Where is the Small Canyon of Crimea. The Grand Canyon of Crimea: where is it located and how to get there by car

It is called the heart of the Crimean mountains. grand canyon Crimea - a lost world of pristine beauty. A grandiose three-kilometer hollow filled with stone blocks, replete with picturesque waterfalls and baths, strikes the imagination of the most sophisticated travelers. The unique landscape reserve is strictly protected by the state. On protected lands, it is forbidden to pick flowers, cut down trees, kindle fires, spend the night and set up tents ... A visit to the canyon is paid and regulated, which does not prevent thousands of tourists from traveling to an outlandish place. The resulting vivid impressions pay off all the difficulties and costs!

And the rocks parted...

"The Heart of the Crimean Mountains" is located 3 kilometers from the village of Sokolinoe, Bakhchisarai district. There are many paved paths and paths leading to the northern part of the Ai-Petri massif, so anyone who wants to get into the inner sanctum can do it. True, it is best to choose a dry season, because during the flood period the Canyon can absorb uninvited guests. After all, his heart is stone, and it does not know pity.

The Grand Canyon is relatively young - only about 2 million years old! Once upon a time, at the place where it is located, the ocean depths raged. Nature sculpted the local landscape, either raising mountains to the skies, or plunging them into the abyss of the sea. Once, during another restructuring, one of the colossal blocks broke, resulting in a giant crack. A tectonic fault divided a single mountain range into two - Ai-Petri and Boyka. The work on the formation of the depression was continued by the Auzun-Uzen River. For many millennia, the river "drilled" the rock mass, forming a canyon gorge. At the bottom of the canyon, many rapids, waterfalls and erosion pots, the so-called baths, appeared. Today, the channel is a three-kilometer depression with smooth walls along the sides, cluttered with boulders and boulders. Max Depth its - 320 meters, the width reaches from 3 to 5 meters.

For the first time " lost World» Crimea was described by Professor I.I. Puzanov in 1925. One fine day, traveling through the Crimean mountains with a friend, the scientist made an amazing discovery.

“Having climbed the Boyka massif, the rocky surface of which was no different from Ai-Petrskaya, of which it is an outpost, we decided to go straight to Ai-Petri. ... After walking for half an hour, we suddenly found ourselves on the edge of a bottomless cleft that stretched parallel to Yaila. Looking with bated breath into the abyss blocking our path, we saw that a river was flowing at its bottom. The opposite edge of the crevasse was also absolutely sheer, like the one on which we were standing. By direct distance it was no more than 200-250 m away. Through the abyss separating us, white-bellied swifts swept with a whistle, ”the traveler described his impressions in this way.

Perhaps the author of these lines was a little cunning. It's nice to feel like a discoverer of new lands! The gorge, of course, was well known even before Puzanov local residents. Other researchers and local historians also knew about its existence. In 1906 in scientific article The canyon is mentioned by the botanist I.V. Vankov. In 1915, N.V. Rukhlov described in detail the main rivers in the mountainous Crimea, including the area of the Grand Canyon. The Crimean Society of Naturalists, shortly before the First World War, publishes a guidebook of the Crimea, in which there is a mention that in the Kokkoz region there is ... "an interesting mountain gorge" Canyon ". A unique depression has been applied to topographic maps Crimea, published before the revolution. Puzanov popularized the exotic corner of the Crimea even more. After his article and the film "On the Grand Canyon of Crimea", filmed by F.F. Schillinger, the natural monument began to gain wide popularity. In the 30s of the last century, an excursion to the Canyon was included in the plan of the Kokkoz tourist base, and its description appeared in all Crimean guidebooks.

Nature of the Grand Canyon

high humidity and low level temperatures have formed a special microclimate in the Grand Canyon. The vegetation here develops with a delay of 3-4 weeks compared to the surrounding forests. Small groups of pines can be found on local limestone slopes. At the bottom of the gorge grow broadleaf forests. Age-old hornbeams, beeches, ash trees, oaks, maples, mountain ash and lindens are the eternal inhabitants of these places. The undergrowth is represented by many shrubs. Here, hazel, dogwood, barberry, buckthorn feel great ... A feature of the Canyon flora is the presence of one and a half thousand trees of the tertiary relic. Among them bright representative- yew berry. There are real giants, reaching 1.5 meters in girth and 10-15 meters in height.

