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Ruunaa Hiking Area

In a nutshell

• Location: Lieksa, Northern Karelia, Finland
• Type: River with big lakes and short class I-II whitewater sections.
• Hike - Paddle -ratio: 50 - 50
• Trip length: 3-6 days, 40-60km
• Water level forecast: Lieksanjoki measurement point
• How to get there:
• By car: Car is your best choice since river Lieksanjoki is best enjoyed by walking it up and the rafting it down.
• By public transport: Trains run to Lieksa but then you'll be forced to take a taxi to the actual area. If you're really fond in rafting you can at least technically paddle all the way back to Lieksa.

More information can be found here
There is also a special outdoor map available for Ruunaa (1:30 000) but many stores seem to be out of stock at the moment. This would suggest there's a new map coming this spring.

Lieksanjoki runs through the area

Ruunaa is consisted of the national hiking area which surrounds the river Lieksanjoki and a nature reserve zone near the Russian border. The hiking area is highly commercialized and it's rapids are preferred by fishers. Do not expect to be alone there. Also keep in mind that some of the installations in the area (mainly around the rapid Kattilakoski) are private property of different travel enterprises and should not be trespassed. Private property in the area should also be marked with clearly visible signs. One of the best ways to packraft Ruunaa is to arrive by car and leave it to Siikakoski parking lot. Siikakoski is the last rapid on the edge of the area so you'll be floating right back to your precious wheeled monster. There are several well-marked trails surrounding the whole river of which I prefer the route along the east bank. That way you'll get see the large swamp areas which feed water to the river and the observation tower on the Huuhkajanvaara hill.

Swamps of forgetfulness. The size of these wet deserts is unsettling, regarding the small size of the whole area.

If you're willing to visit the nature reserve zone, you'll want to start travelling towards the lake Ruunaanjärvi after Huuhkajanvaara. Selecting the route is up to you but keep in mind that Ruunaanjärvi is so big you won't probably want to do more than cross it. The nature reserve zone on the other side of the lake doesn't have any marked trails since there are no roads nor bridges there. Most of the area is also part or border frontier zone which is off-limits to anyone without a special permit. Whatever your route selection is, you may want to paddle down the Tuulijoki river on the west edge of the frontier zone. After Tuulijoki joins to Ruunaanjärvi you can either paddle around the cape Alaniemi, portage over it or paddle roughly 1,5 kilometers southeast and see if you can through the old timber floating canal (Alaniemen uittokanava on the map). 

Haapavitja and the suspension bridge going over it

After you've gotten to the Lieksanjoki for real you'll get to hit the rapids. The most notable thing about the whitewater in Ruunaa are big waves. Most of the water isn't technically too difficult but the amount of water can scare a beginner and of course flip the raft if you hit the hydraulics sideways. Most challenging places are the first waves of Haapavitja right after the suspension bridge and Neitikoski near Ruunaa Outdoor Centre. You may want to stop and disembark to the right hand side just before arriving the Neitijärvi because the lake is big and quite frustrating to paddle. You can portage all the way to Neitikoski or embark again on a fireplace near the island Neitisaari. After that the river is quite straigthforward run all the way back to Siikakoski parking lot.

Siikakoski parking lot

If you don't mind paddling tens of kilometers of flat water and large lakes you can continue the journey towards the river Pudasjoki. Pudasjoki seems to have a few kilometers of whitewater and a fireplace (in the middle of the rapid, good luck trying to disembark) and it joins to lake Pudasjärvi. From there its approximately four kilometers to the lake Pankajärvi which has Reposuo Mire Reserve at it's nearby shore. Camping in Reposuo is forbidden but there are three fireplaces you can use and technically you can paddle to any tiny island with no residence and sleep there. After leaving Reposuo you'll still have to portage a hydroelectric plant (maybe even two) and paddle for a good while until you reach Lieksa city center (and keep in mind that Lieksa is very tiny for a city).

