AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Yläinen Kotajärvi is a small, forest-ringed lake in the Taka-Keljo district of Jyväskylä, Central Finland. At just four hectares in area, it is one of the city's 328 lakes — and one of its most intimate. The south shore is home to the legendary Kotasen leirikeskus (Kotasen camp center), a rustic, off-grid venue that has hosted Finland's longest-running annual motor-club rally since the 1970s.↗↗
The lake sits in the Kymijoki river basin, part of the Muuratjärvi catchment, and drains southward into Alainen Kotajärvi before continuing on to Ylä-Sallaajärvi. Its shallow, warm waters and surrounding woodland make it a quiet spot for shore fishing, while the broader Taka-Keljo trail network connects it to several camp-fire shelters and nature paths.↗↗
A Pocket of Wilderness Inside the City
Yläinen Kotajärvi measures roughly 460 meters long by 190 meters wide, with a shoreline of just over a kilometer. Its deepest point — about eight meters — lies in the middle of the lake; average depth is only around three meters, giving the water a warm, shallow character typical of small Finnish forest lakes. There are no islands, and the shores are entirely wooded with only a couple of holiday cottages and the camp center marking human presence. The lake sits at 140 meters elevation in gently undulating glacial terrain.
