Suomenselkä countryside is a rural area in the north-west of Central Finland, made up of the municipalities of Kannonkoski, Kinnula and Kivijärvi. Kyyjärvi and Karstula, also part of the Suomenselkä region, have their own articles.

Understand

The strait Hannonsalmi of the lake Kivijärvi, in its namesake municipality

Suomenselkä is a watershed in the middle of Finland, going roughly from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the coast but about 150-200 km inland, forming a border between the Ostrobothnian provinces and Central Finland.

Get in

Car is hands down the most convenient mode of transport; coach connections are few. An avid biker may still find reasonable routes.

The Jyväskylä–Haapamäki railway does not carry passenger traffic, so your best bet is probably to find a bus connection from Jyväskylä or Seinäjoki. Any flight from Helsinki gets you only so much closer, but you might find a flight also from abroad to Kokkola (KOK ^IATA). A boat can carry you along the Viitasaari Route from Päijänne to Viitasaari or reasonably close to Huopana on Highway 77.

By car

Kannonkoski, Kinnula and Kivijärvi are all along the scenic and relatively off-the-beaten-path Highway 58 (occasionally known as the Suomenselkä highway), which connects Karstula, Lestijärvi and other smaller towns between Kangasala and Kärsämäki. The Kannonkoski parish village is a bit off that road, though.

The Blue Highway, from Norway via Vaasa, Seinäjoki and Kivijärvi, follows Highway 77 here, running west–east between Kivijärvi and Kannonkoski and connecting highways 13 and 4, continuing via Viitasaari and Kuopio to Russia.

From the south (Jyväskylä), take Highway 13 to the junction with Highway 58. For Kannonkoski, you can also fork off to Regional Road 648 in Saarijärvi.

From Kokkola, fork off Highway 13 to Regional Road 751, via Halsua and Lestijärvi, or to Highway 77, after Kyyjärvi.

By bus

Bus connections seem to be scarce here, though Kannonkoski does have services from Saarijärvi.

Get around

By boat

The lake Kivijärvi connects the municipalities. It is 47 km long from north to south, 20 km wide, and with 154 km² (59 sq mi), it is the 30th largest lake of Finland. It has some 500 islands, corresponding to 10 % of its area. Ninety of the islands are larger than one hectare. Also the 40-km², 18-km-long Vuosjärvi downstream from Himonkoski may be nice to explore, with a hundred islands, as might several smaller lakes.

There are 1.5-m boating routes on Kivijärvi.

Kivijärvi empties via Potmonjärvi, Syväjärvi, Pudasjärvi, Vuosjärvi and Muuruejärvi to Ylä-Keitele and thereby to the Viitasaari Route (Keitele–Leppävesi–Päijänne) but there is no navigable route from Kivijärvi to Keitele.

See

• 1 Kivijärvi Church (Kivijärvi centre). Lakeside church. (updated Aug 2023)

Buy

There are grocery stores and some other shops in the municipality centres (the parish villages, namesakes to the municipalities).

Eat

• 1 Peuran Tupa, Hannunkiventie 1 (Kivijärvi), info@villipeura.fi. Pizza, burgers and salads, in addition there's an art gallery in the house. It is next to the Hannunkivi cabin village providing lodging. (updated Aug 2023)

Sleep

Lodging

• 1 Karkausmäen Kammari, Lestijärventie 375 (Kinnula, near Lake Karkausjärvi), ☏ +358 44-238-3943, info@karkausmaenkammari.net. Rural guesthouse. (updated Aug 2023)

Backcountry

There is no shortage of woods, where you can camp according to the right to access. No campfires.

In the west, by the border between Kinnula, Kivijärvi and Perho, there is a part of Salamajärvi National Park and the nature reserve of Salamanperä. These are restricted areas, but camping by infrastructure, such as campfire sites and lean-to shelters, is allowed.

Go next

• Salamajärvi National Park, mostly in Perho, extends to Kinnula and Kivijärvi, and is easily reachable from these.