This paddling line is about 25.2 km as one continuous trace through Kymenlaakso, following the Konnivesi–Kymijoki waterway via the restored Kimola Canal toward Voikkaa and the Kymijoki. For opening hours, lock rules, guest harbours, and cruise options, the Kimola Canal pages on Visit Kouvola are the practical author...
Visit Kouvola – Kimola Canal+
Description
This paddling line is about 25.2 km as one continuous trace through Kymenlaakso, following the Konnivesi–Kymijoki waterway via the restored Kimola Canal toward Voikkaa and the Kymijoki. For opening hours, lock rules, guest harbours, and cruise options, the Kimola Canal pages on Visit Kouvola are the practical authority; the same itinerary is listed on Luontoon.fi alongside other paddling routes in the area. The canal opened to boating traffic on 3 August 2020 and reconnects Lake Pyhäjärvi and Konnivesi, linking the Päijänne and Kymijoki systems so that a continuous inland waterway from Kouvola toward the northeast reaches well over 400 km. City of Kouvola’s project blog describes the reopening after timber floating ended and the first full boating seasons. Iitti municipality describes the canal connecting Konnivesi and Pyhäjärvi and catalogues boat ramps and guest landings along the shoreline.
The canal is about 5.5 km long with a single free self-service lock (roughly 12 m lift; allow time in the lock) and a roughly 70 m rock tunnel—features that draw both motorboats and paddlers. Visit Kouvola confirms that canoes and kayaks may use the lock; low docks beside the waiting berths are intended primarily for canoes and kayaks. In the canal zone a speed limit of 9 km/h (5 knots) applies along the published navigation band; Iitti’s bays have separate notes in the Kimola Canal navigation instructions. Remote service locking is coordinated from Vääksy; phone contact is published for boaters who need support.
Along the mapped line, staging and services cluster where public ramps and harbours meet the shore. Near the start of the trace, Kuoppaniemen parkkipaikka supports trailer parking and access to the water. After roughly 5.6 km the route passes close to Jaalan näkötorni Ahdinpuunvuori—a lookout point worth a short detour from the water. Around 8 km, Hiidensaaren retkisatama offers a guest landing with lean-to and campfire services in the forest. Near Kimola, the canal bank connects to Kimolan luontopolku for a walking loop in the woods. Toward the lower Kymijoki end, Huutotöyryn uimapaikka documents a swimming beach and a long public boat ramp as a guest landing. In the Pilkanmaa area near the end of the line, the trace runs close to Pilkanmaan frisbeegolfrata and Pilkanmaan koulun liikuntasali; the same shore zone also meets Jukajärvi-Sonnanjärvi reitti (Mutalahden kota sits on that connecting line) and land trails Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn latu and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn kuntorata.
Downstream of the canal, Visit Kouvola describes Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa as the main guest harbour for the Kymijoki end of the waterway, with a canoe dock, services, and connections to Virtakiven Sauna and cruise routes. Vasikkasaari and Hiidensaari landing sites are also named in the same materials for breaks along the waterway. A trip report on Retkipaikka describes the canal together with Kimolan luontopolku as a summer outing—worth reading for on-the-ground pacing and photos of the tunnel and lock setting. Päijänteen Vesitaksi markets private water-taxi trips to Kimola Canal and Virtakivi for small groups. For fishing from the water, check Eräluvat for the right licence on the waters you use.
Some catalogues list a longer mapped variant of the same waterway as Kimola Canal–Voikkaa canal route (about 30.6 km); this file uses the 25.2 km geometry as the route length.
Length & route
The mapped line is about 25.2 km as one continuous paddle in this database. Visit Kouvola’s materials sometimes quote shorter segments (for example roughly 24 km from the lock area to Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa) when describing part of the Pyhäjärvi–canal–Kymijoki link—use our geometry length for this route file. Expect long lake and slow-river sections, lock delay, and motor traffic near bridges and harbours; the canal adds a narrow channel, tunnel, and regulated speed limits in the navigation instructions published for the Kimola Canal.
Getting there
Treat the route as a shuttle: match put-in and take-out to Kuoppaniemi, Hiidensaari, Kimola canal landings, and Huutotöyry using public ramps and harbours that Iitti municipality documents. For the Kouvola end, Virtakiven vierassatama and bus connections from Voikkaa are described on Visit Kouvola. Lock operation and self-service instructions—including video—are in the navigation instructions published for the Kimola Canal.
Good to know
Forest-fire rules apply at laavu and campfire sites; check current warnings before lighting a fire. Give motor vessels space in the canal and near bridges; expect wake when large boats pass. Fishing follows national licence rules on the waters you paddle.
