Petäjävesi: Canoe Routes, Trails and Culture

Petäjävesi offers a range of options for planning your trip: routes on foot, by bike or by canoe, as well as nature and cultural experiences in the municipality. If you’re looking for a hotel in Petäjävesi, you can use these themes to consider which activities you’d like to shape your trip. The routes vary both in length and in the type of activity.

Trails on Foot, by Bike and by Canoe

Töllin Taival begins in the centre of Petäjävesi. This approximately 12-kilometre hiking or cycling route loops around Lake Jämsänvesi. For a trip on the water, the marked Wanha Witonen canoe route starts at Kirveslahti boat harbour on Lake Jämsänvesi in Petäjävesi. It runs for 75 kilometres to Jämsä on Lake Päijänne. The route is classified as moderately difficult and is also suitable for beginners, as rapids can be bypassed using portage routes.

The two routes differ not only in length but also in how you travel and where the route takes you: Töllin Taival is a loop for hiking or cycling, while Wanha Witonen is a canoe route to Jämsä. This lets you plan your trip around whether you’d prefer a loop on land or a longer journey on the water.

Trails and Nature in the Municipality

At Syrjäharju in the village of Pengerjoki, about 8 kilometres from Petäjävesi in the direction of Multia, there are three trails of different lengths: the 4-kilometre Retkipolku, the 2-kilometre Kukkulapolku and the 4.2-kilometre Harjukierros. Kukkulapolku is therefore the shortest of the three, and Harjukierros the longest. The municipality may update trail details; check the latest information before setting out.

In the southwest of Petäjävesi municipality, the Tampinkierros nature trail lies in the Teerijärvensuo nature reserve. About halfway along the loop, on the shore of Lake Teerijärvi, there is a rest area with a shelter, a campfire site and a dry toilet. This adds a nature trail with a specifically described rest area and these facilities to the selection.

Church and Landscape

The Old Church of Petäjävesi stands in the municipality of Petäjävesi on a peninsula by Lake Solikkojärvi. It represents the architectural tradition of European wooden churches in Northern Europe. The church is surrounded by an agricultural landscape typical of the region, with lakes and forests. Here, architectural heritage and the described landscape come together.

Museum and Art

The Petäjävesi Radio and Telephone Museum presents 150 years of the history of electronic communications and also preserves the collections of the Finnish Radio History Society. Taidetila Toinila at Koulutie 6 in Petäjävesi offers a different cultural focus: its varied programme of exhibitions and events brings artists and art enthusiasts of all ages together. Alongside communications and radio history, there is also art and a programme of events.

Horse Riding and Café

In Petäjävesi municipality, Talli Furuvatni riding school offers riding lessons and rides on Icelandic horses. Suoramyynti Heinähattu’s café serves fresh coffee as well as homemade sweet and savoury pastries. You can eat in or order takeaway. So, in addition to trails and culture, the selection also includes horse-riding activities and a café with both dining options.

Discover more destinations: Kuhmoinen, Jämsä, Toivakka, Kivijärvi, Rutalahti, Kannonkoski, Laukaa, Jämsänkoski

For the overview of the wider region: Central Finland.