Myllykoski Rapids is one of my favorite sights in Karhunkierros (and Pieni Karhunkierros). It is 150m long class III whitewater rapids.
In summer of 2008, I was in whitewater paddling course, where we started on Saturday morning from Käylänkoski and paddled along Kitkajoki and on Sunday afternoon we arrived to Myllykoski. We were offered possibility to try it out (as out first class III rapid), but only two out of nine participants dared to try it and I wasn’t one of those two. First one out of those two almost made it, but fell at the very end, and second one went swimming in first turn. So if you don’t have any experience about whitewater paddling, it is really challenging, but for experienced paddlers it should be doable. Just keep in mind that after Myllykoski, there is only something like 200m of stillwater before you arrive to Aallokkokoski, so you definately want to have rescuers in place, before you try it out. If you don’t have whitewater padding experience, but want to experience adrealine rush, rafting boats go through the rapids on daily basis.
For hikers, there is old millhouse, suspension bridge and great looking rapids to explore from shores, what else can you ask for?
Only downside is that I haven’t yet found any one single point, which would give my dream photograph about Myllykoski. I have some sort of idea, where it might be, but I haven’t yet had opportunity to check it out with camera (I believe its under the suspension bridge…).
For photographers, one good question regarding this place is at what time should you visit Myllykoski. Around midnight you would have opportunity to play around with long exposures, but you won’t see any rafting boats in those hours, because they only travel on daytime. Best solution, if you have enough time available, would be to visit on daytime when rafting boat are coming through the rapids and then return on evening, when shutter speeds start getting longer.

On our last four articles (five, if you count this one), we’ve been traveling along Kitkajoki on a hiking trail, which is common for Karhunkierros (Bear’s Ring) and Pieni Karhunkierros. Now it is time to turn away from Pieni Karhunkierros and continue on Karhunkierros hiking trail towards Ruka.

More photographs from Myllykoski

I personally have quite mixed feelings about this 600m long class IV whitewater rapids as a sight. It is located right between two great sights: Myllykoski and Jyrävä rapids. Due to its length, it can only be recommend for experience paddlers, who are confident that they can do it, because you don’t want to swim that 600m length in a rocky Kitkajoki river. If you do make it through, you have to come ashore as soon as it stops, so that you don’t get drift into Jyrävä. At the sametime, drafting boats go there on daily basis, unload their crew and let their boats drift on their own into Jyrävä to be picked up from stillwater.
For hikers, this is one of those sights in Karhunkierros and Pieni Karhunkierros, which you might completely miss if there wouldn’t be sign telling you where it is. Photograph has been taken on short tele lens so that I was able crop all the trees out from my viewfinder.

Jyrävä Rapids is one of the main sights in Pieni Karhunkierros (’Small Bear’s Ring) and Karhunkierros hiking trails. According to outdoors.fi, it is difficult to reach because it is 3.5km from Juuma’s Parking Lot, but I think I’ve heard claims that you should be able to get pretty close by car, if you know all small roads. However, this shouldn’t be your concern, since we are looking into Jyrävä from hikers and paddlers point of view.
To myself, Jyrävä was mild disappointment, because I had seen Kiutaköngäs just couple days earlier in Oulanka. Kiutaköngäs looks magnificent due to its length (325 meters) and 13.7 meters vertical drop along the way. Jyrävä on the other hand only drops 9 meters, but does it in much shorter distance, which makes it class VI rapid for whitewater paddlers, while Kiutaköngäs is somewhere between class V and VI. If we are looking for other good things for Jyrävä, you can see rapids in one glance and if you don’t mind about distance terrace of Siilastupa wilderness cabin has perfect view to Jyrävä.

More photographs about rapids:

View from Siilastupa terrace

Jyrävä rapids

Harrisuvanto is our second spot in Pieni Karhunkierros (”Short Bear’s Ring”), which is subset of Karhunkierros (”Bear’s Ring”) hiking trial. Name of the place (Harrisuvanto) comes from two words Harri and suvanto. Harri means grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and suvanto means still water. Based on these words and what I’ve found from internet, this place has been (and probably still is) good place for fishing grayling and other fishes, which are native to rivers in Kuusamo region.
Depending on a season,gear and how you feel about mosquitoes, it can be good place for having lunch break by the water, since this place has nice laavu, room for setting up a tent and pier into river. When you continue your journey from here, you will arrive to a suspension bridge. Old maps and tales would indicate, that this place used to have a rope across river and you had to pull yourself to the other side of the river on a rowboat or ferry. Nowdays there is simply too much traffic going along this trail for this kind of solution and as such suspension bridge makes sense. Still, it would have been fun to try ferrying yourself across the river on a boat.

