The Hossa Hiking Area is a place where the whole family can enjoy nature in varying terrain. Its extensive heaths are ideal for camping and hiking. The area also has a rich cultural heritage reaching back to the Stone Age. The Hossa Visitor Centre has a permanent exhibition which tells about the area's history and present day. Visitors can get maps, brochures and information at the nature centre, which also has a café-restaurant.
Karhunkainalo camping site, next to the visitor centre, offers a wide range of services for campers and caravanners. It includes modern facilities, a lakeside sauna, cooking shelters and a diving centre. The Seipiniemi camping site is located about one kilometer from the visitor centre.
Also Erä-Hossa, Hossa Holiday Center, Paasovaara Holiday Cottages and Loma-Hossa offer accommondation in Hossa.

The oldest rock paintings in Northern Finland are situated in the Hossa area.

Hossa Hiking Area

The Hossa area of Suomussalmi is an old cultural landscape.
The most valuable sight is the Colour Rock with its rock
paintings that date back some 4,000 years. The names of
the area tell of a past with Lapp inhabitation. Tar pits from
the time when tar burning was common can be seen in the
terrain together with some old timber floating structures.
The Hossa Hiking Area is ideal for hiking as concerns the
landscape and the facilities. This makes Hossa very popular.
The easy-to-thread terrain, the gorgeous esker and
waterway scenery and the cultural sites depicting the
earlier use of the area tempt the hiker to the well-marked
trails and the ski enthusiast to well-managed ski tracks in
the winter. The size of the hiking area is 90 sq. km, the
length of the marked trails is some 90 km and that of the
ski tracks some 60 km. Routes and location of services
can be seen in the Kainuu outdoors map.

TRAILS

Huosiusjärvi path 7,5 km
Route mark: yellow. Starting point at Huosivirta. Path goes around Lake Huosiusjärvi connecting Huosiusvirta parking area and Iikoski beach/daybreak place. The path has connecting trails to the naturepath, Visitor Center, Huosiusjärvi and Iikoski cabins for rent, Hossan village and Eastern Border Hiking Trail.

Laukkujärvi path 13,5 km
Route mark: blue. Starting point at Huosiusvirta. Route: Huosivirta - Laukkujärvi - Puukkojärvi -Torkonluikea -Huosivirta. At the southern end of Lake Suottajärvi is a 200 m connecting path marked with yellow route marks. Services: Laukkujärvi and Puukkojärvi wilderness huts, two lean-to shelters, four fireplaces. Attractions: Talassalmi meadow, barn and reindeer drum net.

Path of the Lakes 20 km
Route mark: red. Starting point at Huosivirta. Route: Huosivirta - Saarikoilua - Valkeisen tie (Valkeinen road) - Kokalmus - Lipposensalmi - Lounatkoski or Jatkonvaara - Huosivirta. Services: Ala-Valkeinen wilderness cabin, four lean-to shelters, six fireplaces and Jatkonjärvi camping site. Attractions: reindeer stables, reindeer drum net and at Lounatkoski rapids, mill and timber rafting structures.

Path of the Rock Paintings 8 km
Route mark: yellow. Starting point at Lihapyörre. Route: Lihapyörre - Ala Ölkky - Värikallio (rock paintings) -Lihapyörre. Services: two lean-to shelters and a lapp tent. Attractions: Rock paintings. A connecting path from Somerjoki to Julma Ölkky parking area (2 km). Also from the path of the Rock paintings is a connecting hiking trail to Kylmäluoma hiking area (30 km).

Jatkovaara trail (3,5 km)
Route mark: blue. Starting point at Jatkonsalmi Holiday cabin. Route: Jatkonsalmi - Jatkonvaara - Jatkonsalmi.

Ölkyn Ähkäisy (10 km)
Route mark: orange. Starting point at Julma-Ölkky café. Route goes around Julma-Ölkky canyon lake. Services: Ölökynperä lean-to shelter and outlook platform.

