The park starts where Saariselkä village ends. From the trailhead at Kiilopää or directly from the centre of the village, marked paths cross the open fells and drop into birch forests, then into the deeper pine taiga to the east. The terrain is gentle by mountain standards but the distances are vast — multi-day hikers can walk for a week without crossing a road.
The park has a network of free open wilderness huts (autiotuvat) where anyone can sleep on a first-come basis, plus reservable huts (varaustuvat) for a small fee. The route to the Luirojärvi lake and the Sokosti fell is one of Finland's classic backpacking trips. In winter, the park becomes a cross-country skiing playground; the eastern side, near the Russian border, has the genuine empty silence that most of Europe lost long ago.