Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The paddling route
Put in at the park's canoe dock near the Lapinsalmi car park and paddle north through the narrow Lapinsalmi strait, under the suspension bridge. Beyond it, follow the channel between forested islands and pine-topped granite cliffs, then turn east into Kuutinlahti, a long bay below the Mustavuori lookout tower. At its head is Kuutinkanava, a restored channel from the days when logs were floated through these lakes, with a canoe dock, a cooking shelter and a fire site. Turn there and come back the same way.
It is 7.2 km there and back; allow about 1½ hours in a canoe or kayak and 2 on a paddleboard. The grade is Moderate only because it is all open lake: the water is sheltered among the islands and there are no carries.
No permit is needed to paddle. In the national park, camp only at marked tent sites and light fires only at the marked fire sites; during a forest-fire warning only in the cooking shelters at Lapinsalmi and Kuutinkanava. In summer the hand-pulled Ketunlossi raft ferry crosses on a rope near Lapinsalmi: wait for it and never paddle over the rope while it is moving. Keep off small ponds while red-throated divers nest, and take your litter home. Wear a buoyancy aid and check the conditions before you set off.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap waterways (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Through the Lapinsalmi strait and up Kuutinlahti, below the Mustavuori lookout tower
- Turns at Kuutinkanava, an old log-floating channel with a cooking shelter
- Repovesi became a national park in 2003 on land once heavily logged
- The red-throated diver is the park's best-known resident
On the water
- Put in: Kanoottilaituri (canoe launch) 61.16145, 26.83873
- No locks or weirs on the way.
- About 7.2 km (4.5 mi) on open water, up to 72 m from the shore: wind and waves build quickly.
- Rules and licences: Metsähallitus. Check whether you need a licence before you go: on many inland waters in England and Wales you do, and Paddle UK membership includes one for many of them.
- Suits canoes, kayaks, paddleboards.
Getting there
Start: Lapinsalmi canoe dock. 61.16145, 26.83873
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Southern Finland: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Water levels, flow and the weather decide the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; wear a buoyancy aid, check the river levels and the forecast, keep well clear of weirs and powered boats, and don't go out in flood.