The Eight Seasons of the North - Discover the Rhythm of Nature in Lapland

Did you know that here in the North, four seasons are simply not enough?

When you live close to nature, the year doesn't really divide itself neatly into spring, summer, autumn and winter.

There is a world of difference between the deep blue darkness of midwinter and the sparkling days of spring-winter. May, when the snow melts and rivers wake up, feels nothing like June, when the forest suddenly turns green under the endless light. And late summer has a character entirely of its own, when the forest becomes a pantry filled with berries, mushrooms, herbs and seeds.

Here in the North, nature is constantly changing – and traditionally, those changes have been recognised through eight seasons.

Eight seasons instead of four

The eight-season cycle has its roots in Sámi tradition. For generations, the Indigenous Sámi people have observed changes in light, temperature, snow, vegetation and animal behaviour. These seasonal changes have been particularly important in fishing, hunting, reindeer herding, where life and work follow nature's rhythms rather than dates on a calendar.

We love this way of looking at the year.

Because nature doesn't know whether your calendar says September 1st.

Nature tells you when the season is changing.

A different smell in the forest. The first ripe berry. The first cold night. A yellow leaf. The first frost. Snow that suddenly carries your weight. The return of light after the darkest winter.

Once you start noticing these little changes, you realise that nature is never really the same from one day to another.

Welcome to the eight seasons of the North.

1. Winter – Sydäntalvi

The season of stillness

Deep winter is the quietest chapter of the year.

Snow softens every shape and sound. The days are short, temperatures fall very far below zero and the forest seems to be sleeping beneath its white blanket.

But winter is far from lifeless.

Walk into the forest on snowshoes and you begin to notice tracks crossing the snow. Stars appear early in the sky. On clear nights, the Northern Lights may dance above the frozen landscape.

This is also the season when slowing down feels completely natural.

There is something wonderfully simple about making a fire in the darkness, wrapping your hands around a warm cup and listening to absolutely nothing.

MyTrail loves this season for: snowshoeing, winter forests, Northern Lights, campfires and embracing the art of doing less.

2. Spring-Winter – Kevättalvi

The season of light

And then the light returns.

March and April bring one of the most beautiful seasons in the North. There can still be a huge amount of snow, but the feeling is completely different from midwinter.

The days grow longer. The sun begins to feel surprisingly warm. The snow sparkles and during the night develops a firm crust (hankikanto, hanki) that can sometimes carry you across places that are difficult to reach during the rest of the year.

This is the season of sunglasses, rosy cheeks and outdoor lunches.

Find a sunny spot, make a fire, pour some coffee and suddenly you may have absolutely no desire to go anywhere else.

And that is perfectly acceptable.

MyTrail loves this season for: long snowshoe adventures, sunny campfire lunches, skiing and simply enjoying the return of the light.

3. Spring – Kevät

The season of awakening

Spring in the North doesn't arrive quietly.

It drips, cracks, rushes and roars.

Snow begins to disappear. Streams wake up. Rivers break free from ice and the forest floor slowly emerges after months beneath the snow.

The smell changes too. There is wet earth, melting snow and that unmistakable freshness that tells us the forest is waking up.

Every day brings something new.

Tiny signs suddenly become exciting: the first green shoots, returning birds, running water and patches of bare forest floor.

After a long northern winter, even the smallest green leaf feels like an event.

MyTrail loves this season for: nature observation, wild rivers, birdlife, awakening forests and witnessing the incredible transformation from winter to summer.

4. Spring-Summer – Alkukesä

The season of endless growth

Then nature presses the fast-forward button.

June arrives and suddenly everything seems to happen at once.

Leaves unfold. Wild herbs grow. Flowers appear. The forest becomes intensely green and the nights almost disappear.

Around midsummer, darkness is replaced by the magical light of the nightless night.

You can walk late in the evening without needing a headlamp. You can sit beside a lake at midnight and watch the colours change without the sky ever becoming truly dark.

Nature seems determined to make up for the long winter.

Apparently it has also decided that sleeping is optional.

MyTrail loves this season for: wild herbs, nature walks, the midnight sun, long evenings, hiking and experiencing the incredible energy of northern nature.

