Traffic increases on Kimola Canal this summer as recreational boating booms in Finland

Traffic on Finland’s newest recreational waterway, the Kimola Canal, has seen increased activity this summer compared to the previous year. The canal, located between Iitti and Kouvola, facilitates boating between the Kymijoki River and Lake Päijänne. According to statistics from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, there were nearly 600 lockings by mid-July, surpassing last summer’s figure of over 500 during the same timeframe.

Locking does not directly indicate the number of boats, as multiple vessels can traverse the locks simultaneously. This is commonly observed at Finland’s busiest boating canal in Vääksy, where sometimes over ten boats pass through at once, noted expert Arttu Vasara from the agency’s inland waterway unit.

This summer marks the sixth outing for Espoo resident Kalle Kahanpää, who began his journey from a cottage in Iitti. He plans to take his family to a summer theater in Heinola, and later possibly visit Lake Vesijärvi and Lahti. Kouvola’s Pekka Salminen has also made his first summer trip with his boat after refurbishing it for two seasons. He, along with friends and family, is heading towards Heinola, with plans to explore Päijänne, Lahti, and Jyväskylä later in the summer.

In its first full season three years ago, the Kimola Canal recorded about 1,600 lockages from May to October. Nonetheless, the number of lockages has been declining slightly over the past two years, hovering just above 1,000. Meanwhile, the popularity of the neighboring Kalkkis and Vääksy canals has remained consistent, with lockages remaining steady at approximately 2,400 and 3,800, respectively.

A unique feature of Kimola Canal is its 70-meter-long tunnel, which adds to the overall experience for recreational boaters.