Lake Inari - Roads

Lake Inari, which extends from southwest to northeast, is served by only three roads. Road 4 (E 75), coming from the south (Sodankylä), runs along the southwestern shore. Beyond Inari E 75 turns north. At Kaamanen Road 4 branches off and runs west to Karigasniemi and the Norwegian frontier, while Road 970 (E 75) continues north to Utsjoki, from which a road descends the Tenojoki valley to Nuorgam. From Kaamanan a country road leads northeast via Partakko and the Skolt (Sami) village of Sevettijärvi to reach the Norwegian frontier in 130km/80mi, 10km/6mi before the Norwegian village of Neiden. From Ivalo another road (No. 9681) runs northeast to Nellimö and the Russian frontier (no crossing). The actual frontier cannot be reached either by car or on foot, for a strip of territory on the Finnish side 1km/0.75mi wide is closed except to permit-holders and patrolled by frontier guards. (Under a frontier agreement between Finland and Russia both counties are required to protect the frontier).