Näränkä Directions and Maps

The Näränkä Natural Forests are located in South Kuusamo; in the east, the area stretches to the Finnish - Russian border. Näränkä is roughly 60 km from the town of Kuusamo, and the distance is about 130 km from Suomussalmi. The nearest villages are Kurvinen, Teeriranta, Hossa and Murtovaara.

Directions

By Car

From the direction of Kuusamo, you can reach Närängänvaara by taking main road 5 / E63 through the village of Murtovaara: from the town of Kuusamo, drive roughly 30 km and then take the Kerontie road 843 to Murtovaara and Hossa.

If driving to the Suojärvi parking area (1 km from the wilderness farm), take the Kerontie road 843 for 27 km, then turn left onto the Korpivaarantie road and follow the Näränkä road signs for 14 km.

If driving to the Hyöteiköntie parking area (4 km from the wilderness farm), take the Murtovaarantie road (no. 843) for about 27 km until the Hyöteikönsuo fork, then turn left. The distance from the fork to the parking area is 6 km.

The Pajupuronsuo protected area is located near main road 5 (E63). The closest parking area is on road 5, 33 km south of Kuusamo, in connection with the Kuusamon suurpetokeskus ("Kuusamo large predator centre") the distance from the centre to the Pajupuronsuo area is roughly 3 km.

The Virmajoki protected area is located at the easternmost end of the municipal land of Kuusamo. You can reach the area by taking the Lämsänkylä road (no. 866) from the town of Kuusamo towards Tammela and Mattila, or through Pikkarainen to Latvajärvi.

The Romevaara protected area is located in the vicinity of the Julma Ölkky ravine lake and the Ölökyn ähkäsy hiking trail. The nearest parking area is at the southern end of the lake.

By Public Transportation

• To Närängänvaara Hill: From the direction of Kuusamo, you can take a bus (matkahuolto.fi) every day during the school year to the side of the road 8421 to Murtovaara and Hossa. From the roadside, there is a 10 km hike to the Suojärvi parking area.
• To the other protected areas included in the Näränkä Natural Forests, buses (matkahuolto.fi) will take you roughly 1 to 5 km away from the areas. For example, you can take the bus travelling the Murtovaara - Teeriranta route from the town of Kuusamo to Romevaara.

Starting Points for Excursions

• The parking area closest to Närängänvaara Hill is the Suojärvi parking area at the foot of the hill.
• Starting points for trails

Maps

• Brochure of Näränkä (Pdf 4.5 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi)
• Excursionmap.fi 
• National Land Survey of Finland map service (maanmittauslaitos.fi)

Other Maps

• Kuusamo, vedenkestävä ulkoilukartta 1:100 000. Karttakeskus 2021.
• GT tiekartta Pohjois-Suomi: GT Roadmap Finland North, 2016, 1:400 000. Karttakeskus 2016.
• Maastokartta: Terrain map S532 Murtovaara, 1:50 000.
• Peruskartta: Basic map S5322 Murtovaara, 1:25 000.
• Peruskartat: Basic maps 4523 07, 4523 10, 4541 01-02, 4514 06, 4521 10-11, 1:20 000.
• Maastokartat: Terrain maps 4512, 4541, 1:50 000.