Pakasaivo

Hell of Lapland

Pakasaivo

The Pakasaivo canyon lake is an ancient gathering and sacrificial place for the Sami people. This steep edged lake has been estimated to be up to 90 metres deep, but no accurate depth is known. Measured from the surface of the water, the sides rise to up to 40 metres in height. The water for the lake comes from an underground source called a saivo. The bottom and surface waters never mix, so the water on the bottom is almost oxygen-free and very high in sulphur. This means that anything that falls to the bottom of the lake will be preserved for hundreds of thousands of years.

A roughly 200-metre-long wide trail leads to the lookout point on the shores of Pakasaivo, and it can also be taken by wheelchair and with prams or pushchairs. Viewing platform and stairways have been built on the verge of the ravine.
Next to the Pakasaivo parking area, there is a dry toilet and a campfire site.

You can visit Pakasaivo  mainly from spring to autumn when there is no snow on the ground, as the forest road leading to Pakasaivo is not ploughed regularly in winter. During the winter months, Pakasaivo is accessible via a snowmobile route.

 

Pakasaivo
Pakasaivontie
95950 Muonio, Suomi

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