CONNECTING TRAILS:
Peranka - Kukkuri path 9,5 km
Route mark: orange. Route: Peranka (highway 5) -Hevonperseenmutka - Kukkuri (wilderness cabin). Services: about half way of the path is Hevonperseenmutka lean-to shelter.

Peranka trail (21 km)
Route mark: blue. Route: Lipposensalmi - Peranka trail - Aittojoki - Kukkuri - Lehtovaara road (Lehtovaarantie). Services: Lavajärvi and Kukkuri wilderness cabins, two lean-to shelters, two fireplaces. Attractions: reindeer stable, old reindeer round-up fence in Honkavaara and hunting traps in Joukovirta.

Pitkä-Hoilua trail 4,5 km
Route mark: blue. Route: Lounaja - Isovalkeinen (Path of the lakes shortcut path). Services: two fireplaces and parking area and boat haven in Pitkä-Hoilua. Connecting paths to Jatkovaara path and path of the lakes.

Valkeinen trail (Valkeisen polku) 8 km
Route mark: yellow. Route: Laukkusalmi - Lihapyörre - Valkeinen road (Valkeisen tie) - Kokalmus. Services: Lihapyörre lean-to shelter.

Julma Ölkky trail 2 km
Route mark: orange. Path departs from path of the rock paintings by the River Somerjoki and ends at the Julma Ölkky café.

Kylmäluoma trail 30 km
Route mark: orange. Path starts from the Northwest point of Hossa Hiking area following the south side of Lake Somerjärvi. Services: three lean-to shelters. Ahola Holiday Cottages (Aholan Lomamökit, tel. Int. +358 (0) 400-489 452) organizes boat transportation over Lake Ala-Irnijärvi. Alternative route is to walk 10 km on the road to Kylmäluoma. From Kylmäluoma the path continues to Taivalkoski and Syöte.

Trail of Hossa 4,7 km
Route mark: yellow. Route: Visitor Center or Huosiharju - Hossa village.

Laukkujärvi trail's connecting trail 0,2 km
Route mark: yellow. Laukkujärvi path's shortcut by the south side of Lake Suottajärvi.

Eastern Border Hiking Trail (Itärajan retkeilyreitti) 160 km
Route mark: blue. Starting point of the Eastern Border Hiking Trail is in Hossa. Trail follows the eastern border of Suomussalmi down to Kuhmo from where it continues as UKK-route to Northern-Karelia.

Hiking and skiing

You can travel safely on marked hiking and skiing routes, which have clear signs. You can also take advantage of wilderness cabins, cooking shelters and other facilities. Remember to protect nature and clean up after yourself. Burn or recycle waste, use firewood sparingly and try to leave things in better shape than when you arrived.





Fishing

The Hossa Hiking Area has been designated a fisherman's paradise by the Finnish Forest and Park Service. It includes a wide range of state and private waters. Fishermen must have a state fishing licence and a local fishing permit. Information on fishing in state waters is available from the Finnish Forest and Park Service (Wild North) www.villipohjola.fi










Boating and canoeing

Hossa's lakes, rivers, rapids and streams offer plenty of opportunities for boating and canoeing. There are cabins and shelters along marked routes, as well as boat landings which provide easy access to the water. A canoeing guide with descriptions of routes and services is also available in english.















Hunting

The Finnish Forest and Park Service sells a limited number of hunting permits, beginning in August. Additional information is available from the Finnish Forest and Park Service (Wild North) www.villipohjola.fi




Snowmobiling

A permit is required to use snowmobile tracks on
state land. Permits can be obtained from the Finnish Forest and Park Service and are valid throughout the country. Local residents do not need a permit. Permission must always be obtained to go snowmobiling on private land. Snowmobilers use tracks at their own risk.
In the Hossa Hiking Area snowmobiles may not leave marked tracks even on the ice. There are rental cabins, fireplaces, shelters and wilderness cabins along routes. Wilderness cabins are intended for the use of skiers, hikers, boaters and canoeists.

Programme services for hiking, skiing, canoeing, fishing, hunting and snowmobiling are available also in Hossa.