Lakes, mountains and space landscapes: 10 magical places in the Urals that can be reached by car

1. Turgoyak

This lake near Miass is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Chelyabinsk region. The banks of Turgoyak are surrounded by pine forests and rocks. But the main thing in Turgoyak is water. It is pure and clear as glass: visibility reachesDecree of the Government of the Chelyabinsk Region dated March 23, 2007 No. 62-P "On approval of the Regulations on the natural monument of the Chelyabinsk region Lake Turgoyak" 17.5 meters, with a maximum depth of 32.5 meters. For its transparency and size, Turgoyak is often called the Ural Baikal.

The lake is several million years old and there are many legends around it. For example, that Turgoyak appeared at the site of a meteorite fall or in the mouth of an extinct volcano. There are also more romantic stories. For example, the legend about the guy Tour, who brought water from Lake Baikal to his beloved Goyak: she was supposed to save her from the spell of an evil witch. Goyak washed herself with water, and the drops fell to the ground and became a lake.

2. Taganay

A large national park in the Chelyabinsk region with a whole sea of ​​amazing natural attractions: moss swamps, relict forests, nine mountain ranges, a real stone river and much more. While traveling to Taganay you can:

• Climb the two-headed hill. This is the first mountain on the hiking route. It is called so because of the forked top: one is Lamb foreheads, the other is Feathers. The path will lead to the last one. From it you can see the park itself and the panorama of the city of Zlatoust. And at the foot of the hill there is a drinking spring Bely Klyuch.
• Take a walk in the Valley of Fairy Tales. A place with a low-growing coniferous forest and a rock garden. A road runs through the Valley to the highest point of the park - Mount Kruglitse: it has a streamlined peak, and the slopes are covered with kurums - fragments of rocks.
• Get to Far Taganay. An option for those who are ready for long walks and climbs. In this part of the park, you can look at the nature of the alpine tundra and the old weather station.

You need to come to Taganay for the whole weekend, and preferably for four days - otherwise you simply won’t be able to get around the main points. There are several options for accommodation in the park: there are houses and tent camps.

3. Zyuratkul

Another national park of the Chelyabinsk region. The main attraction of Zyuratkul is the mountain lake of the same name. It is located at an altitude of 724 meters above sea level. Zyuratkul has been around for a very long time: tools of the Stone Age were found on its banks. Now you can swim and fish in it.

There are other activities and attractions in the park as well. For example, hiking trails along mountain ranges, the house of the moose "Sakhatka" (moose live there, who were saved from poachers) and Mount Lysaya Sopka, which was named so because of the almost complete absence of vegetation on top. And in mid-August, it is convenient to observe the Perseid meteor shower here. But in other months the night sky is starry and beautiful. So it is better to come with an overnight stay.

4. Iremel

The second largest mountain in the Southern Urals and the adjacent natural park. The name "iremel" is translated from Turkic as "hero's saddle". Iremel received this name because of its unusual shape: the mountain has two peaks - a large and a small one (the difference in height is a little more than 100 meters) with a saddle-shaped section in the middle.

Despite the fact that Big Iremel is higher, tourists usually climb it. Because its top is almost flat and it offers a 360-degree view. To conquer Iremel, no special training is needed, but endurance and caution will not be superfluous. The road to the top is lined with kurums: the stones are moving, so it is easy to stumble.

5. Sterlitamak shikhans

Sterlitamak shikhans are four high limestone hills: Toratau, Yuraktau, Kushtau and Shakhtau. The latter, alas, no longer exists: it was dug up for industrial production in the middle of the 20th century. Now there is a quarry on the site of Shakhtau. The same fate could have awaited Kushtau, but in 2020 activists defended it: now shikhan recognizedMount Kushtau in Bashkiria was recognized as a natural monument / Kommersant monument of nature. And this title is given for a reason: these hills have a rich history.

They appeared on the territory of Bashkiria more than 200 million years ago after the Perm salt sea dried up. In the reliefs of shikhans, one can still see fossilized shells of mollusks, fragments of corals and other evidence of their former underwater life.