History
The original timber-flotation canal opened in the 1960s; commercial timber passed until 2002. After widening and dredging, the new boating lock and tunnel replaced the old timber cranes, and the canal opened to pleasure craft in August 2020.
Itinerary
At about 25 km, plan a long day or two shorter days in calm weather. Early on, use Kuoppaniemen parkkipaikka (~0.8 km on the longer variant) for launch and parking where you join the waterway. Around 5.6 km, Jaalan näkötorni Ahdinpuunvuori offers a viewpoint detour. Around 8 km, Hiidensaaren retkisatama offers a harbour landing and forest services. Near Kimola, tie in Kimolan luontopolku from the canal bank if you want a land loop. Toward Pilkanmaa (~24.7 km), the line passes frisbee and school sports facilities; Jukajärvi-Sonnanjärvi reitti crosses the same shore band, with Mutalahden kota on that line, and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn latu and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn kuntorata offer ski and running loops on land. Finish toward Huutotöyry for swimming and ramp access; Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa is the main downstream harbour if you continue beyond this line.
Where to rent kayaks
This route is best suited to own canoes or kayaks. Commercial operators focus on cruises and water taxis: Visit Kouvola lists cruise companies and Päijänteen Vesitaksi for private trips toward Kimola Canal and Virtakivi. For regional SUP and kayak hire elsewhere in Iitti, Iitti’s tourism pages point to operators such as Supventures at Jokue—see Visit Iitti for the current list.
Guided tours & Experiences
Visit Kouvola describes scheduled cruises (for example m/s Suomen Suvi on Heinola–Vuolenkoski–Kimola Canal–Virtakivi) and water-taxi options through Päijänteen Vesitaksi.
Most travel descriptions run from the Päijänne and Konnivesi side toward Kouvola and Voikkaa; you can paddle either way, but wind and shuttle logistics usually favour planning downstream or toward your staged vehicle.
Route direction
Lake
Lake
River
River
Open / Good Condition
Open / Good Condition
Visit Kouvola – Kimola Canal+
Activities allowed
Kayak / Canoe
Activity
Terrain & conditions
25.2 km
Distance
Typically one long day or two full paddling days for the mapped 25.2 km, plus extra time for lock passage and breaks.
Be the first to write a review for "Kimola Canal–Voikkaa canal route"
Share a photo from a recent trip
Answers to your questions
Our data was researched from Iitti, and other trusted sources, in March 2026. Our route / place GPX data comes from Metsähallitus / Lipas, last updated March 2026. Always check their official website for safety-critical updates.
This paddling line is about 25.2 km as one continuous trace through Kymenlaakso, following the Konnivesi–Kymijoki waterway via the restored Kimola Canal toward Voikkaa and the Kymijoki. For opening hours, lock rules, guest harbours, and cruise options, the Kimola Canal pages on Visit Kouvola are the practical author...
Visit Kouvola – Kimola Canal+
Description
This paddling line is about 25.2 km as one continuous trace through Kymenlaakso, following the Konnivesi–Kymijoki waterway via the restored Kimola Canal toward Voikkaa and the Kymijoki. For opening hours, lock rules, guest harbours, and cruise options, the Kimola Canal pages on Visit Kouvola are the practical authority; the same itinerary is listed on Luontoon.fi alongside other paddling routes in the area. The canal opened to boating traffic on 3 August 2020 and reconnects Lake Pyhäjärvi and Konnivesi, linking the Päijänne and Kymijoki systems so that a continuous inland waterway from Kouvola toward the northeast reaches well over 400 km. City of Kouvola’s project blog describes the reopening after timber floating ended and the first full boating seasons. Iitti municipality describes the canal connecting Konnivesi and Pyhäjärvi and catalogues boat ramps and guest landings along the shoreline.
The canal is about 5.5 km long with a single free self-service lock (roughly 12 m lift; allow time in the lock) and a roughly 70 m rock tunnel—features that draw both motorboats and paddlers. Visit Kouvola confirms that canoes and kayaks may use the lock; low docks beside the waiting berths are intended primarily for canoes and kayaks. In the canal zone a speed limit of 9 km/h (5 knots) applies along the published navigation band; Iitti’s bays have separate notes in the Kimola Canal navigation instructions. Remote service locking is coordinated from Vääksy; phone contact is published for boaters who need support.
