Experience the long ancient beach ridge
One of the finest beaches in Taipalsaari offers a peaceful environment for relaxation all year round. The beach can be reached by road or by water. The World War II trenches and excavations along Päihäniemi's shores are well worth a visit. The trenches are part of the Salpal Line, which also included the fortifications and gun emplacements of the Great Jänkäsalo in Taipalsaari. The Päihäniemi trenches are clearly visible between the beach and the beach, as you walk from the car park to the eastern side of the beach.
Päihäniemi geology
The ice-marginal formations are glaciofluvial deltas which accumulated at the edge of the continental ice sheet and consist of sand and gravel deposited by the ice sheet’s meltwater. Marginal formations may also contain mixed quaternary deposits, or moraine, moved and piled up by the ice sheet. Adjacent glaciofluvial deltas form stretches of ice-marginal formations. Päihäniemi and Kattelussaari glaciofluvial deltas with their curved edges were formed around 12,000 years ago, when the rivers that flowed in tunnel channels at the bottom of the ice sheet discharged at the ice edge and the sand and gravel carried by the rivers was deposited in fan-shaped deltas at the mouths of the rivers. There is a Saimaa Geopark sign at Päihäniemi parking area.
A kilometre of sandy beach and an interesting nature trail
The car parking area is located at the western end, where the area is entered. The best way to beach your boat in the central part of the area is to drive onto the foreshore sand. High on the shore, shaped by the continental shelf, there is a lookout point where you can climb up a wooden staircase. The mostly flat terrain along the beach is easy to negotiate. There are three campfire shelters in the Päihäniemi area. There is also a 3 km long nature trail in Päihäniemi. The trail includes information about plants, animals, the Salpalinja and traces of the Ice Age.
Winter maintenance: the car park is ploughed, but the area is otherwise not maintained in winter.
Image: Veera Hakkarainen, goSaimaa
Coordinates
Geographic coordinates
61.171627236, 28.366156661
GPS-devices
x=573487,000 y=6782671,800
Address
Päihäniementie 441, Taipalsaari.