods was floated down this river to the sawmills, and the falls were an obstacle: logs shattered on the rocks. The solution — a long wooden chute to carry them past — has been restored and is now the most distinctive feature of the site.
What to see and do: Auttiköngäs
The falls and the log flume
A few minutes from the car park, a viewing platform faces the falls, with the timber flume running beside them and the old log-floaters’ dam above. Information boards explain how the floating was organised. In spring, when the snow melts, the falls are at their most powerful.
The nature trail
A circular trail of about 3.5 kilometres climbs from the falls along the rim of the gorge, crosses the river on a suspension bridge and continues to an observation tower on the hill of Könkäänvaara, with a view over unbroken forest. It takes an hour and a half to two hours and involves a fair number of steps.
Old-growth forest
The trail passes through spruce and pine forest several hundred years old, with standing dead trees and fallen trunks left to decay — a habitat that is rare in managed Finnish forest and rich in birds, mosses and fungi.
Fire shelter and café
There is a lean-to with a fireplace on the trail, and a café in the old log-floaters’ cabin by the car park that opens in the summer season.
Auttiköngäs in winter
The falls freeze into a wall of ice, and the trail is usually passable on foot or snowshoes. Some winter tours pair a stop here with the icefalls of Korouoma, further along the same road.
How to get to Auttiköngäs
- By car, take road 81 east from Rovaniemi towards Posio for about an hour; the turning to Auttiköngäs is signposted, and the car park is a short way off the main road.
- Public transport is not practical. Guided hikes from Rovaniemi include transport and a campfire lunch.
Insider tips
- Combine it with Korouoma, about 40 minutes further on, for a full day of gorges and waterfalls.
- The steps and duckboards can be slippery when wet or icy; wear boots with a good tread.
- Bring insect repellent in June and July.
- There is no entry fee.
Best tours & tickets for Auttiköngäs
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Auttiköngäs:
Guided day hike from €139 Rovaniemi: Auttiköngäs Waterfall Hike & Wilderness BBQ
A day in one of the finest patches of old forest near Rovaniemi. A circular trail of about three and a half kilometres climbs past the falls and the timber chute once used to float logs around them, to a lookout tower above the gorge.
- A 16-metre waterfall in old-growth forest
- Historic log flume
- Lunch over the campfire
Day trip with guided hike from €70 Rovaniemi: Korouoma Canyon Frozen Waterfalls Hike & BBQ
The best-rated day trip from Rovaniemi and remarkable value. After a drive of about an hour and a half, you descend into a gorge where seeping water freezes into icefalls tens of metres high, and follow a circular trail of roughly five kilometres with a sausage-grilling stop. Expect steep steps on the way down and back up.
- Walk beneath towering walls of ice
- Barbecue lunch in the canyon
- Rated 4.9 by over 1,600 guests
Guided nature walk from €105 From Rovaniemi: Vikaköngäs Forest Hiking Tour with BBQ
A short guided walk in the Arctic Circle Hiking Area, about twenty minutes’ drive north of town. Duckboard paths follow the Raudanjoki rapids through pine forest to a fire shelter. Easy enough for most ages.
- Rapids, hanging bridge and old pine forest
- Sausages grilled at a lean-to
- Easy trails
