Päijät-Häme Kayaking Routes

The Tainionvirta canoeing route in Hartola is the upper reach of one of southern Finland’s best-known river paddles: a calm, bird-rich corridor through farmland and village shore before the longer Hartola–Sysmä chain opens toward lakes and Sysmä. For the full 43 km Hartola–Sysmä trip, Visit Päijänne publishes stage-by-stage notes, difficulty notes, and a printable map covering every rapid, dam portage, and landing(1). The mapped line here is about 9.6 km along the river as one continuous segment from Koskenniska—ideal for a focused day on the town reach or as day one of a longer through-trip. Visit Finland describes the same chain as beginner-friendly, with class I rapids and harder lines that can be walked, and points to Koskenniska at Aurinkorannantie 86, Kuninkaanpolku near the water, and the Itä-Häme Museum by the suspension bridge as highlights at the start(2). From the water, the first minutes pass services tied to the shore: Koskenniskan grillikatos and Koskenniskan venesatama sit by the put-in, Aurinkorannan uimapaikka offers a swim stop, and Tainionvirran kalastusalueet mark where separate river fishing permits apply if you fish from the boat(1)(5). Downstream toward the sports area, Golf-puiston uimaranta, Hartolan keskusurheilukenttä, Urheilukentän uimaranta Hartola, and Jokirannan talviuimapaikka cluster along the bank—easy landmarks when reading the river from a cockpit. Gasthaus-Camping Koskenniemen rantautumispaikka is the landing Visit Päijänne uses to frame the Vuoteenkoski reach before Vanhanmyllynkoski; Keijulankosken laavu sits a few kilometres farther along the official guide, with a landing before the rapid on the right bank(1). On land, Kuninkaanpolku, Hartola and the shorter accessible Ekonpolku variant touch the same riverbank; Vellamo retkipyöräilyreitti: Kumu - Koitti and Vellamo retkipyöräilyreitti: Sysmä - Hartola rengasreitti cross or brush the shore where cyclists share the valley. Kurenlahden polku loops nearby at Koskenniska for a short walk if you are waiting for a shuttle. Downstream paddlers continue on Tainionvirran melontareitti/Sysmä toward Kirveskoski, laavus, and Nuoramoisjärvi(1). Visit Päijänne rates the whole chain as moderately demanding: six class I rapids and four dam portages on the full 43 km, with Vanhanmyllynkoski the main rapid to scout and Ekonkoski and Vanhanmyllynkoski livelier at high water(1). Matti Simula’s Etureppu trip report from the full Hartola–Sysmä run stresses printing the Visit Päijänne map, watching for small bank signs from the boat, and packing the chart in a dry bag(3). The Pipo silmillä blog’s older juhannus paddle remembers the same upper beats—Ekonkoski, Vanhanmyllynkoski, and Hotilankosken pato—before the route widens onto lakes farther south(4). Canoes and kayaks are rented in Hartola with delivery often arranged to Koskenniska for through-paddles(2)(6).

