The earliest Vuoksi river bed is most easily visible along the nature trail winding through teh current Kruununpuisto park. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of river-bed potholes in the area gouged in the uneven bedrock by strong water currents with the help on transported rock material and cavitation. Construction of the Imatran Valtionhotelli (Imatra State Hotel), representing the national romantic style, beside the Imatrankoski rapids was completed in 1903.
Guide of The geological trail of Imatra (pdf)
Saimaa Geopark sign at Imatrankoski (pdf)
Imatrankoski and Kruununpuisto Park on Saimaa Geopark website
Author’s recommendation
Safety information
The site has many steep stairs. Stones and stairs can be slippery in the rain, so be careful.Tips and hints
Safety instructionsStart
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
On the island between the old riverbed of the Imatra rapids and the present power plant, there is a network of paths that lead to the Kruununpuisto park potholes. The area is accessed from the south side of the bridge over the old riverbed. There are stairs down to the park. After a short distance from the foot of the stairs you will find the first potholes at the base of a rocky outcrop. The water has been flowing over the rock in the early times of River Vuoksi and eroded a two-part pothole, which you may even fit inside. There is a special boulder next to the rocky outcrop and the double pothole. On its side is a half of a pothole, where you can try how smooth the surface of a worn stone is. The paths continue from the boulder deeper into the Kruununpuisto Park. There is a broader field of potholes resembling a cheese full of holes. There are signs on the double pothole and the pothole field that tell about the birth of the potholes.
To the west of the old channel, the path passes by the edge of the rapids and after the Valtionhotelli you can descend the stairs down to the observation deck to marvel at the rock formations on the other side of the old riverbed. At the top of the eastern slope of the riverbed is an over-hanging rock face made of durable granite, below which a weaker mica gneiss has been eroded away. The asymmetric profile of the old riverbed can be seen particularly well from the bridge over the channel. From the observation deck, the path continues between the rocky ridges towards Mellonlahti Bay. Along the way, first there are historic carvings on rock cliffs and after the narrow river channel ends the shores of Vuoksi change into clayey banks. In the Mellonlahti Bay, narrow and deep ravines have formed in homogeneous and fine-grained deposits.
Note
Public transport
Imatra public transport operates through the Imatrankoski area.
Getting there
The paths of the geological trail can be accessed from the parking area between the Imatrankoski bridges.Parking
The car can be parked in the parking area (Ylisyöksy 1).Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
Statistics
- 3 Waypoints
- 3 Waypoints
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