Hiking trail round Lake Elimysjärvi, 13 km, Elimyssalo Kuhmo Finland
The Elimyssalo Nature Reserve represents Kainuu's old-growth taiga forest nature at its best.
Located near Finland's eastern border, the reserve forms a central part of the Friendship Park, which consists of five separate nature reserves mainly located in the municipality of Kuhmo
There are several trails of varying lengths to choose from in Elimyssalo. The area has a total of 24 km of hiking trails. The rather easy-to-walk, clearly signposted trails take the hiker through a tapestry of mires and heaths.
There are two unoccupied wilderness farms along the trails, Levävaara and Latvavaara. Wetland areas along the trails have duckboards.
Author’s recommendation
Safety information
Own drinks and snacks are recommended since there are no cafés or shops in Elimyssalo.
In the summer, hikers should protect themselves from mosquitoes (clothing, insect repellent).
Duckboards crossing mires and wetlands may be slippery in wet weather.
Tips and hints
You are also allowed to walk off-trails, but please remember, that you are not allowed to enter the frontier zone without permission from the Border Guard. The zone is clearly marked on the maps of the area.
Berry and mushroom picking is allowed in Elimyssalo. There are lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), bog bigberries (Vaccinium uliginosum) and crowberries (Empetrum nigrum) in the area. In mires, you can find cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus) and cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccus). There are also raspberries (Rubus idaeus) near the Levävaara and Latvavaara farms
Open flame is not permitted even at a campfire site if a forest fire warning has been issued.
Campfire Sites and Lean-to Shelters:
- Saari-Kiekki: a campfire site and a lean-to shelter
- Eastern end of Lake Elimysjärvi, Saunaniemi: a campfire site and a lean-to shelter
Drinking Water
- The waters in the area are natural waters that have not been tested. You may use the water at your own risk.
- It is always advisable to boil surface water such as water from lakes, rivers and streams before drinking it, since water quality varies from one area to another.
- Use of the well on the grounds of Levävaara is not recommended. There is a spring outside the grounds and a signposted path leading to the same.
- It is recommended that you bring your own drinking water.
Waste Management
- There are no waste-bins in the nature reserve. Measures should be taken in advance to avoid taking unnecessary waste into the area.
Biodegradable waste should be placed in a toilet or composter, and small amounts of clean paper and cardboard can be used as kindling in a campfire. Read more about Hiking without littering. - There are collection points at the Saari-Kiekki and Viiksimo parking areas for recycling plastic, metal, mixed waste and glass.
Toilets
- There is a dry toilet near every campfire site and lean-to shelter.
- There are dry toilets also at the Saari-Kiekki and Viiksimo parking areas.
- Both Levävaara and Latvavaara have dry toilets behind the cowsheds.
Overnight stays
- There is no public accommodation in Elimyssalo.
- Only in special cases, such as camps, it is possible to arrange accommodation in Levävaara. Overnight stays must be agreed with the Kuhmo Visitor Centre Petola.
- In summer there are sheep herders staying at the Levävaara farm. You may cuddle the sheep, but please remember, that the buildings are at the use of the sheep herders only.
Camping and Lean-to Shelters
You are allowed to camp temporarily near lean-to shelters and campfire sites.
- Lean-to shelters by Lake Saari-Kiekki and Lake Elimysjärvi
Campfire sites in Elimyskangas and Heinävaara
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
Trail round Lake Elimysjärvi, 13 km
The trail goes from Saari-Kiekki round Lake Elimysjärvi and back. It is marked in the terrain with red paint.
Infrastructure: the lean-to shelters of Saari-Kiekki and the Saunaniemi Point of Lake Elimysjärvi, a campfire site in Elimyskangas on the northwestern side of the lake.
Sights: Levävaara, a mire restoration, a beaver dam, Lake Elimysjärvi, old-growth forests.
After hiking about 600 meters from Saari-Kiekki parking area you arrive Saari-Kiekki campfire site and a lean-to shelter. Then you cross small Välijoki river and climp a hill to Levävaara wilderness farm.
Restored to their 1950s appearance, the Levävaara farm with their surroundings show what it was like to live at an isolated wilderness farm far away from everything. The main buildings of Levävaara are locked, but the outbuildings are open to the public. You can only visit Levävaara on guided tours or in different happenings, organised in the area. In summer there are shepherds feeding and guarding sheeps in Levävaara.
The signposted trail going south from Levävaara leads to the Kotijoki watermill, that is about one kilometre from the farm. The mill is not original but has been rebuilt in the 1990s according to the former model.
When hiking to north from Levävaara farm, the trail branches in two directions after 200 meters. Our route continues to the right. The path to the left will take you to the Latvavaara wilderness farm, which is 2.5 km away and further to Juntintie forest road in Latvakangas one kilometer.
A trail to north leads to Lake Elimysjärvi. It is about 2,5 km hike to intersection of paths, where it makes a circle route. This guidance follows it anticlockwise, but you can also hike this trail clockwise.
After about 700 meters, the path crosses the Elimysjoki bridge. The route then follows the shore of Lake Elimysjärvi to the Saunaniemi campfire site and a lean-to shelter. The trail runs 2.5 kilometers from the Hirvipuro and Lokkisuon mire landscapes and then joins the north-south route in Elimyskangas.
Towards the north, through the Elimyssalmo Protected Area, the trail leads to the northern edge of Viiksimo Matalakangas, which also has a parking area. The distance to there is about 5 km.
The Elimysjärvi ring route turns from the junction to the south along the western shore of the lake, across the Elimyssuo mire, where the path joins the previously carried route. From here you will return to the starting point via Levävaara and Saari-Kiekki.
Note
Public transport
The area cannot be reached by public transport.Getting there
To reach the southern Saari-Kiekki starting point for the hiking trail, take the Kuhmo - Hukkajärvi road (No. 9121) from the centre of Kuhmo and drive 42 km eastwards, after which you should turn left (to the north) to Juntintie Road. Drive 13 km and turn right (to the east), following the signposts to the Elimyssalo Nature Reserve. The parking area is at the end of a 1-km long forest road.Parking
Saari-Kiekki parking areaCoordinates
Equipment
It is recommended to use proper hiking shoes.Related Offers
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