Cross-country skiing in Ylläs
approx. 300 km.
Check the grooming before you go. The trail map below is live: green means groomed in the last day. Pick your loop at breakfast, not at the trailhead.
The trails in numbers
| Total groomed km | Approx. 300 km, of which approx. 150 km (class one) are groomed through mid-winter; class-two trails open from 1 February and class-three from 15 February. |
|---|---|
| Floodlit trails | Over 30 km lit. Lämpökolmonen, a 3 km lit loop from Ihmisenrinki on the Äkäslompolo side, is usually the first trail to open; Aurinkotupa also has a lit trail open all winter. |
| Season | Grooming usually starts late October or early November as soon as snow allows; trails are maintained until 1 May, weather permitting. |
| Trail pass | Visitor trail fee of €10 per day, €25 per week or €50 per season, collected by Visit Ylläs; pay by MobilePay/Vipps, card or PayPal, or buy a sticker at e.g. Kellokas visitor centre. |
| Skating lanes | Trails are groomed with two classic tracks and a skating lane in between. |
| Dogs allowed | Approx. 46 km of dog-friendly trails near both villages, marked with a skier-and-dog symbol at junctions. |
| Trail grooming | Grooming is timed for morning skiing; exact grooming times for each trail are shown live on the Ylläs digital map. |
| Nearest trail from the village | In Äkäslompolo trails start from the lake ice behind K-Supermarket Jounin Kauppa; in Ylläsjärvi trails are reached on foot from Eelin Kauppa, with parking behind Ylläs Lake Hotel. |
Figures from the destination and trail organisations, checked 8 November 2026. Snow decides what is actually open – use the live map.
Where to ski
Äkäslompolo village and Ihmisenrinki
Trails fan out from the lake ice behind Jounin Kauppa and from the Nililahentie car park. Ihmisenrinki, shared with the ski resort car park, is the start of the 3 km lit Lämpökolmonen loop, normally the first trail groomed each winter.
Yllästunturi loop
A roughly 30 km classic circuit around the Ylläs fell itself, linking the two villages. A full-day outing for fit skiers.
Aurinkotupa
A lit trail and children's ski area with a large car park and café, between Ylläsjärvi and the fell. Suits families and beginners.
Ylläsjärvi and the ski resort south side
Trails leave in four directions from Ylläs Ski Resort Ylläsjärvi, and the village trails are reachable on foot from Eelin Kauppa. The Ylläsjärvi side of Yllästunturi is also the start of the 70 km Ylläs-Levi race.
Aakenustunturi and the late-winter outer network
Quieter fell terrain east of Ylläs, reached by car from the Totovaara and Pyhäjärvi car parks (ploughed from week 8) or Lainio on the Kittilä road. Opens with the class-three trails in late winter and suits experienced skiers wanting solitude.
Your first day on skinny skis
Start on the flat lake ice at Äkäslompolo, the trail from Eelin Kauppa to Aurinkotupa, or the Ahvenkangas loop; easy trails are marked blue on the digital map. Aurinkotupa also has a children's ski area.
Rental and lessons
Sport Corner Ylläs in the centre of Äkäslompolo rents cross-country ski sets. Y1 Ski Rental at the Äkäslompolo ski resort (Tunturintie 56) rents cross-country sets for 3 hours or a full day; on the Ylläsjärvi side the resort lists Hill Ski Rent (Taiga building) and Saaga Ski Rental at Lapland Hotels Saaga. Ski School South in Ylläsjärvi (Iso-Ylläksentie 44) offers a cross-country lesson for first-timers and technique feedback; Visit Ylläs also sells technique lessons for classic and freestyle through its activity shop.
Races and events
| Event | When | What |
|---|---|---|
| Ylläs-Levi Hiihto | 2–3 April 2027 | Fell-to-fell long-distance race from Ylläs to Levi, part of the Euroloppet tour. 70 km from the Ylläsjärvi side of Yllästunturi or 55 km from the Äkäslompolo lake ice, finishing in Levi; classic technique on Friday, skating on Saturday. |
| Myllyhiihto | Weekly in late winter | A weekly group ski tour on the Ylläs trails with cafés along the route; schedules are published in the local paper Kuukkeli. |
Getting to the trails
Many trails start directly from the accommodation areas in both villages, and several car parks serve as trail heads (Nililahentie, Ihmisenrinki, Aurinkotupa, Eelin Kauppa / Ylläs Lake Hotel). The Ylläs Ski Bus runs November to early May from Helukka through Äkäslompolo, both ski resort bases, Lapland Hotels Saaga and Hotel Ylläsrinne to Eelin Kauppa in Ylläsjärvi; a single ticket is €8.50, a day ticket €15, and it is free with a season pass. A common trip is to take the bus to the far side of the fell and ski back.
Live grooming report
Which trails were groomed this morning, straight from the grooming machines. Opens in a new tab.
Open today's trail map — Visit Ylläs trail map →
Trail data: Visit Ylläs trail map
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