During the Ice Age, the well-isolated canyon became a haven for heat-loving plants. Hollow warmed rare species ferns, relic hyoid needle, endemic saxifrage, more than two thirds of Crimean orchid species, among which there are very rare flower called the lady's slipper.

Brook trout splash in the cold, oxygenated water of the rivers of the gorge. Travelers often meet hedgehogs, and if you're lucky, you can see a weasel, a badger or a roe deer. Of the birds, the most common are the titmouse, woodpecker, redstart, robin, warbler and jay. And, of course, the nimble lizard is the mistress of the stone jungle.

The unique nature of the canyon requires reverent protection and protection. In 1947, the Grand Canyon of Crimea was declared a natural monument, and since 1974 its territory (more than 300 hectares) was declared a landscape reserve of republican significance by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Today, on protected lands, it is forbidden to pick flowers, cut down trees, kindle fires, in general, rudely interfere with the ecosystem of the area. The state of the reserve is monitored by employees of the Kuibyshev forestry. They also developed special routes for tourists.

In the heart of the canyon

The journey to the heart of the Crimean Mountains begins near the Postal Oak. During the Great Patriotic War partisans left secret messages in the once powerful tree. AT Peaceful time this tradition was continued by tourists. As a result of the fire, only part of the trunk remained from the oak. Tour guides suggest that the tragedy occurred due to a lightning strike, although it is quite possible that the main reason is human negligence.

Two paths lead from the Postal Oak. The first one goes to the bottom of the gorge, the second, the “Winter Path”, goes up and follows the right slope. The first option is convenient for a summer walk, it is interesting and not so complicated. This is the route followed by the main tourist routes.

After some time, travelers who have chosen the summer trail will find the first attraction - Blue Lake. Shallow in depth, the body of water is the widest in the Canyon. A surprise awaits those wishing to swim - the water temperature in local springs, the river and the lake, even in the hottest months, does not exceed 11°C. Blue Lake is the largest karst spring in Crimea. Every second it brings to the surface about 370 liters of water.

Walking along the bottom of the Grand Canyon of Crimea, you never cease to be amazed at the inexhaustible imagination of Mother Nature. Fanciful statues, carved by water in stone, are found here and there, evoking various associations.

Unusually picturesque small waterfalls. The water falling from the stones washes out the hollows under it, forming stone baths. One of them, the most famous, is called the "Bath of Youth". Modern name"baths" has been known since the early 1960s, and once it was called "Kara-Gol", which means Black Lake. This is the deepest basin in the gorge, reaching 4 meters. There is a belief: they say that after bathing in it you can rejuvenate for several years. Indeed, 9-11 degree water is very invigorating!

The bath of youth is the last point of excursions in the Grand Canyon of Crimea. To go further, you need to have climbing skills. AT spring period and during heavy rains, one must be prepared to move 100 - 200 meters knee-deep in cold water. Do not forget about the danger of rockfalls. During floods, driving along the extreme part of the canyon is strongly discouraged. Once a gardener who worked in the park of the Yusupov tea house shared a warning with Professor I.I. Puzanov: "Our peasants say that at night wild cries, squeals and laughter are heard from the cleft of Auzun-Uzen - then the devils are celebrating their weddings ...".

Those who are not afraid of shaitans and witches and still decide to go further, are waiting for fabulous beauty corners of nature and unforgettable adventures!

Crimea, one of the stunning corners of our wonderful planet. The Crimean peninsula is simply a storehouse of sights created both by man and by mother herself - nature. Among the most famous sights of Crimea, known throughout the world, are: Livadia Palace, Swallow's Nest, Artek, Nikitsky Botanical Garden, Kerch Bridge and so on. But among the sights that nature has created, the most popular are the Crimean mountains, waterfalls, caves and canyons. In this article I want to talk in detail about the best and most famous canyons Crimean peninsula.

In total, there are about 17 canyons on the Crimean peninsula, practically, all were formed several tens of thousands of years ago, under the influence of mountain rivers. Today, most of canyons, continues its formation and development. Almost all canyons have mountain rivers, water cascades and waterfalls, but most of the mountain rivers have a pronounced seasonal character. Peaks of activity of mountain rivers fall on March - April. In the summer, tourists walk around the places where spring rivers flow. The beds of many rivers are turning into tourist routes. The activity of the rivers is associated with the melting of snow on the peaks of the Crimean mountains. Exactly at spring time the architects of the Crimean canyons - the rivers and do my routine work on the construction and erection - new cascades, baths of youth and grinding of mountain stones. Of course, among all the canyons of the Crimean peninsula, the most recognizable and most visited is Grand Canyon of Crimea.

