Accessible Kolovesi

A levelled and hardened trail leads through the forest. A hiker is sitting on a seat and looking up at tree tops.
The accessible trail in Hirviniemi is demanding, but there are several seats for resting along the way. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
A sandy road leads down to the lake shore. There are buildings along the road and on the shore.
Kirkkoranta has services for hikers. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
A room with timber panelling, a narrow window and a toilet seat.
There is an accessible toilet in Kirkkoranta. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
A sign for a parking area by a sandy road. A forest can be seen in the background.
There are several parking areas in Kirkkoranta, some of which are accessible. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
It is a sunny day in spring. There are kayaks of different colours and a covered campfire site on the shore.
Kayaks are waiting for renters at Kirkkoranta. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
A covered campfire site built with logs. The fireplace has a flue, and some blocks of wood have been placed around it as stools.
Kirkkoranta campfire site is accessible. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
Calm water surface on a cloudy day. Forest along the shores. A wooden building sticks out from the water.
The water routes of Kolovesi invite you out to paddle! Photo: Tiina Linsén.
A pier with a recess for a canoe in the middle. There are hand supports at the edges of the recess.
An accessible canoe pier makes taking to the waters easy. Photo: Tiina Linsén.
The levelled trail leads through the forest. There is a lake in the background.
The final section of the accessible Hirviniemi trail runs along the lake shore. Photo: Tiina Linsén.

The forests and waters of Kolovesi now also offer accessible excursions. In the National Park, accessibility has been provided for especially on Hirviniemi two-directional trail and the campsite to which it leads. Accessible services can also be found in Kirkkoranta.

Hirviniemi nature trail in Kolovesi is accessible but demanding, which is why we recommend that the users of wheelchairs and similar aids bring an assistant. You can determine whether a trail is suited for you by studying descriptions of the trail in advance. 

For more information on the accessible services of Hirviniemi and Kirkkoranta, contact Metsähallitus customer service.

Accessible excursions on the nature trail and waters of Kolovesi

  • The demanding accessible nature trail of Hirviniemi, the length of which is 1.6 km/direction, leads from Nahkiaissalo parking area to Hirviniemi campsite and back. There are several steep hills along the trail.
  • Accessible canoe piers can be found in both Kirkkoranta and Hirviniemi. If you can organise transport for your gear and mobility aids to Hirviniemi campsite and have an assistant, you can enjoy a nature excursion that consists of paddling from Kirkkoranta and camping in Hirviniemi. The distance by water is about 2.5 kilometres and the route is sheltered. 

Accessibility of hiking structures and services

Hirviniemi 

  • The shared parking area of Hirviniemi and Nahkiaissalo trails is flat and spacious. There are no designated accessible parking spaces in the parking area. Please note that Nahkiaissalo nature trail, which is not accessible, starts from the same parking area but leads to the opposite direction. 
  • National Park information boards, which can also be easily reached by wheelchairs, are found in the parking area.
  • There are several seats along Hirviniemi trail where you can have a rest.
  • As soon as you reach Hirviniemi campsite, you will see the accessible camping platform, toilet, campfire site and picnic table open at the ends at short distances from each other. While the campsite is otherwise fairly flat, it falls gently towards the shore and the accessible canoe pier.
  • The accessible toilet is spacious and bright and equipped with folding hand supports. Please bring your own toilet paper. 
  • On the shore of Hirviniemi, there is an accessible canoe pier (Kirkkoranta also has one) where you can move safely from a wheelchair to a canoe and back again.   

Kirkkoranta

  • The road to Kirkkoranta ends with a long and steep downhill section. There are several parking areas along this road, the first two of which are not accessible. Closer to the destination, there is a flat and spacious parking area on the right side of the road, followed by a smaller flat parking area for around four cars on the left. The distance to the toilet building from this location is about 35 metres. There is also a flat space for one car on the right-hand side of the road next to the toilet building. There are no separately marked accessible parking spaces in the parking areas.
  • The road goes all the way to the shore, where hikers can be dropped off. There are no parking spaces on the shore, however.
  • In Kirkkoranta, there is an accessible toilet right next to the last individual parking space. A short and gentle ramp leads to the toilet.
  • The distance from the toilet building to the shore is approximately 120 metres, and the slope at the beginning is about 10%.
  • When descending towards the shore, information boards can be found along the way about 50 metres from the toilet building. The boards can also be reached by wheelchair users. The slope next to the boards is about 5%.
  • The distance from the information boards to an accessible campfire site is another 25 metres. The campfire site has a small table that can be reached by wheelchairs. The firewood shed is not accessible.
  • As in Hirviniemi, there is an accessible canoe pier on the shore. The access route to the pier is rough.