Autumn in Finland | Finland Portrait

35 Fun Autumn Outdoor Activities

Don’t stay inside. There are many fun ways to enjoy autumn outdoors.

Don’t stay inside. There are many fun ways to enjoy autumn outdoors. Here are ideas for fun autumn outdoor activities. Do you still have a good reason not to go out?

35 Fun Autumn Outdoor Activities in Finland

1. Enjoy Fall Foliage

When the temperature drops and the trees prepare for winter, the leaves turn yellow, orange and red. This is a great time to go outdoors and experience the beautiful colors of autumn.

2. Catch the First Rays of the Sun

Sunny mornings are a bit rare in autumn, so don’t miss any. Wake up early and catch the first rays of the sun. The good news is that in autumn days are getting shorter, so you don’t have to wake that early.

3. Taste the Morning Air

Have you ever noticed how fresh the air feels on an autumn morning after a cold night. The difference is amazing!

4. Enjoy Morning Coffee Outdoors

Enjoy your warm morning drink outdoors. A warm cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate tastes even better outdoors on a sunny morning.

5. Collect Colorful Leaves

Collect colorful leaves from the ground. Especially colorful maple leafes look amazing in autumn.

6. Create Seasonal Decorations

Colorful leaves, acorns and pine cones are great material to make inspiring seasonal decorations for home/garden.

7. Capture Autumn in Photos

Don’t forget you camera at home, because autumn is an excellent time for nature photography.

8. Have a Photography Contest with Friends

Have a photography contest with family or friends. Subject can be autumn colors, leafs, trees, animals, or anything you like. Who’ll have the best photo?

9. Visit Autumn Market

In Finland, you can visit autumn market in many towns between september and october.

10. Take a Walking Tour in the City

Take a short or long walking tour in the city and see how different the city looks when you’re in no hurry.

11. Have a Picnic in the Park

Why picnic should be only a summer thing. Autumn picnic in the park is a great fun.

12. Go Hiking in the Forest

Pack your backpack and head outdoors with family or friends.
And don’t forget the snacks!

13. Listen the Sounds of the Forest

Stop for a moment and listen the sounds of a forest. Is there anything more relaxing?

14. Go Berry Picking

Finnish forests are full of berries. Autumn is the season to pick healthy lingonberries and cranberries.

15. Mushroom Hunting Season is On!

Do you like mushrooms? The forest full of mushroom might be just around the corner…Happy hunting!

16. Make a Camp Fire

Sitting by a campfire is a surprisingly relaxing. In Finland there are many designated places where you can make a campfire legally.

17. Have a Soup Lunch Outdoors

Pack some warm soup in thermos and head outdoors. Warm soup with a freshly baked bread makes a great lunch on a chilly day.

18. Go for a Bike Ride

Finland is full of great cycling routes.

19. Explore Mountain Biking Trails

Finland is a bit short of mountains, but instead there are many beautiful mountain biking trails, also in the national parks.

20. Go Kayaking

Kayaking, canoeing, sailing or rowing…the choice is yours. If you don’t have your own kayak (yet), there are many places in Finland where you can rent one.

21. Go Camping

Or why not stay overnight in the forest. Pack some food, change of clothes, tent, and find your favorite camping site. Night are getting colder so don’t forget the sleeping bag either.

22. Go Fishing

Fishing is a great way to spend time outdoors. Who knows, you’ll might even catch something.

23. Go Birdwatching

Autumn is a great time for birdwatching. Many bied species migrate to south for the winter, while others prepare for winter. So remember to take binoculars with you.

24. Walk a Scenic Route by a Lake

Choose a scenic route by a lake. In a land of a thousand lakes, you’ll have plenty of options.

25. Dip Your Feet in Cold Lake Water

Dip your bare feet in cold lake water. After the first shock, it feels surpisingly relaxing.

26. Climb the Highest Hill

Find the nearest peak and climb to the top enjoy the scenery.

27. Go Creative

Be inspired by the colors of autumn and find your inner artist by and create some autumn inspired art. Make a sketch, drawing, painting or write a poem.

28. Design a Seasonal Yard Lighting

In autumn days are getting shorter, so it is nice to have some seasonal lighting in the garden.

29. Make a Scarecrow

Build your own scarecrow. It can be scary, funny or a bit mysterious.

30. Have a Yard Party

It’s not too late to invite friends over, and have an autumn or halloween yard party. Just dress up warmly, and make an escape plan for rainy weather.

31. Enjoy Outdoor Sports

There is still time to enjoy outdoor sports before winter (and winter sports).

32. Fly a Kite

Autumn’s windy weather is perfect for flying a kite.

33. Enjoy the Relaxing Sound of Raindrops

Does it feel like it’s raining all the time? Don’t let it get you down, take advantage of the situation. Go outside with an umbrella or a raincoat and listen the relaxing sound of raindrops.