Along the mapped line, staging and services cluster where public ramps and harbours meet the shore. Near the start of the trace, Kuoppaniemen parkkipaikka supports trailer parking and access to the water. After roughly 5.6 km the route passes close to Jaalan näkötorni Ahdinpuunvuori—a lookout point worth a short detour from the water. Around 8 km, Hiidensaaren retkisatama offers a guest landing with lean-to and campfire services in the forest. Near Kimola, the canal bank connects to Kimolan luontopolku for a walking loop in the woods. Toward the lower Kymijoki end, Huutotöyryn uimapaikka documents a swimming beach and a long public boat ramp as a guest landing. In the Pilkanmaa area near the end of the line, the trace runs close to Pilkanmaan frisbeegolfrata and Pilkanmaan koulun liikuntasali; the same shore zone also meets Jukajärvi-Sonnanjärvi reitti (Mutalahden kota sits on that connecting line) and land trails Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn latu and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn kuntorata.
Downstream of the canal, Visit Kouvola describes Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa as the main guest harbour for the Kymijoki end of the waterway, with a canoe dock, services, and connections to Virtakiven Sauna and cruise routes. Vasikkasaari and Hiidensaari landing sites are also named in the same materials for breaks along the waterway. A trip report on Retkipaikka describes the canal together with Kimolan luontopolku as a summer outing—worth reading for on-the-ground pacing and photos of the tunnel and lock setting. Päijänteen Vesitaksi markets private water-taxi trips to Kimola Canal and Virtakivi for small groups. For fishing from the water, check Eräluvat for the right licence on the waters you use.
Some catalogues list a longer mapped variant of the same waterway as Kimola Canal–Voikkaa canal route (about 30.6 km); this file uses the 25.2 km geometry as the route length.
Length & route
The mapped line is about 25.2 km as one continuous paddle in this database. Visit Kouvola’s materials sometimes quote shorter segments (for example roughly 24 km from the lock area to Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa) when describing part of the Pyhäjärvi–canal–Kymijoki link—use our geometry length for this route file. Expect long lake and slow-river sections, lock delay, and motor traffic near bridges and harbours; the canal adds a narrow channel, tunnel, and regulated speed limits in the navigation instructions published for the Kimola Canal.
Getting there
Treat the route as a shuttle: match put-in and take-out to Kuoppaniemi, Hiidensaari, Kimola canal landings, and Huutotöyry using public ramps and harbours that Iitti municipality documents. For the Kouvola end, Virtakiven vierassatama and bus connections from Voikkaa are described on Visit Kouvola. Lock operation and self-service instructions—including video—are in the navigation instructions published for the Kimola Canal.
Good to know
Forest-fire rules apply at laavu and campfire sites; check current warnings before lighting a fire. Give motor vessels space in the canal and near bridges; expect wake when large boats pass. Fishing follows national licence rules on the waters you paddle.
History
The original timber-flotation canal opened in the 1960s; commercial timber passed until 2002. After widening and dredging, the new boating lock and tunnel replaced the old timber cranes, and the canal opened to pleasure craft in August 2020.
Itinerary
At about 25 km, plan a long day or two shorter days in calm weather. Early on, use Kuoppaniemen parkkipaikka (~0.8 km on the longer variant) for launch and parking where you join the waterway. Around 5.6 km, Jaalan näkötorni Ahdinpuunvuori offers a viewpoint detour. Around 8 km, Hiidensaaren retkisatama offers a harbour landing and forest services. Near Kimola, tie in Kimolan luontopolku from the canal bank if you want a land loop. Toward Pilkanmaa (~24.7 km), the line passes frisbee and school sports facilities; Jukajärvi-Sonnanjärvi reitti crosses the same shore band, with Mutalahden kota on that line, and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn latu and Pilkanmaan Kuntotöyryn kuntorata offer ski and running loops on land. Finish toward Huutotöyry for swimming and ramp access; Virtakiven vierassatama in Voikkaa is the main downstream harbour if you continue beyond this line.
Where to rent kayaks
This route is best suited to own canoes or kayaks. Commercial operators focus on cruises and water taxis: Visit Kouvola lists cruise companies and Päijänteen Vesitaksi for private trips toward Kimola Canal and Virtakivi. For regional SUP and kayak hire elsewhere in Iitti, Iitti’s tourism pages point to operators such as Supventures at Jokue—see Visit Iitti for the current list.
Guided tours & Experiences
Visit Kouvola describes scheduled cruises (for example m/s Suomen Suvi on Heinola–Vuolenkoski–Kimola Canal–Virtakivi) and water-taxi options through Päijänteen Vesitaksi.
Most travel descriptions run from the Päijänne and Konnivesi side toward Kouvola and Voikkaa; you can paddle either way, but wind and shuttle logistics usually favour planning downstream or toward your staged vehicle.
Be the first to write a review for "Kimola Canal–Voikkaa canal route"
Share a photo from a recent trip
Answers to your questions
Our data was researched from Iitti, and other trusted sources, in March 2026. Our route / place GPX data comes from Metsähallitus / Lipas, last updated March 2026. Always check their official website for safety-critical updates.