5. Summer – Keskikesä

The season of abundance

Summer is warm skin, bare feet and forest paths.

The lakes invite us to swim. Rivers sparkle in the sunlight. Plants are growing everywhere and the forest is buzzing with life.

These are the days when you can spend hours outside without noticing the time.

We hike, paddle, cook outdoors, explore forests and sometimes simply lie on the ground and watch clouds moving above the trees.

Because connecting with nature doesn't always require an activity.

Sometimes the best programme is no programme at all.

MyTrail loves this season for: hiking, paddling, wild swimming, forest adventures, outdoor cooking and NatureBeing.

6. Autumn-Summer – Loppukesä, sadonkorjuu-, marjastus- ja sienestysaika

The season of harvesting

Then comes one of the most delicious seasons of the northern year.

Harvesting and foraging season.

The forest has spent the entire summer growing, flowering and ripening. Now it starts giving.

The forests around Kuusamo fill with wild berries. Bilberries turn our fingers blue. Golden chanterelles hide among the moss and beautiful porcini mushrooms push through the forest floor.

Our baskets begin to fill.

This is also the time to collect nettle seeds, packed with the strength of the summer. We look for the last young buds of yarrow and gather the wonderfully fragrant flowers of meadowsweet.

Some of what we find goes straight into dinner. Some is dried, frozen or preserved for the long winter ahead.

And some berries never make it out of the forest.

Quality control, obviously.

But foraging is about much more than collecting food.

It teaches you to notice.

Where does this plant grow? What has changed since last week? Which berries are ripe? What can we use? What should we leave behind?

When you learn to recognise even a handful of wild plants, berries and mushrooms, something interesting happens.

The forest changes.

It is no longer just beautiful scenery.

It becomes a pantry, a classroom and a place full of stories.

MyTrail loves this season for: berry picking, mushroom hunting, wild herbs, outdoor cooking, forest walks and discovering the edible side of Finnish nature.

7. Autumn – Syksy, ruska

The season of colour

Then comes ruska.

The green landscape transforms into yellow, orange, copper and deep red. The air becomes crisp and the nights become properly dark again.

After months of almost endless daylight, darkness feels surprisingly exciting.

Stars return.

And so do the Northern Lights.

There is something special about walking through a colourful autumn forest during the day and sitting beside a fire beneath a dark sky in the evening.

The forest is preparing for winter, but it isn't asleep yet. Mushrooms and berries may still be found, frost decorates plants in the mornings and every sunny autumn day feels like something you definitely shouldn't waste indoors.

MyTrail loves this season for: ruska hikes, photography, mushrooms, crisp forest mornings, campfires and the return of the Northern Lights.

8. Autumn-Winter – Alkutalvi

The season of transformation

Eventually, autumn begins turning into winter.

The first snow arrives.

Then it melts.

Then it comes again.

And perhaps melts again.

Welcome to northern November.

This in-between season has a character of its own. Frost covers the ground, lakes begin to freeze and daylight disappears surprisingly quickly.

The forest becomes quieter.

Eventually the snow stays, the landscape turns white and another northern winter begins.

It is a season of transition – and a perfect reminder that nature doesn't change according to our calendars.

Winter arrives when it is ready.

MyTrail loves this season for: first snow, quiet forests, early winter adventures, campfires and watching the landscape slowly turn white.

There is no bad season in the North

Perhaps that is what we love most about having eight seasons.

There is always something happening.

Every season brings something that the previous one couldn't offer: darkness and stars, sparkling snow, rushing rivers, midnight sun, wild herbs, berries and mushrooms, autumn colours or the first snowflakes of a new winter.

And between all of these are hundreds of tiny transitions.

The first ripe berry.

The first cold night.

The first yellow leaf.

The first frost.

The first snow that stays.

The first warm ray of spring sunshine.

The first sound of running water beneath the snow.

Living close to nature means learning to notice these moments.

And that is also a big part of what we want to share through MyTrail.

When we take you into the forests, fells and national parks of Kuusamo and the North, we don't only want to show you where to go.

We want to help you notice what is happening around you right now.

Because there is no single best time to experience northern nature.

There is only a different kind of magic waiting in every season.

So, which of our eight seasons would you like to experience?