Three Lakes route in Sotkamo 10 km, Sotkamo - Vuokatti

The route starts from the Hiukka beach outdoor area in the center of Sotkamo. This route is signposted counterclockwise, but it can also be done clockwise. The first two kilometers traverse eastwards on the ice of Sapsojärvi. To the rear left is the view of the Vuokatinvaara ridge. Ahead opens the Iso-Sapsojärvi. The route follows close to the shore and the sometimes high Scots pine shore cliff of the Hiukka esker area. 

At Pikku-Hiukka, the route branches in several directions. This route continues north towards the shore cliff and forest. Continuing straight ahead, after 1.2 kilometers is Rytilahti beach (a church camp center), and turning out onto the open lake, 1.5 kilometers away, is Kumpusaari, around which the route circles. 

The route climbs a fairly steep shore cliff to pine ridge and continues in undulating terrain crossing the Hiukka illuminated track twice. Soon the route crosses the Sotkamo-Kuhmo highway, passes through the premises of a service house and a few houses, descending onto the ice of Sotkamojärvi. This land section is 1.3 kilometers long. 

On the shore of Sotkamojärvi is the Sotkamo church, beside which the lake connects through a narrow and winding strait to Pirttijärvi. The route branches into a trail circling the lake (5.7 km), but the main route continues straight towards the Makkosenmäki beach on the opposite shore. After just under a kilometer, the trail turns back to the shore. Soon Makkosenmäentie is crossed, and the skating area is passed, after which there is the Ristijärventie underpass tunnel. The route continues via Tiilitörmä and Sahanranta to Pirttijärvi. On the shore there is a fast descent onto the ice. The land section is about two kilometers. 

At Pirttijärvi, the route branches north towards Jataniemi, but the route continues south towards Eskonsaari, which is just over half a kilometer away. Eskonsaari has a fire site in a lean-to and serves as an excellent resting place. From the lean-to, views open over the center of Sotkamo across Akkoniemi and Siltasaari towards Vuokatti and Naapurinvaara. On the opposite shore are Kiikarusniemi and adjacent Ammonsaari, where prehistoric settlement sites have been found. 

From Eskonsaari the route continues south, soon branching off to Salmelanranta as a spur. The route continues west toward the isthmus between Akkoniemi and Siltasaari, where the road is crossed. After this, the route curves through the armpit of Akkoniemi to the harbor, where it ascends again to the shore. It is 2 kilometers from Eskonsaari to the harbor. 

From the harbor, the route continues near the shore of Pirttijärvi around Hirvensaari back to the landscapes of Sapsojärvi shore. In Hirvensaari is the Havukka-aho Thinker statue, dedicated to the work of the Sotkamo author Veikko Huovinen. "Man in this space has the privileges of a beetle." After the statue, the route descends back onto the ice and toward the starting point at Hiukka beach. 

• You can add kilometers by taking a detour from Pikku-Hiukka to Rytilahti (1.2 km one way) or by circling from Pikku-Hiukka to Kumpusaari (1.5 km one way).
• On Sotkamojärvi there is a lake-circling route open occasionally; circling it adds 5.7 kilometers to the journey. 
• You can also start the trail, for example, from the Sotkamo boat harbor, where there is free parking. 
• From Vuokatti to Hiukka there is .