Kevo Strict Nature Reserve (, ) is a

strict nature reserve A strict nature reserve (IUCN category Ia) or wilderness area (IUCN category Ib) is the highest category of protected area recognised by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), a body which is part of the International Union for ...

located in

Utsjoki Utsjoki (; ; ; ; ) is a municipality in Finland, the northernmost in the country. It is in Lapland and borders Norway as well as the municipality of Inari. The municipality was founded in 1876. It has a population of () and covers an area of ...

, northern Lapland,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It was established in 1956 and covers . The reserve is a popular backpacking destination due to its

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

-like gorge valley. A central part of the reserve is the long and, at places, deep Kevojoki canyon, on the bottom of which flows the Kevojoki river. It is surrounded by more level

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

upland. Walking in the reserve is only permitted along two marked routes. The Kevo backpacking route is long and follows the gorge valley. The Kuivi route is and goes along the fell area. Both routes are difficult and include e.g. many paddle crossings.

Gallery

References

External links

* Strict nature reserves of Finland Protected areas of the Arctic Utsjoki Geography of Lapland (Finland) Tourist attractions in Lapland (Finland) {{Europe-protected-area-stub