34. Wait for the Golden Hour

Golden hour is the last hour before the sunset. That’s when the sun gives its most spectacular glow making autumn colors look even better!

35. Go Stargazing

Dark autumn evenings are not completely bad things, especially if you have waited all summer to go stargazing again.

Why Autumn is the Best Season in Finland

How do you feel about autumn? Do you think autumn is the best or do you wish it would be over and waiting for a winter already?

-Autumn is the best seasons in Finland!
-Absolutely, if you don’t mind about a little rain, wind, cold weather, less daylight…
-Okay, if you put it like that it for sure sounds bad, but there is always another side of things.

Autumn Weather in Finland

As mentioned, the autumn weather can sometimes be quite unpleasant. No one really likes rain and wind, and during autumn there are more than enough those rainy days when you just would prefer to stay indoors. But foortunately, it’s not like that all the time.

The statistics by Finnish Meteorological Institute reveal that it actually rains less in autumn than it does during summer. Perhaps we just don’t notice warm summer rain so easily, or consider it as annoying. Statistics also reveal that it does wind a bit more in autumn compared to summer, but not as much as during winter.

Autumn isn’t all just rain and wind. There are also plenty of sunny days. Weather isn’t as hot as summer, but sun still feels warm in early autumn. And after all “lämpötila on vain pukeutusmiskysymys” as Finns would sayn meaning temperature is just a matter of clothing. When it gets cold, you just put on an extra layer of clothing.

Why Colder Weather is a Good Thing?

And cold weather isn’t all bad. Now you have a perfect excuse to wear your woolly hat. And wearing a warm sweater and wool socks indoors is again perfectly fine. And when you need a little break, you can hide under a thick blanket on a sofa and take a little nap.

Autumn is also a great season to spend time outdoors. Have you ever experienced how fresh the air feels in autumn? If you haven’t, you are missing a lot. It is amazing. The air feels like it’s inviting you to go outdoors. And when the nights get colder, the nature also reveals the beautiful autumn colors. So there is a one more reason to go outside.

Go riding a bike, hiking in the forest, picking mushrooms or animal watching as they prepare for winter. These are just a few ideas. And after a couple of active hours outdoors, it’s time for a lunch. You won’t believe how good a warm soup tastes when weather is chilly.

Is Autumn the Best Season?

In a land of four seasons, it is a tight competition which season is the best.
How do you feel about autumn?
Is it your favorite or are you waiting for a winter already…

Sources:
Finnish Mereorological Institute

Experience the Beauty of Autumn in Finland

Finland is an excellent place to enjoy the beauty of autumn, because it can be experienced anywhere in the country

Autumn leaves, autumn colors, fall foliage…there are many words you can use to describe this colorful season in nature. And if you come to Finland to enjoy the beauty of autumn, you’ll learn a new word for it.

In Finland the Beauty of Autumn is Admired as “Ruska”

If you visit Finland in autumn, you’ll most likely hear someone mentioning ruska. That’s the Finnish word autumn leaves. It is not known exactly where the word comes from, but the most likely origins are the sami words “ruski” and “ruske”. Ruska also sounds very similar to “ruskea” which is a Finnish word for brown.

However, brown is just one of the autumn colors, luckily. The bright shades of red, orange and yellow are the ones we all love so much on the leaves. But before we get to that point, it requires a little change in the weather.

Experience the Beautiful Shades of Red, Orange and Yellow

During summer the leaves are tree’s little food factories. The photosynthesis process takes place in the leaves containing chlorophyll. This gives the leaves their green color. But when autumn arrives, the photosynthesis process stops.

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the trees start to prepare for winter. Now the chlorophyll breaks down abd the green color on the leaves disappears. This makes room for the yellow and orange pigments to come visible.

This is basically what causes the colors to change on the leaves. It is not known exactly what happens in the trees during autumn, but what is known is that temperature, light and summer rainfall all have some effect on autumn colors.

When the Ruska is at its Best in Finland?

Finland is an excellent place to enjoy the beauty of autumn, because it can be experienced anywhere in the country. But because Finland is a long country, it happens different time in different parts of Finland.

In Finland, the autumn colors can be admired in September and October. The ruska season, as Finns call it, starts in Lapland in early September. In southern parts of Finland, ruska can be experienced in late September and early Ocotober. But as said, this varies by the year.

Typically the best of ruska season lasts about two weeks, but diffrent trees and plants change their color bit different times. so even if you miss the best absolute moment, you still can enjoy the beauty of autumn as the nature slowly prepares for winter.

Remember to enjoy the best of autumn!

This amazing color exhibition in nature is open each fall and is without admission,
but unfortunately it is open only for a very limited time. So don’t miss it!

Sources:
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Visit Finland
Visit Lapland
Fall Foliage Live