- Family-friendly
- Campfire site
- Overnight stay possible
The Kuivajärvi loop is part of Peuran polku, which is waymarked with orange paint marks. There are also signposts at the junctions. The route is about 3.5 kilometres long.
Difficulty
The path is fairly demanding because of its rocky terrain. There are also duckboards along the route. The Kuivajärvi loop runs close to the road and is a lovely day trip for families with children too.
Starting point
To reach the trailhead, first drive about 8 km from Reisjärvi to Mäntyperä, then turn onto Kuivajärventie. Follow Kuivajärventie for about 7 km to reach the trailhead at the Kuivajärvi car park.
Facilities
Next to the Kuivajärvi car park you'll find a reservable hut and a sauna. (the hut can be booked through Metsähallitus). In the yard of the reservable hut there is a campfire site that all hikers may use when the hut is not booked. Firewood is provided only for those who have rented the hut.
You can easily drive close to the Kuivajärvi campfire site, so it is also a good outing for people with limited mobility or those using mobility aids.
More information
From the Kuivajärvi car park it is about 1.5 km to the Kirves-Heikki canal. On the beautiful isthmus between Kuivajärvi and Iso-Kotajärvi you can see the handiwork of a Finnish pioneer settler.
In the last years of the 19th century, Kirves-Heikki took on an impossible task – draining Iso-Kotajärvi to turn the lake bed into farmland. The lake never emptied, but his efforts left behind a deep canal 65 metres long and over ten metres wide at its widest point.
Peuran polku continues across Matoharjuntie towards Ahveroinen. To return to the car park from the Kuivajärvi loop, walk about a kilometre along Matoharjuntie.
A pleasant place to visit is the Matoharju quiet retreat hut, about 300 metres along Peuran polku towards Ahveroinen. Beyond Kuivajärvi, just before the Kirves-Heikki canal, there is a campfire site, a dry toilet and firewood.