Open wilderness huts in Finland's national parks are free shelters for hikers. Tour companies may not lodge their customers in them, Metsähallitus says.
Metsähallitus says supervision needs to increase. In March its staff met about 70 guided groups at popular destinations in Lapland and Koillismaa, and most of the customers were international travellers.
Everyman's rights do not let a tour group take over a wilderness hut in a national park, Metsähallitus said in the newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus on 27 September 2026, adding that supervision needs to increase. Metsähallitus runs Finland's national parks and maintains the huts in them.
An open wilderness hut is a free shelter, shared by everyone, where hikers travelling on their own can rest and spend the night without booking. Metsähallitus's hut etiquette sets the terms: the huts are meant for individual hikers for one night, and larger groups and anyone staying longer should use a tent or a reservable or rental hut. Earlier arrivals make room for later ones, and hikers who travel under their own power come first.
Nobody may claim a hut for themselves or their group, for example by spreading out their gear or locking the door, and quiet hours run from 23:00 to 06:00.
Carry a tent: the hut may be full, and camping close to huts and rest stops is recommended.
If you need a guaranteed bed, book a reservable or rental hut.
Use your own camping stove outdoors only, never inside the hut.
Take your rubbish with you, and write your name and next destination in the guest book.
A company that takes paying customers into state protected areas needs a cooperation agreement with Metsähallitus. The agreement lets it use trails, rest stops and toilets, but it does not cover lodging customers in wilderness huts, and the company cannot reserve rest stops for its own group. With Metsähallitus's permission a hut can serve as a rest stop, but customers must spend the night in reservable or rental huts or in private accommodation.
Companies with an agreement pay an annual fee based on the number of customers they bring. At the end of 2025 Metsähallitus had 730 tourism partners. The most agreements were in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park (113), the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area (94) and Urho Kekkonen National Park (75), and the number of agreements is growing especially around Rovaniemi.
In March 2026 Metsähallitus held 11 supervision days at popular destinations in Lapland and Koillismaa: Oulanka, Riisitunturi and Pallas-Yllästunturi national parks, Korouoma, the Valtavaara and Pyhävaara protected area, and the Napapiiri hiking area near Rovaniemi. Its staff spoke with guides from about 30 companies and met about 70 groups, more than 600 people in all. Most of the companies' customers were international travellers.
Most companies had their agreements in order, and no sanctions were needed. Metsähallitus has, however, received a lot of feedback that tour companies have taken rest stops for their own use and kept other hikers away from fireplaces or huts. It will continue the checks on popular trails in both summer and winter.
If a guided trip includes a night in the wilderness, ask where you will sleep. Under Metsähallitus's rules a company cannot use an open wilderness hut as accommodation for its customers, so the answer should be a tent, a reservable or rental hut, or private accommodation. If you hike on your own, carry a tent even when you plan to stay in huts.
Hut-to-hut routes such as Hetta–Pallas are described in our hiking guide.