Urho Kekkonen National Park – Finland

Urho Kekkonen National Park in Finland, is the first stop of my road trip that brought me far above the arctic circle!
First time ever visiting Finland, I went there to see the autumn colors, photograph wildlife, hike a lot and discover the country.
Despite I was unlucky with the weather (wind, cold and rain), the colorful landscapes were very astonishing, and it was incredible to hike there.
I was hoping to watch northern lights, but it was too cloudy at night.

Part of finnish Lapland, Urho Kekkonen National Park was established in 1983 and covers 2,550km².
It includes the Sompio Strict Nature Reserve, where most of the pictures below were taken.

Watching reindeer in the wild, and also lucky to spot an eagle flying in the foggy sky, I enjoyed to encounter wildlife in Finland for the first time.
Here are some pictures taken during my two days of hiking in the beautiful scenery that Finnish Lapland offers.

Finnish lapland landscape, Urho Kekkonen National Park
F2.8, 1/400 sec, 70 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Colorful tree in Finland, Autumn in Lapland
F2.8, 1/400 sec, 125 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Finnish forest in Lapland
F8, 1/40 sec, 17 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Finnish berry leaves turning red (Lingonberry)
F4, 1/500 sec, 58 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Reindeer in finnish forest, wildlife in Finland
F2.8, 1/250 sec, 140 mm, ISO200, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Flora in Finland
F4, 1/3200 sec, 23 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Watching reindeer in the woods, Finland
F2.8, 1/200 sec, 200 mm, ISO200, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Hiking trail in Finland, Sompio Strict Nature Reserve
F4, 1/320 sec, 70 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Rocks in landscape in Finland, Lapland
F8, 1/400 sec, 17 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Watching eagle in Finland
F8, 1/5000 sec, 600 mm, ISO4000, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Finnish landscape in Lapland, peatland
F8, 1/100 sec, 17 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Reindeer in Finland, eating in forest
F6.3, 1/640 sec, 600 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Twisted trunk in Lapland forest
F6.3, 1/250 sec, 270 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Reindeer in Finland, Lapland forest
F6.3, 1/400 sec, 300 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Autumn colors in Finland
F3.2, 1/500 sec, 105 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Colorful forest during Autumn in Finland
F8, 1/160 sec, 70 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Typical wooden path in Lapland, Finland
F3.2, 1/400 sec, 70 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Wild berries in Finland
F4.2, 1/30 sec, 7.2 mm, ISO180, COOLPIX AW130

Colorful and beautiful nature in Finland
F2.8, 1/500 sec, 200 mm, ISO200, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

I hope you liked my photos of Urho Kekkonen National Park in Finland, and enjoyed the autumn colors in Lapland.
First stop of my road trip in Finland, more articles are coming!
Maybe they will motivate you to visit this beautiful country and discover its impressive nature and wildlife.

Note:
Caribou and Reindeer are sharing the same genus, Rangifer, and species name, tarandus. The biggest difference between reindeer and caribou is the domestication.
Only in North America are wild Rangifer referred to as caribou. In Eurasia, reindeer are classified as either wild or domesticated.