EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland): which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland) is August: 67% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In August the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.6 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 17% | 39 | -7 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.0 † |
| February | 0% | 16% | 31 | -7 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.3 † |
| March | 1% | 15% | 33 | -1 °C | 0% | 99% | 11.5 |
| April | 12% | 17% | 37 | 5 °C | 0% | 88% | 15.1 |
| May | 49% | 23% | 52 | 12 °C | 0% | 40% | 18.6 |
| June | 64% | 30% | 73 | 17 °C | 0% | 10% | 21.8 |
| July | 67% | 31% | 86 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 20.2 |
| August | 67% | 30% | 83 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 16.5 |
| September | 51% | 25% | 66 | 12 °C | 0% | 32% | 12.9 |
| October | 7% | 23% | 61 | 5 °C | 0% | 90% | 9.5 † |
| November | 0% | 21% | 49 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.0 † |
| December | 0% | 21% | 49 | -4 °C | 0% | 100% | 3.7 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Näätämö → Vaalimaa, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Näätämö → Vaalimaa | Headwind > 15 km/h, Vaalimaa → Näätämö | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.4 | 9% | 3% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
| February | −2.7 | 9% | 3% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
| March | −1.7 | 9% | 4% | either |
| April | −0.4 | 6% | 5% | either |
| May | −0.5 | 6% | 5% | either |
| June | −0.1 | 5% | 5% | either |
| July | −0.4 | 4% | 4% | either |
| August | −1.6 | 6% | 3% | either |
| September | −2.1 | 9% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
| October | −2.2 | 9% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
| November | −2.9 | 9% | 3% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
| December | −3.2 | 10% | 3% | Vaalimaa → Näätämö |
Stages
The route is split into 13 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Näätämö → Vaalimaa in August, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Näätämö → Inari | 142 | July | −1.0 |
| 2. Inari → near Sodankylä | 120 | July | −1.6 |
| 3. near Sodankylä → Pyhäjärvi | 137 | July | −2.0 |
| 4. Pyhäjärvi → Salla | 142 | July | +0.2 |
| 5. Salla → Kuusamo | 119 | July | −1.8 |
| 6. Kuusamo → near Kostomuksha | 119 | July | −1.6 |
| 7. near Kostomuksha → near Kostomuksha | 119 | July | −1.3 |
| 8. near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa | 119 | August | −2.0 |
| 9. near Lieksa → near Lieksa | 120 | August | −0.4 |
| 10. near Lieksa → near Tuupovaara | 119 | August | −2.1 |
| 11. near Tuupovaara → Kesälahti | 125 | August | −1.8 |
| 12. Kesälahti → Imatra | 142 | August | −2.2 |
| 13. Imatra → Vaalimaa | 146 | June | −3.4 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.
OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: en.eurovelo.com