Hiking trails to be legalized in Murmansk region

Hiking trails will be legalized in the Murmansk region. Similar measures will affect the whole country. The relevant bill introducing the concept of "tourist trail" is planned to be adopted in the State Duma.

The new rule will regulate issues related to the creation, operation and management of tourist trails, as previously reported by the Bi-Port news agency. There are plans to create an all-Russian register of tourist trails, which will include data on the purpose of the route, complexity and key attractions.

The Murmansk Region Tourism Committee explained that a register of recommended routes is currently being maintained in the region, and some of them can be classified as hiking trails and included in the appropriate list.

These routes are marked, have a certain infrastructure and a passport. Most of them are on foot. These include, in particular, the Nittis trails, the Viking Trail, the Geologists Trail in the vicinity of Monchegorsk and the Glukhaya Dam ecotrope in the Pasvik Nature Reserve.

However, it is not possible to calculate how many travelers and locals use these trails. They are free of charge and, if they are not located on the territory of a protected area, anyone can walk through them, bypassing the organizers. The agency itself does not create trails on its own, as it does not have such authority.

Earlier in June, Izvestia reported that demand for tours to the northern regions of the country increased by 55% in 2025. The Murmansk Region is the most popular among tourists, but the Arkhangelsk Region, Karelia, Yakutia, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory are also in demand. Northern destinations are chosen both in winter and in summer: in the cold season they go to see the northern lights, and in the warm season they go to watch whales and seabirds.