Ivalo River
Encyclopedia
The Ivalo River is a 180 kilometres (111.8 mi) long river that flows through upper Lapland into Lake Inari
.
The Ivalo River starts from the Korsa fjelds hugging the border between Inari
and Enontekiö
. The first streams branching off of it can be found on the bog
s of Peltotunturi on the border between Finland
and Norway
along the western border of the Lemmenjoki National Park
. The river flows into Lake Inari
from a 5 kilometres (3 mi) long delta approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the village of the same name, which is located on both banks of this meandering, shallow run. The Repo, Tolos, Sota
and Kylä Rivers, the latter two of which are renowned for the gold found in them, are some of the Ivalo River’s tributaries.
For almost its entire length, the Ivalo River flows through wilderness. Near its headwaters, the river meanders as a narrow stream through the southernmost bogs of the Lemmenjoki National Park
. Halfway down its length, the national park becomes the Hammastunturi Wilderness Area
, through which it flows almost all the way to Ivalo
.
by director Åke Lindman
portrays the height of the gold rush. Hundreds of gold claims, differing greatly in size, are still staked out along the banks of the river and its tributaries.
to Tolonen has been a traditional destination for canoe
rs. Lately, it has become popular with whitewater rafters
, as well. Tourists can hike to areas where gold was and is still being mined by following marked trails. A suspension bridge
spans the Ivalo River at Kultala.
Fishermen can try to catch trout
and graylings
. With luck, they might even snag a pike
or whitefish
. The river’s tributaries are teeming with trout that range from 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 ) long.
Lake Inari
Lake Inari is the third largest lake in Finland and the largest lake in Sápmi. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is 117–119 meters above sea level and it is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plant in Russia...
.
The Ivalo River starts from the Korsa fjelds hugging the border between Inari
Inari
Inari may refer to:* Inari , a Shinto spirit** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari* Inari Sami, one of the Sami languages...
and Enontekiö
Enontekiö
Enontekiö is a municipality in the Finnish part of Lapland with approx. inhabitants. It is situated in the outermost northwest of the country and occupies a large and very sparsely populated area of about between the Swedish and Norwegian border...
. The first streams branching off of it can be found on the bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s of Peltotunturi on the border between Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
along the western border of the Lemmenjoki National Park
Lemmenjoki National Park
Lemmenjoki National Park is situated in area of municipalities of Inari and Kittilä, Lapland, in Northern Finland. It was founded in 1956 and has since been expanded twice...
. The river flows into Lake Inari
Lake Inari
Lake Inari is the third largest lake in Finland and the largest lake in Sápmi. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is 117–119 meters above sea level and it is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plant in Russia...
from a 5 kilometres (3 mi) long delta approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the village of the same name, which is located on both banks of this meandering, shallow run. The Repo, Tolos, Sota
Sota River
The Sota is a river of northern Bénin flowing through the departments of Borgou and Alibori. It is a tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately 250 km in length and covers a basin area of 15,000 km2 and flows through towns such as Malanville....
and Kylä Rivers, the latter two of which are renowned for the gold found in them, are some of the Ivalo River’s tributaries.
For almost its entire length, the Ivalo River flows through wilderness. Near its headwaters, the river meanders as a narrow stream through the southernmost bogs of the Lemmenjoki National Park
Lemmenjoki National Park
Lemmenjoki National Park is situated in area of municipalities of Inari and Kittilä, Lapland, in Northern Finland. It was founded in 1956 and has since been expanded twice...
. Halfway down its length, the national park becomes the Hammastunturi Wilderness Area
Hammastunturi Wilderness Area
The Hammastunturi Wilderness Area is located in Lapland, Finland. It was established in 1991 like all the other 11 wilderness areas of Finland. It covers situated in a fell and forest area between the Urho Kekkonen National Park and Lemmenjoki National Park...
, through which it flows almost all the way to Ivalo
Ivalo
Ivalo is a village in Inari Municipality, in Finland's Lapland Province, located on the Ivalo river 20 kilometres to the south of Lake Inari. It has a population of 3,998 and a small airport...
.
River of gold
The Ivalo River has nicknamed the “river of gold”. During the Finnish gold rush to Lapland at the end of the 19th century, places like Kultala were built. The movie Lapin kullan kimallusLapin kullan kimallus
Lapin kullan kimallus is a 1999 Finnish movie, directed by Åke Lindman.The movie is about the Finnish gold rush to Lapland in the end of the 19th century...
by director Åke Lindman
Åke Lindman
Åke Leonard Lindman , born Åke Leonard Järvinen, was a Finnish director and actor.In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing defence for the Finnish national team during the Olympics in Helsinki 1952. He represented the football club HIFK in the Finnish league. In the 1960s, the British...
portrays the height of the gold rush. Hundreds of gold claims, differing greatly in size, are still staked out along the banks of the river and its tributaries.
Tourism
The Ivalo River continues to gain in popularity as a tourist attraction from one year to the next. In 2005, it was named the Destination of the Year at the Retki 2005 fair. A 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) long stretch of rapids from KutturaKuttura
Kuttura is a small village in the southwest corner of the municipality of Inari on the west bank of the Ivalo River next to the Hammastunturi Wilderness Area...
to Tolonen has been a traditional destination for canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
rs. Lately, it has become popular with whitewater rafters
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
, as well. Tourists can hike to areas where gold was and is still being mined by following marked trails. A suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
spans the Ivalo River at Kultala.
Fishermen can try to catch trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and graylings
Grayling (species)
The grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus. Native to the Palearctic ecozone, the grayling is widespread throughout northern Europe, from the United Kingdom and France to the Ural Mountains in Russia...
. With luck, they might even snag a pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
or whitefish
Common whitefish
Coregonus lavaretus is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus Coregonus.There are widely different concepts about the number of species in the genus Coregonus and the delimitation of the species Coregonus lavaretus.-Lavaret:In a narrow...
. The river’s tributaries are teeming with trout that range from 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 ) long.