Hiking’s Finland’s Helvetinkolu (Hell’s Gap)

In the summer of 2022, my family took me to Helvetinjärvi National Park for a hike to see a narrow gorge. I can’t say I was initially that excited about a gorge, especially one called Hell’s Gap, but it turned out to be a really beautiful hike, despite the ominous name.

Helvetinjärvi National Park

Helvetinjärvi National Park, or Hell’s Lake National Park, is in the Pirkanmaa region of Finland, in the southwest of the country, roughly three hours away from Helsinki, or a little over an hour from Tampere. The park is located in a rift valley, with its most famous feature being Helvetinkolu, or Hell’s Gorge/Gap. The park has about 40 km of trails of varying difficulty levels.

Hiking from Hell’s Gate to Hell’s Gap

We picked the shortest hike to Helvetinkolu, which begins at Helvetin Portti (Hell’s Gate) at a parking area called Kankimäen pysäköintialue (Kankimäki’s parking area). There’s a restaurant, which was a nice place to stop after hiking. They serve two very unique dishes: ostrich meat and wild boar. Both are locally grown, but neither dish is traditionally Finnish.

The trail is technically called Helvetistä Itään Nature Trail (East from Hell), but the name isn’t particularly easy to identify. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to follow. Just follow the signs first to Helvetinkolu, then back to Helvetin Portti. It’s a 3.9-km (2.4-mile) loop and quite flat, apart from the stairs down to Iso Helvetinjärvi (Large Hell’s Lake).

We took the trail to the right where the large trails diverge, but it’s all part of the same loop. The first part is a forest, after which we hit the staircase down to the lake, where there’s a rest area, day hut, and campfire site.

The second part is forest, with some bog you have to cross on duckboards. You’ll cross a bridge, from which you can view the gorge from above. There’s also a scenic lookout, where you can see the lake and forest of the park.

Other Hikes at Helvetinjärvi National Park

Haukanhieta-Heinälahti Trail – This 4.2-km (2.6-mile) hike takes you along the shores of Lake Haukkajärvi to a campfire site and back. This starts at Haukanhieta parking lot, where there’s also sandy beaches.

Haukanhieta-Helvetinkolu Trail – This 11-km (6.8-mile) hike also begins at Haukanhieta parking lot and takes you via 5.5 km (3.4 miles) to Helvetinkolu – connecting with the loop described in this post – and back.