Levi cross-country ski tours
Introducing ski trails in the varied fell scenery of Levi. Have you already skied all of these?
Explore Lapland's beautiful winter landscapes and Levi's stunning XC ski tracks on a longer ski tour. Here are five alternative ski tours that will challenge you for the whole day.
1 - Tour of Levi 19 km
As the name suggests, the Levi loop circles the entire Levi fell. It is 19 kilometres long. You can ski most of the route on the easy trails marked in blue on the Levi ski map.
You can easily start this trail from, for example, Levi's Front Slope or from skiing tracks starting point B. Skiing clockwise, you will find gentle ascents and descents, some flat terrain, then some nice, slightly hilly terrain. If you like, stop at Draivi after just under three kilometres to enjoy your first hot chocolate!
From Draivi, the route continues through the Levi golf course. Quite flat skiing all the way to the spectacular scenery of Kellostapuli. Here begins the uphill, red section of the tour. Remember, when you're skiing uphill, there's always a downhill afterwards, after which your muscles and lungs are ready to tackle the next hill. Take your camera and snap some photos along the way, it will add a nice rhythm to your skiing trip.
You will ski past the Sammun-Tupa, where you can also enjoy snacks and admire some reindeer. From here on in, the journey is flat and downhill, and you will reach a clearing where the magnificent Levi fell is visible above the trees.
The Levi tour continues past the Levi's South Slopes. From the South Slopes towards the starting point, the Front Slopes, the trail first begins a gentle ascent and the rest of the way is a short stretch of hilly and flat terrain. The final descent brings you back to Levi's Zero Point.
2 - Tour of Kätkä 14,8 km
The Kätkä Tour is a great choice for the slightly more experienced skier. The route of about 15 kilometres is varied in terrain and, as the name suggests, circles around the Kätkätunturi fell. It is important to follow the correct direction of rotation on the most difficult part of the route.
You can easily get to the Kätkä tour from, for example, the Levi Tourist Information Office at the skiing track starting point A. The Kätkä tour starts with a long ascent along the red-marked ski track. The route then combines nicely hilly and flat terrain before you reach a steep, black-marked climb between Kätkä and Pyhätunturi.
After the ascent, you can descend to the Kätkä laavu (a traditional Finnish lean-to shelter), where you can take a break to enjoy a snack and the beautiful scenery. You can enjoy eating your own snacks, and you can buy even pancakes with jam and have a hot drink in the spring and winter when laavu café is open.
The rest of the way from Kätkä's laavu is a blue easy trail in hilly terrain, with an even longer climb at the end. After the ascent, there is a really long descent on reaching lake Immeljärvi. After this there is only a short stretch over the lake before reaching the starting point of the Kätkä loop.
3 - Tour of Pyhä 25 km
Initially, the Tour of Pyhä is the same as that of the Kätkä Tour. However, it is longer, about 25 kilometres in total. In addition to the Kätkätunturi fell, you also ski around the Pyhätunturi fell that follows it.
The Tour of Pyhä ski route branches off from the Kätkä tour between Kätkä and Pyhätunturi. You will continue skiing along the blue ski trail, and will not go up between these fells. On the Pyhä tour, you will pass Merkkinen lean-to and the Muusa wilderness hut on the way.
On this section, the ski trail is hilly before you reach the end of Pyhätunturi. At the junction, you can choose to continue uphill on the more difficult route or prefer the flatter easy terrain.
If you choose the difficult ascent, this is clearly the most challenging part of the route. Marked in black on the Levi ski map, the ascent is long and steep, especially at the start. The trail doesn't quite reach the top of Pyhätunturi, but the views are spectacular from here too. After the long ascent, the reward is a very long, winding and fast descent towards Kätkänlaavu.
The route is not so challenging when going downhill, but descends to the edge of the fells and continues hilly to Kätkänlaavu. From Kätkänlaavu the route is the same back towards the centre of Levi via Immeljärvi as on the Kätkä tour.
4 – Tour of Muusa 27 km
The Muusa loop is almost identical to the Tour of Pyhä, except that it also goes around Lake Pyhäjärvi and the Muusanlampi on the northern side of Pyhätunturi.
The Muusa route includes the Hanhipirtti hut, where you can take a break. The Muusa loop is 27 kilometres long and offers a slightly varied route around the Kätkä and Pyhäjärvi lakes. You'll find varied terrain and enjoyable scenery.
5 – Tour of Aakenus 41,3 km
The Tour of Aakenus is a challenge for even the most experienced skier! The 40 km Aakenus tour takes you behind Kätkä and Pyhätunturi fells all the way to Lake Aakenusjärvi.
The Aakenus tour also starts from the village of Levi and from the gate of Hotel K5 at trailhead A. There is a good mix of ups and downs, with a few hills even marked in black on the trail map.
The route can be skied in both directions. The more popular, preferred direction is to go counter-clockwise, skiing the first six kilometres on a gentle uphill slope. A hard climb is rewarded with a long descent, and the first ten kilometres are fast. So this is the same route all the way to the back of the Pyhätunturi fell as in the Tour of Pyhä.
The Aakenusjärvi hut, Aakenuspirtti and Hirvikämppä are located along this route as a rest stops. After the hills, the rest of the trail is fairly flat and you can ski at a good pace. The tour ends at the crossing of Immeljärvi.
