Pyha Luosto National Park
| Pyha Luosto National Park | |||
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| Location: | Lapland , Finland | ||
| Next city: | Kemijärvi | ||
| Surface: | 142 km² | ||
| Founding: | 2005 | ||
| Address: |
www.nationalparks.fi Finnish Forest Service: Pyhä-Luosto National Park |
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The Pyhä-Luosto National Park is a national park in the north of Finland . It is located in the province of Lapland in the area of the municipalities of Pelkosenniemi , Kemijärvi and Sodankylä . It has an area of 142 and consists of the fells Pyhätunturi and Luosto . The Pyhä Luosto National Park was created in 2005 when the northeastern area around the Luosto Fjell was annexed to the Pyhätunturi National Park, founded in 1938.
The Pyhätunturi and Luosto fells form a 35-kilometer mountain range that clearly stands out from the flat surroundings. The highest peaks are the Noitatunturi ( 540 m ) and Ukko-Luosto ( 514 m ). It consists of hard quartzites that could withstand erosion and were abraded into round fells by the glaciers of the Ice Age . The melt water from the glaciers formed deep valleys between the peaks. The largest of these is the 220-meter-deep Isokuru Valley between the peaks of Kultakero and Ukonhattu.
At the foot of the fells there are extensive aapamoors , while the lower parts of the slopes are covered with conifers. The forests to the southwest of the Ukko-Luosto and Lampivaara peaks are pristine, more than 400-year-old primeval forests . The tree line runs at an altitude of 320 to 400 meters. The fauna of Pyhä-Luosto includes otters , brown bears , elk and reindeer as well as 128 different bird species.
The Sami , who originally inhabited the area of Pyhä-Luosto, were sacred to the Pyhätunturi (the name Pyhätunturi means "holy fell"). Toponyms such as Noitatunturi (“Hexenfjell”) or Uhriharju (“Sacrificial Ridge”) are reminiscent of the shamanistic religion of the Sami, while names such as Pyhäkasteenlampi (“holy baptismal pond”) refer to the Christianization of Sami between 1620 and 1680. Originally, wild forest reindeer were hunted in the area around the fells , but now semi-domesticated reindeer are kept in the area. Forestry was practiced on Pyhätunturi from the end of the 19th century until the National Park was founded in 1938.
There are ski sports centers on both Pyhätunturi and Luosto. An information center at Pyhätunturi presents the nature and history of the national park. In the national park there is a network of hiking trails with a total length of around 150 kilometers, in winter 220 kilometers of ski trails are laid out.
