Ruskea Virta and the ice falls of Korouoma canyon
Korouoma is a deep, narrow canyon south of the Arctic Circle where water seeping out of the cliffs freezes into falls of ice every winter. Some are white, some blue, a few streaked amber like strong tea. Below, how they form, what you will see on a guided day and how to behave around them.
A canyon in the forests of Posio
Korouoma lies in the municipality of Posio, roughly 100–110 km (60–70 miles) southeast of Rovaniemi. The tour vans take about 1.5 hours each way, which is why every trip here fills most of a day.
The canyon runs for about 30 km (19 miles) and drops up to about 130 m (430 ft), with cliffs over 100 m high on both sides. The Korojoki river follows the bottom, and the tours walk along the canyon floor beside it to reach the ice.
From the car park you see nothing of the gorge. The trail heads down through the forest first, and the falls only come into play once you are below the rim. Our guide to the hike covers the descent and the climb back up.
How seeping water turns into a wall of ice
These falls are not rivers pouring over a ledge. Water seeps out of cracks in the cliff walls, and when the hard cold sets in each winter it freezes where it runs, one thin layer over the last.
By midwinter the seeps have built curtains and columns of ice that hang down the rock face. The largest falls in Korouoma reach about 60 m (197 ft), according to ToTheNorth's listing, roughly the height of a twenty-story building.
No two winters build quite the same shapes, because the amount of water and the run of cold days change. Tours choose which falls to visit, and the state of the ice on the day plays a part in that choice.
Why some of the ice is amber
From a distance most falls look white. Where the ice is thick and clear it shows blue and turquoise, and in the shade of the cliffs the blue tends to deepen, especially on an overcast day.
Some falls are streaked amber or brown, as if someone had tipped coffee down the rock. The brownish color is usually put down to iron and humus in the water, picked up as it seeps through peat and soil above the cliffs.
Phones tend to flatten these shades into a dull gray in the low winter light. If the colors matter to you, our photo tour guide explains what a photographer-guide does differently.
Falls with names
Several of the falls carry names that climbers and guides use. Ruskea Virta, roughly "brown stream" in Finnish, is one of the amber ones. Jaska Jokunen and Mammutti are two more you may hear mentioned.
None of the listings promises a particular fall. Each tour picks its own stops depending on the route and the conditions, so treat a named fall as a bonus rather than an item to tick off.
Seeing the ice with Arctic GM
For the lowest fare by far, our pick is Arctic GM's hike and BBQ from ~$89. The 7-hour day includes a guided walk of 4–6 km in the canyon and a campfire with grilled sausages and hot drinks.
Thermal overalls come with the fare, which helps when you stand still under the ice for photos. It holds 4.9 from 1,600+ reviews on GetYourGuide, more than any of the other three.
The downside is the group size. Book the standard option and you may share the canyon with up to 50 people, while the small-group one stops at 8.
The ice falls for the lowest fare
Arctic GM's 7-hour day pairs a guided canyon walk with thermal overalls and sausages at the campfire. Pick the small-group option if you want fewer people at the viewpoints.
The pricier tours show you the same canyon with smaller groups and more food. Our page on what a Korouoma tour costs sets the four fares side by side.
Who else you may meet
Korouoma is popular with ice climbers, and from about January you may see people roped up on the bigger falls. A climber halfway up a wall gives the ice a sense of scale that no photo of an empty fall can.
None of the four tours on this site includes climbing. Separate ice-climbing days exist for people who want to try it, but they are a different trip with their own gear and instructors.
Wildlife is not what these trips are about, but the campfire can draw visitors. One reviewer had Siberian jays come close enough to take food from a hand while the sausages were grilling.
The jays are small, gray-brown birds with rusty tails, bold around people in the northern forests. Do not count on them. Salty or spicy food is bad for them if they do turn up.
Canyon manners
The falls are shared with climbers and with everyone else who walks in, so a few rules apply. Stay off the climbing routes and keep clear of the ground right below anyone on the ice, since chunks can break loose.
Leave the icicles where they hang, even the tempting ones at arm's height. Fires belong only at the existing fire sites, which the tours use anyway for their barbecues.
Spikes on your boots protect you on the icy steps and spare the trail. Every tour here lends them, and the guide on what to wear in the canyon covers the rest of your kit.
Ice is never a sure thing
Their size and color change with each winter's cold, so no tour can promise either. A mild spell can soften them, and late-season reviewers have found water running and much of the snow gone.
Our guide to when the falls are frozen sets out the months. If you are traveling with children, the family guide covers age limits and the climb back to the van.