Oulanka National park

In a nutshell

• Location: Kuusamo, Northern Osthrobothnia, Finland
• Type: Class I-II+ whitewater, plenty of flat water, a few short technical creeks (class IV-V), one death trap (class VI waterfall)
• Hike - Paddle -ratio: 50-50
• Trip length: 7-14 days, 120-150km
• Water level forecast: Oulankajoki measuring point
• How to get there:
• By car: Car might be your best choice since public transports run only during high season, but keep in mind that the distance from capital is over 800km.
• By public transport: You can get to Kuusamo with a bus from several locations. A separate bus runs to the essential areas of the park during high season (June & July). You can also take a taxi.

More info can be found here
There is a special outdoor map available for Oulanka (1:50 000)

Oulanka National park is so far the most ideal place I've been packrafting. The park contains second largest river canyon in Finland, tens of kilometers of varying level whitewater and plenty of wilderness huts and other services to use. For the record the largest river canyon in Finland can be found in Kevo Strict Nature Reserve zone but as a nature reserve it's not freely accessible. Moving is allowed only on a specific hiking route and usage of any kind of watercraft is strictly prohibited. Oulanka also contains the most popular hiking route in Finland, called the Bear Trail. This route attracts lots of tourists every year and during the high season the huts might be full, so make sure to have a tent too.

The best overall choice for a packrafting tourist trip in Oulanka is most likely the one we ran with a certain group in 2013. We rented a car and drove to Basecamp Oulanka which is a small establishment near the park's border. We bought a sauna service for ourselves so we'd have some place to clean up and relax after the expedition and for that they let us use their parking lot. The Basecamp also works as a wilderness hotel which may be worth a shot if you aren't on a budget trip.

Jyrävä. Just don't, please.

Lower meanders of Oulanka

The actual trip starts with the river Kitkajoki which runs to east towards the Russian border. If you are an experienced packrafter you may want to try running the rapids Myllykoski (class III) and Aallokkokoski (class IV) but if you do, be warned. While Aallokkokoski is very fast and aggressive it's nothing compared to the absolute death trap which follows after. The Jyrävä waterfall is a class VI rapid which has and enourmous hole in it's middle step. Only a handful of people have been insane enough to run it down and survive: chances are that you are not among them so don't gamble with your life.

After Jyrävä there's a small stillwater pool and after that starts the cool section. The most difficult (class II(+)) rapids are within the first 500m whereafter it gets easier. The river slows down gradually but retains a noticeable flow all the way until it reaches the Russian border. Do not go into the border zone! Getting into trouble with Russian border patrol is extremely unwise. Instead the next move is to start hiking upstream the river Oulankajoki. Paddling against the current might be possible but you'll likely enjoy walking more.

The lake may provide you additional breakfast

The goal here is to reach the Kerojärvi Hiking Route in the north. There's a somewhat direct dirt road leading to the starting point but walking all the way is literally a pain in the ass (been there, done that). If you're not short on money you could order a taxi to clear that distance but it's also possible to travel upstream by foot. There are several useful but poorly marked paths on the northeast bank of Oulankajoki which you can use to ascend until a certain point, but in any case there's at least seven kilometers of dirt road you simply cannot avoid.

Small part of Elijoki is raftable

After getting to the Keroharju Hiking trail the route starts to feel like proper wilderness again. In the middle of Keroharju trail there's a wilderness hut worth noting: it has a sauna. The lake Kerojärvi beside it is good for swimming and fishing too. After the hut the trail get close to the tiny river Elijoki which is raftable for a few kilometers to pond Lautinkilampi. After that the river is way too shallow to paddle unless the water level is very high. It's best just to walk to the lake Niitselysjärvi.

The river Niitselysjoki has much more water but during normal flow there are still some sections that have to be portaged. Also keep in mind that there are no fireplaces nor any other services until you reach the lean-to of Perttumakoski. Perttumakoski is a few kilometers downstream the next river, Savinajoki. Starting from the lake Viksjärvi the whole river is technically one long class I whitewater stream with a few small stillwater pools here and there.

Savinajoki is 13km long continuous class I WW thrill

After reaching Savilampi pond at the end of Savinajoki the river joins with river Oulankajoki and continuous whitewater ends here. You may want to check the Oulanka canyon upstream before heading forward. There's also more whitewater and you can leave your belongings to nearby wilderness hut. The river runs right past it so you can reclaim them when you come back. Roughly four kilometers downstream is the waterfall of Taivalköngäs which has two branches. The right hand side is class IV and the left side is more or less unraftable due to low water volume. Do not try to run either side unless you know what you're doing. The waterfall can be easily portaged through island in the middle of the stream.