Tainionvirran melontareitti/Sysmä is a long point-to-point paddle on the Tainionvirta watercourse in Päijät-Häme, linking Hartola with the Sysmä end of the river–lake chain toward Lake Päijänne. The paddling corridor here is about 33 km as one continuous trip; Visit Päijänne and the City of Sysmä describe the full Hartola–Sysmä run to central Sysmä as about 43 km in total, with roughly 24 km of river and the rest on lake sections—use their printable map and stage-by-stage notes when planning the classic through-trip(1)(2). The river flows downstream from Hartola toward Sysmä, so the usual direction is with the current; paddling upstream is unnecessarily hard(3). Visit Päijänne classifies the outing as moderately demanding: mostly easy class I rapids, four dams where you carry boats around, and Vanhanmyllynkoski as the stretch to scout first; high water can make Ekonkoski and Vanhanmyllynkoski livelier(1). The same guide lists alternative put-ins besides Koskenniska—Koskenniemi, Keijulankoski, Kirveskoski, or Krouvi Camping—so you can shorten or stage the day(1). Visit Finland’s product page highlights Koskenniska at Aurinkorannantie 86 as the reference start, the Itä-Häme Museum by the suspension bridge near the upper river, and canoe rental in Hartola(4). Along this segment you pass landings and services tied to the water: after the first few kilometres, Kirveskosken rantautumispaikka and Tennirannan vesillelasku- ja rantautumispaikka offer access from the banks; around 7 km from the start, Haaistonniemen laavu is a major rest point on the river (the City of Sysmä renovated the shelter, dock, and dry toilet there in 2018)(2). Rouvasaari on Nuoramoisjärvi—about 21 km along—is a popular island stop with a campfire place; Virtaan kanoottimaja farther downstream adds a fireplace, shelter space, and wood storage for breaks in Virtaa village(2). Toward Sysmä, Ohrasaaren tulentekopaikka and Ohrasaaren lintutorni sit near the shore where Vellamo retkipyöräilyreitti: Sysmä - Hartola rengasreitti runs close to the bank; Ohrasaaren ulkoilureitit/hiihtoladut loop the same island on foot or skis in winter. The finish area clusters Camping Sysmän rantautumispaikka, Askon uimaranta, and other Sysmä shore facilities—handy if you end a long day at the camping harbour(5). Upstream, Tainionvirran melontareitti/Hartola covers the shorter Hartola day section for comparison. Matti Simula’s Etureppu trip report names each dam portage (Hotilankoski, Kirveskoski, Nuoramoisten/Maatiaiskoski, Virtaankosken pato), stresses printing the Visit Päijänne map because bank signage is easy to miss from the boat, and describes wind exposure on the bigger lake crossings(3). Merja and Kyösti Itäniemi’s Nelinvoimaa guest article adds practical colour on weather, firewood, and combining tent or camping accommodation with the two-day rhythm many groups use(5). For fishing from the boat, Visit Päijänne states that river fishing on Tainionvirta needs separate local permits sold for Hartola and Sysmä Virtaa areas, while many lake sections can be fished with the state kalastonhoitomaksu where rules allow; follow their permit split carefully(1). Kuninkaan Portti at Hartola sells Tainionvirta area licences and publishes zone maps and size limits for the river fishery(6).

This point-to-point paddle follows the upper Koskenkylänjoki water system in southern Finland: the Länskinjoki reach runs through former Artjärvi (now part of Orimattila) and links Villikkalanjärvi, Säyhtee, and Pyhäjärvi before the main Koskenkylänjoki continues toward the Gulf of Finland(2). On our map the line is about 29.1 km as one continuous water journey—river and lake paddling rather than a closed loop. Metsähallitus publishes the route on Luontoon.fi as Lanskinjoen melontareitti for maps and planning(1). The same listing notes that you can camp in a tent at Vuorenmäki(1)—useful if you split the distance over two days. Along the way, the watercourse sits in a catchment that regional news and fisheries reporting have followed for habitat work: Etelä-Suomen Sanomat described winter weir construction on the upper Länskinjoki near the Artjärvi–Iitti boundary as part of the Villikkalanjoki follow-up project, aiming to raise water levels for the system(3). Broader Koskenkylänjoki restoration—including work on rapids farther downstream—has been covered by Yle as part of sea trout and salmon recovery efforts in the same watershed(5). Lapinjärvi lies in Päijät-Häme; the paddling line also crosses the kind of lake-and-river mosaic reflected on kalapaikka.net, where Länskinjoki is listed alongside nearby Villikkalanjärvi, Säyhtee, Pyhäjärvi, and Lapinjärvi (lake) as linked waters(4). For breaks on land, the route passes near local beaches and the Vuorenmäki outdoor-sports cluster—read more on our pages for Pyykkinekan uimaranta, Pyhäjärven uimapaikka Lapinjärvi, and Vuorenmäen uimapaikka. The same shore area connects to Artjärven kotiseutupyöräilyreitti, Vuorenmäen valaistu latu, and Vuorenmäen kuntorata if you combine paddling with walking, skiing, or running(1). If you fish from the boat, buy the permits that match each water and the state angling fee where required—Eräluvat is the national permit shop(6). For a second opinion on the geography while planning, the Finnish Wikipedia article on Koskenkylänjoki summarises how Länskinjoki joins Villikkalanjärvi and continues toward Pyhäjärvi (Artjärvi) within the larger system(2). Our route page on huts.fi mirrors the mapped distance and start point for quick reference(7).