Hunting Pits on Jyppyrä Hill

Northern Lapland
Enontekiö 
Hetta Area
The area is managed by Metsähallitus.

In the village of Hetta in Enontekiö, you can see one of the largest chains of hunting pits in Lapland. You can explore the Jyppyrä hunting pits located in the Hetta Area and other reindeer hunting methods along the Peurapolku Trail, which passes close by the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre.

Jyppyrä is a hill that is located close to the village of Hetta in Enontekiö. More than one hundred remains of hunting pits have been found in the Jyppyrä area. These pits were used for hunting wild reindeer. They form a chain-like system of hunting pits, the total length of which is 1,5 km. Remains of hunting pits are among the very few remains of prehistoric hunting equipment.

Sometimes the reindeer that had ventured into the area fell into the hunting pits accidentally. However, the largest load of game was obtained in the kind of hunting where beaters chased reindeer towards the hunting area. Wedge-like fences facilitated hunting, as they prevented the reindeer from escaping in the wrong direction. Hounds were also used in chasing reindeer.

In olden times, the Jyppyrä area was a winter grazing zone for wild reindeer. The reindeer hunting sites formed an entity, which comprised, in addition to hunting equipment, a base, meat storages and a place of worship, i.e., a seida. It is said that the Jyppyrä seida was located on top of Jyppyrä Hill. It was a large square stone that stood on four small stones. According to folklore, the builders of the Enontekiö church rolled the seida rock down into Lake Ounasjärvi at the bottom of the hill in the 1800s.

Contact Information

• More information on the destination is available at the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre.

Directions and Maps

• Information on directions to the Jyppyrä hunting pits is available on the Hetta Area's webpages.
  • You can explore the Jyppyrä hunting pits by taking the Peurapolku Trail, which starts from the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre.

Electronic Maps

• Excursionmap.fi 

Services

• Services in the Hetta Area

Peurapolku Trail, 2 km

• The Peurapolku Trail starts (pdf 0.7 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi) from the grounds of the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre. There is a fenced hunting pit reconstructed on the grounds. There is also a covered campfire site in the area.
• The path forms a ring at the end of the one-kilometre trail. You can return to the Nature Centre along the same trail. The trail has been marked with hoof signs attached to poles.
• There are also information boards along the trail describing old reindeer hunting methods and wild reindeer that were hunted to extinction.
• There are several remains of hunting pits along the Peurapolku Trail. They are protected by the Antiquities Act, which is why hikers must keep to the path.

Accessible Services

• The exhibition and the grounds of the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre can be accessed by wheelchair.
• There is also an accessible toilet at the Visitor Centre.

This is the web page nationalparks.fi/huntingpitsonjyppyrahill