Grand Canyon of Crimea

Grand Canyon of Crimea, as the name emphasizes, is, indeed, the largest in the entire Crimean peninsula. The canyon is located on Mount Ai-Petri, from the side of the Bakhchisarai region. You can get to it through Mount Ai-Petri, along the Yalta-Bakhchisaray highway. 5-6 km before the end of the descent, the entrance to the Grand Canyon begins. In fact, there are several inputs. The most famous two: at the bridge over the mountain river Kokozka and 2 km higher, near a small market. There are no big differences between the inputs. A walk along the canyon, on average, lasts 2-3 hours and, practically all the time, passes along the bottom of the canyon, neatly squeezed by rocks, with a height of 100 to 350 meters.

Chernorechensky Canyon

Chernorechensky Canyon located near Balaklava, near the village of Chernorechenskoye and ends in the Baidarskaya Valley, practically, near the village of Shirokoye or Ozernoye. A walk through the canyon is designed for 3-4 hours, but taking into account the measured pace and small breaks, on average, it can take about 4-5 hours. The route usually starts from the side of Balaklava, but, in principle, you can start from the side of the village of Ozernoye. If you start the hike from the side of Balaklava, then after a walk through the canyon, you will still admire

Arpat Canyon

Arpat Canyon is located in one of the most picturesque corners of the Crimea - the Panagia tract, not far from the village New World and Malorechenskoye. The length of the canyon is about 7 km, the average walking time is 2-3 hours. The canyon is known for the Arpatsik waterfall, the Bath of Love - a stone bowl in the shape of a heart, and a large number large and small cascades, with overflows of water. The tourist route is marked, practically at any time of the year, you will meet tourists. Most beautiful time to visit the canyon - March - April.

Canyon Uzundzha

Canyon Uzundzha, by the standards of the Crimea, is quite small, but the walk will be very entertaining, because. at the entrance to the canyon is one of ancient artifacts Crimea - Skelsky menhirs, whose age is about 4-6 thousand years. They were erected, most likely, for pagan cults. An analogue of such a place can be called the English Stonehenge. Skelsky menhirs are located in the village of Rodnikovoe. From Rodnikovo we head to the canyon itself and find ourselves in front of the entrance to one of the most amazing caves in Crimea - the Skelskaya cave. Unlike most caves, it does not lead down the mountain and not along the mountain, but up, to the height of a 4-story building.

Canyon Kok-Asan

Canyon Kok-Asan, one of the most hidden corners of the Crimean peninsula. This happened due to its remoteness from the sea coast and major attractions of the Crimea. The canyon originates in the Belogorsky district, in the village of Povorotnoye. From the village we head towards the New World. There are no roads here. Due to the greater remoteness from civilization, this canyon retained its pristine nature and was not so strongly influenced by man. Like most of the canons in the Crimea, it has a bath of Love, a bath of Youth and Health, several waterfalls and a mountain river. Only all this is in its original state, combined with magnificent air and wild forest.

Belbek Canyon

For lovers mountain recreation or hiking trails, Crimean canyons one of my favorite places. You choose routes according to the level of difficulty and physical capabilities and combine mountain walks with visits to castles, palaces, waterfalls, fortresses and caves lost in the mountains, overcoming mountain rivers and impenetrable thickets. The Crimean peninsula is rich in history and over the thousands of years of human presence in these places, it has accumulated a huge baggage for study, research and new discoveries.

Canyons of Crimea on the map

On the territory of the entire Crimean peninsula, the Grand Canyon is the wildest and most majestic gorge. That is why this area attracts a huge number of tourists every year.

If you want to get closer to nature and see incredibly picturesque panoramas with your own eyes, you should go to the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon photo:

Useful information

To begin with, we offer a brief educational program on the main features of this territory.

Geographically, this object is located in the north of the main Crimean ridge. The territory of the Grand Canyon is a few kilometers from the village of Sokolinoye. The most popular tourist routes run from there.
The height of the rocks that rise above the rivers and the gorge reaches three hundred meters.
A canyon formed in the space of a tectonic crack. The beginning of creation dates back 1.5 million years to the present day.
The river Auzun-Uzen flows along the bottom, which grinds these limestone rocks for more than one thousand years. Due to this, along the course there are many rapids, waterfalls and so-called boilers.
The water temperature in the river is almost always 11 degrees.
The total territory occupies about 300 hectares, the length is about 3.5 kilometers, there are narrow sections where from wall to wall no more than three meters.

