Frozen Waterfalls – Korouoma, Winter in Finland featured
Korouoma Canyon is a geological fracture valley. It is 10 km long and, in places, several hundred meters wide. It was formed about 600 million years ago during a subsidence of the earth’s crust and it is one of the deepest subsidences in Europe. At the center of the valley, it forms a magnificent gorge that drops over a 100 meters below its surrounding terrain.
It is about 160 km from Rovaniemi in the southern Lapland and you will need a car to get there. You can hike, ski or snowshoe through the whole fracture valley following a 30-km out-and-back trail. The hiking route has connections to Lake Livojarvi ( 20km) and Lake Simojarvi ( 25 km). Boardwalks, cabins and wilderness cottages for rent, Kota-huts, and lean-tos have been constructed along the trails.
In winter, a few streams running over the canyon’s edge freeze forming huge ice formations that can be viewed from the valley below. Some of these natural ice wonders can be climbed. Typically, Korouoma is known to be the best climbing destination in Finland. For most of us though it simply offers a magnificent view of a spectacular nature hike.
Depending on the conditions snowshoes might be needed in some areas of the canyon but mostly it is a pleasurable walk through the pristine winter forest. You can go on a full 5 km circle trail, which will take 2-3 hours and visit 3 major waterfalls: Charlie Brown, Mammoth Fall, and Brown River. Considering short daylight and quite a distance from Rovaniemi you should get there early if you intend to do that. We have visited the Brown River waterfall at Piippukallio, which is the largest frozen waterfall in Korouoma. The middle area of the fall rises 60 meters. The fall is normally climbed in October and November but it is challenging even for very experienced climbers.
Take a tour around the park in Korouoma!