The Santa Claus Forest

The Santa Claus Forest Nature Trail starts 7.8 km north-east of Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle. You can walk from Santa Claus Village to the Santa Claus Forest along the trail. In the Santa Claus Forest, tourists and local people have planted thousands of named spruce trees and can come and see the growth and development of their own trees over the years.

 The trail starts at the north-western edge of the Santa Claus Village. Along the trail, there are string bogs, coniferous bogs, and dry forests. First, you must descend to the tunnel running under the highway, where the trail starts with a duckboarded string bog stretch. The next stretch is through pine and spruce bogs, after which the gravel path crosses dry forests. Some stretches have duckboards. Information boards introduce the local nature. The path ends at a grand gate and continues into the hilly area of the Santa Claus Forest. It is a fenced forest area with thousands of planted spruce trees, where every tree features the planter’s name, date of birth, and date of planting. They are in rows with a groomed lawn between them. The 1.5 km, one-way path is open during the snow-free season.

 Along the trail, there are four resting benches and a roofed resting spot on top of a grassy hill in the middle of the Santa Claus Forest. At the start of the trail in Santa Claus Village, there are diverse services and conveniences, and two service stations are also nearby.

 Directions: drive 8.4 km out of the city centre along Sodankyläntie to the Arctic Circle and Santa Claus Village; turn right on Pukinpolku; drive 160m; turn right on Joulumaantie; drive 70 m; then turn right into the parking area. The start of the trail is 150 m from the parking area.