It is easier to conquer shikhans than Iremel: the height of the highest of them, Tratau, is 280 meters above ground level (406 meters above sea level). And in the summer, paragliders are launched from them, and in the winter they are used as mountain slopes.

6. Usva pillars

Usva Pillars is a long and high limestone massif. This place is very popular among tourists, so if you do not want to walk around it in a dense stream of people, then come on weekdays. The most famous section of the Usva Pillars is the Devil's Finger, a thin and high rock, standing separately from the main mountain range.

You won’t be able to drive directly to the pillars by car, you’ll have to walk a little. But this is even good: the hiking route runs along the Usva River and the whole way is accompanied by views of dense green forests and high cliffs. In some places you will need to climb uphill, but from such natural observation platforms the view is even more beautiful.

After inspecting the pillars, do not rush home - inspect the Stone Town. These are also rocks, but cut up by many cracks, creating the illusion of city streets. According to legend, there was once a real city here. But the daughter of its ruler was blind, so she could not enjoy the surrounding beauty. Then the man decided to turn to the sorcerer with a request to cure the disease. The magician agreed, but on the condition that the city turn into rocks.

7. Kungur ice cave

A long cave with numerous underground lakes, grottoes and high empty shafts, which are called "organ pipes". Some of its sections have multi-colored lighting, which makes the place even more magical. It is located in the city of Kungur, 100 kilometers from Perm.

According to local legend, the cave was dug and trampled by huge mammoths. A reminder of this story can be found inside: in 2021, a two-meter sculpture of this animal was installed here. It is better to view the ice passages with a guided tour and you should definitely take a jacket: the temperature is below zero in the cave even in the middle of summer.

8. Ural Mars

Reddish hills, cracked wasteland, crimson lakes - such cosmic landscapes are located less than 2 hours from Yekaterinburg, not far from the city of Bogdanovich. With its beauty, the Ural Mars attracts thousands of tourists, photographers and videographers. But its origin has nothing to do with aliens. Ural Mars is a deposit of refractory clays: craters, mounds and other landscape details appeared here during the mining of the rock by the Bogdanovichi refractory plant.

It is better to come to Mars in dry weather: on rainy days, the clay gets wet, becomes viscous and sticks to the shoes (in some areas it can even suck the leg - it will not be easy to get out). A few hours will be enough for a walk and a photo shoot, and to diversify the trip, after the quarries, go to see the pretty Bainovsky waterfall, the Kashinsky settlement and the Seven-colored lakes.

9. deer streams

Natural park 100 kilometers from Yekaterinburg. Walking along the "Deer Streams", you can look into the caves, go rafting on the Serga River, climb the rocks, wander around surrounded by a dense forest - the sea options. Do not miss the mysterious Mitkiny Lakes, the Friendship Cave (the largest in the Middle Urals) and a huge three-hundred-year-old pine tree (it is older than Yekaterinburg itself). An interactive map in the official website will help you find all the sights. application parka.

The total area of ​​the park is more than 12 thousand hectares, but it will not be possible to inspect the entire territory - part of it is recognized as a protected area. But there are enough places open for visiting in Deer Streams for the whole weekend - plan a trip with an overnight stay. You can stay in wooden houses or in a tent camp.

10. Bazhov places

Another natural park in the Sverdlovsk region. It is several times larger in area than Deer Streams, and is located in another part of the region - near the city of Sysert. You can also go here for the weekend with a tent.

Named "Bazhov's Places" in honor of the famous Ural fairy tale writer Pavel Bazhov. He was born in Sysert and was inspired by local legends. For example, in his first story, “Dear Name,” it is about Azovka, a girl guarding the treasure of Mount Azov. It's right in the park.

There is also a deer farm, bizarre Khrapy rocks, Markov Kamen rocks and many other interesting natural objects. But the most famous point in Bazhovskie Places is Lake Talkov Kamen. Its banks are surrounded by coniferous forest. Once upon a time, pine trees grew on the site of the reservoir itself, but they were uprooted and a quarry was dug for the extraction of talc slate. In the 20th century, the pit was flooded. By the way, you can go diving in the lake.