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Finland

Northern Finland

Inari

Pielpajärvi Lake – Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church loop from Inari

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Finland

Northern Finland

Inari

Pielpajärvi Lake – Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church loop from Inari

Moderate

4.8

(26)

128

hikers

Pielpajärvi Lake – Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church loop from Inari

03:55

15.1km

90m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 25, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

2.84 km

Peljärvi Wilderness Church Trailhead and Parking

Highlight • Parking

Parking area for walks to the wilderness Church. Dry toilets are available.

Tip by

3.39 km

Pielpajärvi Lake

Highlight • Lake

Many small lakes on the way to the church

Translated by Google •

Tip by

6.00 km

Wooden Bridge River Crossing

Highlight • Bridge

Beautiful river crossing on a old wooden boardwalk.

Tip by

7.57 km

After the Christianization of the Sami population of Inari, the first small church was built in 1647 in the winter village on the banks of Lake Pielpajärvi, where the semi-nomadic Sami people gathered during the cold season to trade and to settle their religious and legal affairs. The Swedish Queen Christina had the church named after herself and donated the bell and the priest's ceremonial robe. After the old church had been neglected for many years and had become dilapidated, the current church was built in its place between 1752 and 1760. The bell tower was added between 1760 and 1766. Around the church there were originally 30 to 40 church rooms in which churchgoers who had traveled from far away were accommodated, a rectory and several other buildings, none of which have survived. There was no cemetery, however, because the Sami traditionally buried the deceased on islands in Lake Inari. Around 1846, Pielpajärvi Church was renovated and given its current form.
When the Sami people settled in Inari, the winter village on Pielpajärvi was abandoned. After the village of Inari became settled, a new church was built there and Pielpajärvi Church was abandoned in 1888.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

7.58 km

Altar and Pulpit

Highlight • Religious Site

7.74 km

Sevettijärvi Wilderness Church and Day Hut

Highlight • Religious Site

Day Hut with fireplaces and toilets.

Tip by

8.46 km

Pielpajärvi Church Trail – Winter Information Board

Highlight • Trail

Winter
In the heart of winter, the landscape is shrouded in a blue dusk, but the full moon of the polar night makes the forests shimmer. Under the starry sky, arctic hares do not sink in the snow, for their paws have a broad fringe of stiff hair.
For the Sámi, the stars used to be a compass that showed both time and season. They revealed which way to go, as they both show the directions and tell when conditions will brighten. The hare also has its own constellation in the sky.
January is the month of the new year in Sámi, and it marks the end of the polar night. Midwinter is over, and we can see a trace of the rising sun on the horizon. Every day the amount of light increases, and in February the sun shines brighter and brighter, so nature gradually wakes up from winter dormancy.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

15.1 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

10.3 km

4.23 km

499 m

120 m

Surfaces

9.44 km

3.65 km

1.77 km

264 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Tuesday 30 June

17°C

10°C

77 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 19.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

October 11, 2023,Hiking Tour

a very nice tour through a beautiful forest along various lakes to a wooden church (1754). Shelter, feeding area available.

February 15, 2022,Winterwanderung zum Iso Pielpapjävri

Very nice winter hike, unfortunately we did not reach the Einsiedler Kirche am See due to the snow conditions. The way back across the lake with a very nice sunset.

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Pielpajärvi Lake – Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church loop from Inari

Peljärvi Wilderness Church Trailhead and Parking

Boulders in the Forest

Pielpajärvi Lake

Wooden Bridge River Crossing

Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church

Altar and Pulpit

Sevettijärvi Wilderness Church and Day Hut

Pielpajärvi Church Trail – Winter Information Board

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