Taivalköngäs, right side branch

Kiutaköngäs during high flow

Approximately nine kilometers from Taivalköngäs is Oulanka Visitor Centre, camping grounds, biological station, cafeteria and much more. Make sure to disembark at the bridge crossing the river (there should be a safety wire too) or you'll run straight to class V Kiutaköngäs rapid. The trail can be found on the south bank. Kiutaköngäs falls in three separate steps of which the last one is class II+ which may be fun to try out but check it beforehand and watch yourself. Do not try running it alone.

Oulankajoki after Kiutaköngäs

After Kiutaköngäs the river runs swiftly but you won't encounter anything what could be called rapids. The hiking trail follows the river all the way to Ansakämppä wilderness hut where the ways separate. This is also the place you must disembark in order to get to the Bear Trail route. Technically, if you insist on boating there's a lean-to downstream and a path connecting it to the trail. Just keep in mind that the climb is very steep and there may be no support structures. The Bear Trail route then leads you back to Basecamp Oulanka.

At the hills near Ruka

There are also some alternatives. If you want a longer trip you can start where Kitkajoki crosses the local road 950. The rapids before Juuma are class I-II not counting the class III Haarakoski. After the round trip and return to Juuma you can also continue along the Bear Trail all the way to Ruka but there's nothing worth rafting except for one big lake (Porontima). It's also possible to start at the point where river Oulankajoki and road 950 cross but making a trip from there without missing some essential parts may be hard.

Maaninkaköngäs, a smaller waterfall near Taivalköngäs

As for suitable river discharge amounts 25 cubic meters per second is usually enough. If the flow is higher you can expect bigger waves but nothing tremendously dangerous. Kitkajoki can be run around year (not counting winter of course) as the huge lake upstream maintains a continuous inflow. There's also some other smaller rivers in the area but they are generally not suitable even for packrafts unless the discharge in Oulankajoki is at least 200m^3/s. The lower parts (downstream from Ristikallio) of river Aventojoki can be run at approximately 100m^3/s flow and you can make a side trip from Taivalköngäs there. It's worth trying if you can handle class II+ waters, just scout the rapids before running since I can't remember the possible hazards any more.

If you're interested in any kind of whitewater you'll find it here. Oulanka has everything from float-down-and-drink-booze -currents to instakill waterfalls, wide streams with big waves and small creeks. The large network wilderness huts and clearly marked hiking routes makes Oulanka very easy to approach.

PS: Contact me if you plan on going to Oulanka, I'll want to join.

Nuuksio National Park

IN A NUTSHELL

• Location: Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
• Type: Only lakes
• Hike - Paddle -ratio: 20-80
• Trip length: 1-2 days, ~15km
• How to get there:
• By car: There are several parking lots around the park but this route works best if you don't make a round trip.
• By public transport: The capital area public transport is extremely useful to get into the park and you can use this tool to find your way. The nearest bus stops are:
• Pirttimäki lodge, Espoo (bus #86)
• Meerlammentie 1, Espoo (bus #85)
• Lakistontie 1, Espoo (bus #345)

More info can be found here
There is also a special outdoor map avalable for Nuuksio (1:20 000)

Nuuksio National Park is one of the two national parks near Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. Nuuksio isn't too well suited for packrafting but there are a few nice small lakes which are quite near each other and therefore form a good rafting area. These lakes are Saarijärvi, Sarkkinen, Suolikas, Kattilajärvi, Vääräjärvi, Urja and Kolmperä. There are also two long lakes, Nuuksion Pitkäjärvi and Velskolan Pitkäjärvi but their shores are somewhat populated.

My long-time favorite packrafting trip in Nuuksio starts by taking a bus (86) to Pirttimäki lodge. There's a biking trail which leads near to the east bank of lake Velskolan Pitkäjärvi. On the other side of lake is cape Jänisniemi where's a fixed lean-to shelter and fireplace. There are no paths leading to Jänisniemi and it was missing from the maps for more than ten years. You most likely are not going to meet anybody there.