Photographs from Harrisuvanto

In previous post, we were walking along Kitkajoki. Eventually you will arrive to three way crossing, where Karhunkierros joins Pieni Karhunkierros (”Small Bear’s ring”). If you have time, it is once again worth the effort to make small sidetrip. Less than 1km away from crossing (0.8km to be precise, if I remember correctly) you will arrive to bottom of Kallioportti (could be translated to Rock Gate). From there you have 100 meters climb up on stairs. Since this is only sidetrip, I would recommend that you hide your backpack into bushes and climb the stairs without extra weight on you. From top of the Kallioportti, you get a great view to all the forest around you. Once you’ve seen all that you want to see, it is time to climb down, return to three way crossing and to go, where you haven’t been before.

Photograph on a left gives you idea about the view, while photograph on the right is there as a proof that it is completely safe up there.

Once we have reached Kitkajoki, we first walk along the shores of Kitkajoki. In early June, you might still occasionally spot snow on southern shore, where it has been lying in shadows. You will also feel how the river radiates cold. After a while, trail starts climbing up to the ridge and if you are lucky, you might find blossoming Marsh Labrador Teas up there.

Photographs from this section of trail

More photographs from Karhunkierros (”Bear’s Ring”)

When you start your hike from Ansakämppä to Kitkajoki, you will face lot of stairs that go up and down, walk through swamps, chance to visit Jussinmökki, which is “yet another” wilderness cabin. Only real sight on this part of the journey is Kulmakkopuro.
The big thing in Kulmakkopuro is that at the beginning of 18th century landowners decided that way want to make some timber, float the logs to Oulankajoki and from there to Russia. The following spring and summer were dry and there wasn’t enough water in Kulmakkopuro to float all those logs. In following years, they tried to find otherways for transporting timber to factories with very little success. After few years, there was revolution in Russia, Finland got its independence and noone was interested to float timber into Soviet Union. When you walk through the area, you can still see lot of signs from old logs.

Photographs from Ansakämppä to Kitkajoki

When we are talking about Ansakämppä wilderness cabin, we have to be bit careful, because old and new Ansakämppä are located into different places and there is 1km distance between those spots. Old Ansakämppä burned down in winter 2001, but you can still visit its ruins. New Ansakämppä (simply called Ansakämppä) is located into Turistimutka, which is very nice spot to visit. One curious thing about Turistimutka is that you have cabin on one side and you can see charming fireplace on the other side of the river. From what I’ve understood, that fireplace on other side of river has been created for paddlers and I wouldn’t recommend that you to cross the river, because it has reasonably strong current.
This is probably our last story from Oulankajoki, because as we go forward Karhunkierros (Bear’s Ring) hiking trail will depart from Oulankajoki.

Photographs about old Ansakämppä

Scenery from new Ansakämppä in Turistimutka

Merioja is small campsite that comes along, after you’ve hiked couple kilometers from Oulanka towards Juuma. It doesn’t have cabin or sightseeing locations next to it, but if you are getting tired of walking, it is good place to setup your tent and take a nap. If you are hungry or thirsty, it has fireplace for fire and you can easily refill your water supply from Oulankajoki or smaller stream, whichever you prefer.

Kiutaköngäs is 325m long rapids in Oulankajoki. In my opinion, it is one of the major sightseeing locations in Kuusamo. Vertical drop in rapids happens in two steps and there is some rough whitewater between those two drops. Experienced whitewater paddlers have gone through it on numerous times, but it might well be that it has to be done on certain time of a year and you really have to know your stuff, before you should even think about it.
Karhunkierros (Bear’s Ring) hiking trail goes right next to it, so you can’t miss it. If you are looking for interesting place to sleep, there is nice camping place below rapids (when you find sign, which says 1.3km to Visitor’s Center, take steps down from ridge).
If you only want to make day trip here, it is only 600m from Oulanka Visitor’s Center.

Upper parts of Kiutaköngäs Rapids

Sidechannel

Rest of Kiutaköngäs Rapids