Now let's do brief digression into history.

History of the Grand Canyon

As mentioned earlier, the history of the canyon goes back over a million years. Water erosion gradually carved out its patterns, thanks to which the canyon has now become what it has become.

The population that lived here always knew about the deep crevice. There were even legends about strange sounds that come from the bottom of Auzun-Uzen during the dark period of the day. Some considered the canyon to be the abode of spirits.

The first documented evidence dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when researchers began to actively study the region. Moreover, in 1925 they even shot a movie dedicated to the gorge, and five years later, an excursion to the Grand Canyon became part of the program of some tourist centers.

In the second half of the 20th century, the territory first acquired the status of a natural monument, and then a landscape reserve.

Terrain features

The space of the canyon appeared thanks to the river, which gradually carved and continues to carve limestone. Now here deep depression, which has rather smooth walls and many boulders and waterfalls along the bottom.

The unique microclimate allowed in times ice age many plants survive here. Until now, high humidity and more low temperature compared to adjacent lands are factors that determine the unique composition of the flora.

According to the composition of plants, the Grand Canyon is a unique space; a considerable number of endangered plants grow here, in particular, there are:

yew grove, where old relic berry yews grow, having up to one and a half meters in girth;
unique ferns;
Crimean orchids, in particular the incredibly rare variety of the lady's slipper.

Of the representatives of the fauna, the composition here is not much different from the rest of the lands in the middle and south of the country. Separately, it should be noted numerous lizards and brook trout that lives in these waters.

Video review:

What is the Grand Canyon today?

Now the territory is completely developed by tourists, but since they do not put up tents here and do not stay for a long period, the space is still clean and pleasant for hiking. At the same time, the canyon is interesting at any time of the year:

spring - from March to April, mountain snows begin to melt, many waterfalls and the majestic rumble of mighty rivers appear in the gorge;
summer - in the midst of the heat, many rivers dry up, where there is even no water, but the tourist route only becomes more picturesque from this;
autumn - the walls of the canyon, which were full of green earlier, turn yellow-red and such saturation can turn your head;
winter - it is cold in the canyon, but this fact does not scare many tourists, there is still something to do here.

The most popular attractions are the Blue Lakes, the Youth Bath and the Pania Spring.

Blue Lake. As a rule, it is the first stop on the way of the tourist route. The water here really has a slightly bluish tint, and the water here is also the warmest in the entire canyon. Therefore, in the summer they often swim here.
The Bath of Youth is one of the main attractions, most often the tourist route ends here. According to legend, every visitor to the canyon should take a dip here. In fact, this name hides a small erosive cauldron that is filled with spring waters.
Source of Pania. It is located half a kilometer from the bath of youth. This source has been known since ancient times. Previously, there was a Byzantine temple here, then it was just a space for worship. Until now, the source is considered miraculous. Here you can see the stones of the ancient temple and feel spiritual uplift.

The walk through the canyon takes about 2-3 hours, the route is easy and suitable even for hiking with children. There are a number of explored hiking trails and each trail is marked so it's hard to get lost.

How to get to the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon runs almost under the Ai-Petri mountain from the side of the city of Bakhchisarai. In order to get there, you can use the Bakhchisaray-Yalta highway. When you eat from Yalta, you climb AiPetri, cross the plateau and go down to the foot.

On the track you can see many signs to the Grand Canyon stop. There are almost always a lot of cars at the bus stop itself; in summer, tourist buses also park there. By the way, you can also go there from different cities by bus.

Regarding buses, flights from three cities should be noted: Bakhchisaray, Sevastopol, Simferopol. Every day 3-4 buses depart from each city, usually in the morning, afternoon and evening. These buses reach the village of Sokolinoe, from there it will take about an hour to walk, the route will be indicated to you by almost every inhabitant of the village.

When you reach the beginning of the canyon from Sokolinoye, you can see the ticket office there, where they charge for a walk. Therefore, you should take some finances with you, especially in summer. In winter and off-season, the ticket office is usually closed, and you can enjoy this tourist route freely.

Grand Canyon on the map of Crimea

GPS Coordinates: N 44.527778 E 34.016667 Latitude/Longitude