Off-road traffic
Where the road ends, the wilderness experience begins! For lands owned by the Finnish state, permits for off-road traffic are granted by Metsähallitus.
As a term, off-road traffic denotes the use of motor-driven vehicles in the terrain. Terrain is defined here as areas of land that do not have official snowmobile routes or roads intended for motor vehicles. Off-road traffic always requires the premission of the landowner. The off-road traffic permit for state-owned lands in one's municipality of residence is free of charge (Act on Metsähallitus 234/2016, Section 24, Clause 2).
Metsähallitus maintains snowmobile tracks for snowmobile drivers on state-owned lands. These tracks are unofficial routes and their use is subject to charge. To drive on these tracks, you will need either a personal or a family snow mobile track permit issued by Metsähallitus. This permit allows you to drive your snowmobile on all the tracks you can find on the Metsähallitus track charts.
Driving a snowmobile outside of the tracks or driving other motor vehicles on state-owned wilderness areas is generally prohibited. There are exceptions for which you can apply for a separate off-road traffic permit from Metsähallitus. These permit applications are always handled on an individual basis.
Freeride, i.e. snowmobiling in deep snow, is allowed in specific state-owned areas. Information about freeride possibilites is available in metsa.fi (unfortunately only in Finnish).
Off-road traffic news
Maintenance break in the Excursionmap.fi map service 7 Novemebr
Maintenance will be done in the Excursionmap.fi on Tuesday morning 7th of November 2023 from 07:00 to 10:00. During this period, there may be service interruptions in the Excursionmap.fi.
We have updated the Terms of Use and Privacy Statement
The Terms of Use and Privacy Statement of the Eräluvat.fi online service were updated on 9 May 2023.
Maintenance break in the Eräluvat webshop on 16 March, starting at 20:00
Maintenance work will be carried out in the Eräluvat webshop on Tuesday 16 March, starting at 20:00 (8 p.m.). During this time, you won’t be able to make purchases in the webshop or log into your customer account. The Eräluvat app will not be available, either. The maintenance break will take 2–3 hours.
The renewed Excursionmap.fi is an excellent service for hikers in Finland
Metsähallitus’ Excursionmap.fi map service, known as the number one tool of all hikers, has been renewed. In addition to improvements made to technical functionality, the map has been complemented with photographs of the most popular sites, the information contents of the map have been increased, and the map is now updated more frequently.
Off-road terrain or road?
Roads constructed by Metsähallitus can be used by vehicles, but driving cross-country is prohibited without a special off-road traffic licence. It is for the driver to recognise the difference between a built road and a cross-country track.
Read more about differences between off-road terrain and road.