Seppälä Rental Hut

Location

• Eastern Finland, North Karelia Region, Municipality of Lieksa (lieksa.fi, in Finnish), Koli National Park
• Seppälä, coordinates: Euref-Fin (~ WGS84) lat: 63° 01.0848' lon: 29° 55.8657'  ETRS-TM35FIN: N: 6990986 E: 648337
• Herajärven rantatie 40, 81260 Ahveninen

Hiking

Seppälä is located in the southern part of the Koli National Park. A roughly 300-metre shortcut runs from the hut to the Herajärven kierros Trail.

Driving Instructions

Via Koli village:
From Koli Nature Centre Ukko, drive downwards along Ylä-Kolintie road for 2 km and turn right towards the Koli village. Distance from the nature center to the Koli village is altogether 3,6 km. When you reach the village, turn right onto Merilänrannantie towards Loma-Koli and drive for roughly 1 km, then turn right onto Rantatie road and continue for another 1 km until you reach the harbor. After Koli Harbour, continue south along Rantatie and Vesivaarantie for roughly 18 km until you reach the Herajoki stream. Just before the Herajoki bridge, turn right onto Herajärven rantatie road.

Via Ahveninen:
Drive along the Romppalantie road, take the Herajoentie road (road sign reads "Herajoki"). After roughly 9 km, turn left onto Vesivaaratie road at the first crossroads (to the right, the road continues as Vaaralahdentie). Immediately after the Herajoki bridge, some 700 metres from the previous crossroads, turn left onto Herajärven rantatie road.
The distance from Herajärven rantatie to Seppälä is 4 km. Take the next right turn. After the Seppälä parking area (on the right-hand side of the road), take the next right turn by the mail boxes and drive until you reach the Seppälä hut. Parking in the yard is only allowed for people that are renting the Seppälä hut. Otherwise you should leave your car to the Seppälä parking area. (In a nut shell: turn right at every junction on Herajärventie).

Maps

• Koli National Park map
• Excursionmap.fi
• Outdoor and servicemap of Koli 1:20 000 / 1:50 000
• Terrain map P532, 1:50 000

Price

2023
1st day 85 €
2nd–7th day 76 €

2024
1st day 100 €
2nd–7th day 85 €

Rental time 14:00–12:00.
No reservations longer than one week at a time.

Keys

Keys to the rental hut are placed in the key box next to the door of the hut. The key box opens with a 4-digit key combination. As soon as you have booked the hut, you will receive a booking confirmation in your email. Check the confirmation's attached files, in which you will find the 4-digit key code and additional information (please also check your spam folder). Keep the information with you until the end of the reservation. If you have not gotten the key combination at least two weekdays before the beginning of your reservation, please contact Koli Nature Centre Ukko.

When you arrive at the hut, enter the code in the box by rotating the numbers in the key box. Take the key from the box, unlock the hut, and put the key back in the box. Roll the numbers back to zero again. Always keep the keys inside the key box, so they won’t get lost or locked inside the hut. At the end of the reservation, leave the keys in the same box.

Facilities

• Visitors must bring enough drinking and domestic water with them to the hut. You can also get water from a well in the yard, but water must be boiled before drinking. Please note, that also hikers and the renters of the nearest rental huts use the the same well. It is also possible to borrow water containers and get clean drinking water from the Koli Nature Centre Ukko.
• Lodging for 6–8 persons in bunk and pull-out beds, including mattresses, pillows and blankets but no linen.
• A traditional wood-burning baking oven, electric stove, a refrigerator with an ice box, a microwave oven, a coffeemaker, an electric kettle and tableware and cutlery for nine people and a vacuum cleaner. There is also a wood stove in the bedroom in the back. Please note that in rainy weather and during low pressure, smoke will not exit the fireplaces properly. The fireplace may then smoke up the hut. It is a good idea to preheat the fireplace so that smoke exits properly. Check the heating instructions in the hut folder.
• A sauna, a campfire site and a non-composting outdoor toilet. A separate composter for biowaste.
• Dishwashing liquid, spices, fire-making equipment and toilet paper are not included.

Notices

• Please check Koli National Park's What's New before arrival.
• Please leave no litter or other traces of your visit. There are no waste collection containers at the hut, and visitors are required to take their waste away from the terrain. You  can put biodegradable waste in the composter.
• There are no accessible services in the hut.
• Pets are permitted in the hut.
• Camping in the yard is prohibited.
• In the summertime it's recommended to bring a mosquito net with you to quarantee a good night's sleep.
• Metsähallitus is not to be held responsible for possible disconnections in electricity network during storms.
• Safety on hiking

Maintenance and management

General customer service, customer feedback and maintenance:
Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland,
Koli Nature Centre Ukko, tel. int. +358 40 7732442.

Booking, payments, and cancellations:
Eräluvat.fi Customer Service (verkkokauppa.eraluvat.fi)