The easiest way to navigate away from Jänisniemi is by following the power lines to the southern tip of lake Kattilajärvi. Just keep in mind that those lines go straight through and over swamps and cliffs. The way is easy to find but a bit challenging to travel. There's a swimming beach, pier and cooking shelter in Kattilajärvi so feel free to dip in if you like.

Only a narrow strip of land separates the lakes Kattilajärvi and Vääräjärvi making portaging easy. The southern northeast section of Vääräjärvi has a nice little cape with fixed fireplace and a few suitable areas for tents. I personally like to camp in this cape since the water is quite fresh and the solid rock shore makes embarking and disembarking easy.

The next step is to paddle towards the lake Urja. The portage is a little bit longer this time but there's a visible path connecting the lakes. If you want to make shorter trip, paddle to the southern end of Urja, portage to Kolmperä and cross it. There's a road leading to Solvik bus stop where you can take bus number 85. I prefer to take the longer route and paddle to the north end of Urja, disembark there and then continue west towards the lake Ruuhijärvi. There's a wide good trail leading there but make sure you don't violate the property of Mr. Vehkoja who lives on the shore of Urja.

The path to Pöksynhaara starts at the purple crosshair

The next place to be is the lake Suolikas and the best way to get there is through Mustalampi eli Pöksynhaara. A path leading there can be found roughly one kilometer west from where you disembarked Urja. This path is much smaller but visible anyhow. Crossing Mustalampi eli Pöksynhaara may not be the wisest choice since the path to the next lake (Suolikas) goes through thick forest and carrying a filled raft along it isn't easy.

While in Suolikas you may want to explore the narrow northwest tip of the lake before crossing over the narrow land section to Sarkkinen. After the short water crossing there's a bit longer portage to the lake Saarijärvi which is the last paddling section on this route. If you're going to catch the bus (345) you'll want to head towards the northern cove in the east bank where a small road leads towards the crossroads of Vihdintie and Lakistontie. The bus stop can be found right at the crossing

Helvetinjärvi National Park

Southern shore of lake Iso Kalliojärvi

In a nutshell

• Location: Ruovesi, Pirkanmaa, Finland
• Type: Lakes, one river (class 1+)
• Hike - Paddle -ratio: 50-50
• Trip length: 3-6 days, 40-60km
• How to get there:
• By car: There are several parking lots around the park. 
• By public transport: The nearest bus stops are:
• Ruovesi
• Myllyperäntie (Ruovesi)
• Kuru (Ylöjärvi)

More info can be found here
There is also a special outdoor map available for Helvetinjärvi (1:20 000. The map contains the nearby areas of Seitseminen and Riuttaskorpi also)

Note: I originally wrote this route description for Packrafting.de.

There are plenty of lakes that are formed in deep gorges and a nice 10km Haukkajoki river that flows through the forest.

If you want to get the most out of this route, make sure you have 4-5 days to spare. The route is also very easy (if not easiest) to travel by using public transport to get in place. It starts in the bus stop of Ruovesi town, where you have to hike roughly one kilometer of asphalt road before getting to the nearest forest path. Several paths run through the forest and they are the most pleasant way to get to the southern point of lake Kovero. Kovero and the adjacent lakes are located in one deep tectonic chasm that runs through the whole park.

A small creek starting from the northwest tip of the lake connects Kovero and the next lake Luoma together. The whole waterway is not passable, but it's nice anyway. At Luoma there's a camping area and cooking shelter. After Luoma there's a shortcut using roads to get to lake Haukkajärvi where river Haukkajoki starts but the gorges at Iso Helvetinjärvi are really worth seeing. There's also a rock climbing wall near Helvetinkolu gorge.

Haukkajoki river is a serene float in the woods. There are a few class I rapids and one class I+ depending on water level. The river is at it's best during floods of after heavy autumn rains, although not bad at normal flow too. After the river you can either hike to west to get to a bus stop or continue south through several lakes and another small river (Karjulanjoki) after another 10km of paddling. After arriving to road number 337 there won't be much to see any more. You may either hike or hitch-hike to village of Kuru to get to bus.

Introductaping

The international version of Reppulautta.fi has been started. This will be it's sister blog and will contain everything I've published in Finnish. Stay tuned!

--
Pekka,
26th December, 2013
at the great wastes of Kurkimäki ghetto (=eastern Helsinki)