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Kissakoski Nature and Culture Trail

—•Hiking Trails

6.4 km

Route

Kissakosken laavu

1.0 km|Free

Wilderness HutsAlong the nature trail.

Description

Luontoon.fi – Kissakosken luonto- ja kulttuuripolku (Hirvensalmi)+

Description

The Kissakoski nature and culture trail is about 6.4 km as mapped here and tours the Kissakoski canal area, Liekune lake shores, and forest roads north of Hirvensalmi in South Savo. The route connects water views with one of Eastern Finland’s older industrial canal landscapes: timber floating, paper and pulp production, villas along the canal, a power station, and a fish ladder beside the rapids. Hirvensalmi lies in South Savo northeast of Lahti. Metsähallitus publishes route information for this trail on Luontoon.fi. The City of Hirvensalmi lists Kissakosken luontopolku among its local recreation routes and points walkers to printable trail maps on its outdoor pages. From the Kissakoski end of the route, the path follows the canal bank and birch forest, then opens onto long lakeside road sections with views over Liekune and Soikanlahti. A steeper climb leads to Haukonmäki, the highest point of the walk, roughly 40 metres above the lake in trip reports. Along the way, roughly fifteen older information boards describe the canal, Liekune, villas, and local nature; wayfinding also uses “LP” markers at junctions. About one kilometre from the usual start near the canal bridge you reach Kissakosken laavu beside the water—a good stop for a snack and a fire when rules allow; see our Kissakosken laavu page for details. Underfoot you get wide, easy gravel roads, short forest-path sections, and a brief duckboard stretch near the canal. Some later stretches follow quiet roads between fields and houses; one junction on Ripatintie is easy to misread without a map. Allow roughly two hours for the full distance at a comfortable pace with photo stops. The Retkipaikka trip report highlights the canal-side scenery, Soikanlahti, and Haukonmäki as the strongest parts of the day and notes that the only purpose-built rest spot along the circuit is the laavu near the start.

Length & route

The hiking route is about 6.4 km end to end on our map. Local trip write-ups often round to about 6.5 km for the same circuit. The walk mixes wide gravel roads, short forest-path and duckboard sections, and short road links between Soikanlahti, Haukonmäki, and the return toward Kissakoski. Hirvensalmi’s visitor materials have also described shorter and longer options in the same area; for the exact line and length, rely on the mapped trail here and the printable municipality maps.

Getting there

Most walkers drive to the Kissakoski factory and restaurant area and park in the customer yard off Vahvamäentie 42 in Hirvensalmi, then walk to the nature trail start near the canal bridge as shown on the municipality’s Kissakoski trail map. The same address is used by Restaurant Kissakoski in the old brick mill building. Check the City of Hirvensalmi maps page for the latest PDF before you go.

Good to know

Carry a map or offline track for road junctions in the mid-route; one intersection on Ripatintie is poorly signed toward the nature-trail continuation. Respect private yards where the path passes near houses. For restaurant opening hours, terrace dining, and exhibitions in the mill buildings, see the Kissakoski restaurant site separately from this trail page.

History

The Kissakoski canal (completed in the mid-19th century) lowered Puula toward the Kymijoki watercourse and created a 1.1 km channel between Liekune and Vahvajärvi; the surrounding mill and power-plant environment is part of Finland’s nationally listed industrial heritage. A paper and pulp mill operated here in the early 20th century, shipping product by barge toward Otava and export markets. A modern power plant and fish ladder beside the rapids help migrating fish bypass the dam—visitor materials quote up to tens of thousands of fish using the ladder in a year when water is open.

Managed by

Hirvensalmi

Official Maintenance

Trail info

Walkers often follow the longer “LP” branch at the mid-route junction for the full lake and Haukonmäki loop; a shorter branch continues straighter. Either direction can be used around the circuit depending on where you start.

Route direction

Nature-trail abbreviation “LP” on posts, plus about fifteen older information boards along the route.

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Retkipaikka – Kissakosken luontopolku Hirvensalmella (Mika Markkanen)

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

6.4 km

Distance

About 1.5–2 hours for the full distance at a normal walking pace with stops.

Est. Time

Mostly wide gravel roads and forest paths; short duckboards beside the canal; short asphalt links in places.

Surface

Single Track, Wide Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Retkipaikka – Kissakosken luontopolku Hirvensalmella (Mika Markkanen)

Location

61.62473°N, 26.74992°E

Approximate location

FinlandCountry

South SavoRegion

HirvensalmiCity

KissakoskiVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

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Answers to your questions

Our data was researched from Hirvensalmi, 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.

Finland South Savo Hirvensalmi Hiking TrailsKissakoski Nature and Culture Trail

Kissakoski Nature and Culture Trail6.4 km

Route

Kissakosken laavu

1.0 km|Free

Wilderness HutsAlong the nature trail.

Description

Luontoon.fi – Kissakosken luonto- ja kulttuuripolku (Hirvensalmi)+

Description

Length & route

Getting there

Good to know

History

Managed by

Hirvensalmi

Official Maintenance

Trail info

Location

Route direction

Nature-trail abbreviation “LP” on posts, plus about fifteen older information boards along the route.

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Retkipaikka – Kissakosken luontopolku Hirvensalmella (Mika Markkanen)

Location

61.62473°N, 26.74992°E

Approximate location

FinlandCountry

South SavoRegion

HirvensalmiCity

KissakoskiVillage

Hiking TrailsCategory

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

6.4 km

Distance

About 1.5–2 hours for the full distance at a normal walking pace with stops.

Est. Time

Mostly wide gravel roads and forest paths; short duckboards beside the canal; short asphalt links in places.

Surface

Single Track, Wide Track

Route Type

Light Traffic

Traffic

Partial Shade

Shade

Retkipaikka – Kissakosken luontopolku Hirvensalmella (Mika Markkanen)

Rate & Review

Be the first to write a review for "Kissakoski Nature and Culture Trail"

Share a photo from a recent trip

Answers to your questions

Finland South Savo Hirvensalmi Hiking TrailsKissakoski Nature and Culture Trail