Kaakkurinkierros Circle Trail Variant in Repovesi National Park

Repovesi's rugged forests are dotted with blue lakes and ponds. The park offers accessible adventures for everyone. Its hills and cliffs challenge keen hikers and climbers. Highlights for families include the Lapinsalmi bridge, the hand-operated Fox's Ferry, cosy rental Campfire huts, and fine views over the treetops from the park's high spots. Repovesi is just a couple of hours from Helsinki, but when you sit round a campfire listening to the eerie calls of red-throated divers echoing over the lake the city feels a million miles away.

Repovesi National Park is a popular hiking destination. There are over 40 km of trails of various difficulty. Many of the trails are quite demanding, because of changes in altitude. There are stairs and duckboards in places, which are the most difficult to traverse. Hikers should reserve more time than usual for their trips. Because the area is so vast, hikes of longer length than a few days are possible.

Kaakkurinkierros introduces hikers to the rugged rocky scenery and sights of Repovesi and offers a number of campfire sites and possibilities for overnight stays. The mosaic of beautiful small water bodies and forests opens out from the rocky slopes of the hills on the northern side of Salpausselkä ridge. Enjoy the excitement of Lapinsalmi bridge and Ketunlossi ferry. Have a break under a rocky roof formed by the boulders of Kirnuhuoko, watch the efforts of brave rock climbers on Olhava and go back to the times of timber floating at Kuutinkanava campfire site.

Route Description
Orange dots on trees and Kaakkurinkierros symbols on signposts mark the trail.
This trail can be walked in either direction.

All three parking areas in Repovesi are suitable start points for Kaakkurinkierros trail. This trail description is based on starting from Lapinsalmi parking area and walking clockwise.

The first adventure on the trail is crossing the bridge of Lapinsalmi. The trail then continues north towards the spectacular scenery of Katajavuori and turns back southwards along the shores of Katajajärvi Lake and continuing to the north towards Kuutinkanava campfire site. In Kuutinkanava you can go back to the old times at the campfire sites located beside troughs used for timber floating.

From Kuutinkanava the trail heads northwest towards Olhava and Korpinkierros. The trail follows Korpinkierros clockwise. It first passes Olhava well and takes in Karhulahti campfire site in the west, then meanders along the northern side of Olhavanlampi Lake to reach the top of Olhava hill with its rugged rocky landscapes. The trail then turns east towards Valkjärvi, following the shores of this beautiful lake northeast towards Saarijärvi parking area.

You can stop at the beautiful campfire site of Sukeltajaniemi on Valkjärvi Lake. Before reaching Saarijärvi parking area, you will come to Tolonen house, the service headquarters of the park, and the well in its yard. From the well the trail turns south along the shooting range boundary. Kaakkurinkierros trail then heads west and takes in Kirnukangas lean-to shelter and campfire site. The rocky bay of Kirnuhuoko is nearby, and the trail continues up some steps towards the lookout point of Hauklammenvuori, before heading east/southeast towards Lojukoski campfire site.
From Lojukoski the trail continues south along the shooting range boundary, crosses Sulkusalmi pedestrian bridge and, following the shores of Tervajärvi Lake, ends up in Tervajärvi parking area in the southwest. The next section heads for Talas campfire site to the northwest and further west towards Kapiavesi and Määkijänniemi. Finally, the trail crosses Kapiavesi Lake using Ketunlossi ferry and returns to Lapinsalmi parking area.

Notice
It is a good idea to divide Kaakkurinkierros into several legs and take 2 to 4 days to cover the entire trail. Hikers should reserve plenty of time for this trail because of the height differences. Repovesi rental huts, which should be booked in advance, are located at even distances along the trail, making it possible to hike without carrying a tent.

More information at

https://www.nationalparks.fi/repovesinp
https://www.nationalparks.fi/repovesinp/trails#kaakkurinkierros