Grand Canyon Crimea scheme. Grand Canyon

09.01.2024

Today, the Grand Canyon of Crimea has become one of the main attractions of the peninsula. 300-meter-high cliffs, formed by erosion over 2 million years, overhang the riverbed, the width of which in some places narrows to three meters.

The length of the canyon is about 3.5 km; the most popular among tourists is its first half upstream to the “Bath of Youth”. Most of the sights are concentrated on this section of the route; visiting them takes no more than two hours.

However, it is worth noting that the canyon itself, in the usual sense, begins a little further and is more difficult to get there. The paths used by tourists end, and on the way there are often obstacles from fallen trees, stones and dams, which in spring and early summer can only be overcome by swimming.

However, this does not stop lovers of active recreation; there is a special route for them, which includes a walk along the entire canyon and a return trip along the capes hanging over the abyss.

Grand Canyon of Crimea - stop "Postal Oak"

The first point of the route is Postal Oak. This tree has been known to perhaps every visitor to the canyon since the mid-20th century. For a long time, travelers have been leaving wishes and messages for other tourists in the hollow of a huge old oak tree. The good tradition continued until the 1980s, when the tree was struck by lightning. Although some claim that the tree caught fire due to arson.

Grand Canyon of Crimea - stop "Blue Lake"

Then a well-trodden path leads to the Blue Lake - the largest body of water filled with transparent, mirror-clear water. Its depth does not exceed one and a half meters, but on hot summer days there are many people who want to swim.

Grand Canyon of Crimea - stop "Source of Pania"

The next stop is one of the largest karst springs in Crimea, Pania. Every second, 370 liters of water burst out of the rocks. This source has been known since the Middle Ages. Previously, there was a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary nearby. It was called “Panagia”, which translated from Greek means “All Holy”.

Grand Canyon of Crimea – stop “Bath of Youth”

Upstream from the source, the most picturesque section of the route begins, running along the rocky bottom of the Auzun-Uzen stream, which has carved out a canyon. The trail ends at the final point of the route - the “Bath of Youth” - a reservoir created by nature in the canyon bed and notable for its constant water temperature of 9-11 degrees even on the hottest days.

You can get to the Grand Canyon of Crimea by regular buses or minibuses, which regularly run from the Bakhchisarai railway station to the village of Sokolinoe.

By car you can get much closer, almost to the entrance to the mouth of the Grand Canyon of Crimea. Another road to the Grand Canyon of Crimea goes from Yalta through the Ai-Petri plateau.

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 in the 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 Sokolinoe. The most popular tourist routes run from there.
The height of the rocks that rise above the rivers and gorge reaches three hundred meters.
A canyon was formed in the space of a tectonic crack. The beginning of creation dates back to 1.5 million years before the present day.
The Auzun-Uzen River flows along the bottom, grinding down these limestone rocks for thousands of years. Thanks to this, along the course of the stream 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 there is no more than three meters from wall to wall.

Now let's take a brief excursion into history.

History of the Grand Canyon

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

The first documented evidence dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when researchers began to actively study this region. Moreover, in 1925 they even made 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 canyon space appeared thanks to the river, which gradually carved and continues to carve limestone. Now there is a deep depression, which has fairly smooth walls and many boulders and waterfalls along the bottom.

The unique microclimate allowed many plants to survive here during the Ice Age. Until now, high humidity and lower temperature compared to adjacent lands are factors determining the unique composition of the flora.

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

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

The composition of the fauna here is not much different from the rest of the lands in the middle part and south of the country. Special mention should be made of the numerous lizards and brook trout that live 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 tourist trips. Moreover, 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 roar of mighty rivers appear in the gorge;
summer - at the height of the heat, many rivers dry up, where there is even no water, but this only makes the tourist route more picturesque;
autumn - the walls of the canyon, previously full of greenery, are painted in yellow-red colors and such saturation can turn your head;
winter - it’s 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 Bath of Youth and the Pania Spring.

Blue Lake. As a rule, it is the first stop on the tourist route. The water here actually has a slightly bluish tint, and the water here is also the warmest in the entire canyon. That's why people often swim here in the summer.
The Bath of Youth is one of the main attractions; the tourist route often ends here. According to legend, every visitor to the canyon should take a dip here. In fact, this name hides a small erosion 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 simply a space for worship. The spring is still considered miraculous; here you can see the stones of an ancient temple and feel spiritual uplift.

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

How to get to the Grand Canyon

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

Along the route you will see many signs for the Grand Canyon stop. There are almost always a lot of cars at the stop itself; in the 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: Bakhchisarai, Sevastopol, Simferopol. Every day 3-4 buses leave from each city, usually in the morning, afternoon and evening. These buses go to the village of Sokolinoe, from there you will need to walk for about an hour, almost every inhabitant of the village will show you the route.

When you reach the beginning of the canyon from Sokoliny, you can see a ticket office there where they charge a fee for the walk. Therefore, you should take some finances with you, especially in the summer. During 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

It is called the heart of the Crimean mountains. The Grand Canyon of Crimea is a lost world of pristine beauty. A grandiose three-kilometer depression filled with boulders, replete with picturesque waterfalls and baths, amazes the imagination of the most sophisticated travelers. The unique landscape reserve is strictly protected by the state. On protected lands it is prohibited to pick flowers, cut down trees, light fires, spend the night and set up tents...Visiting the canyon is paid and regulated, which does not prevent thousands of tourists from traveling to this strange place. The vivid impressions you receive are worth all the difficulties and costs!

And the rocks parted...

“The Heart of the Crimean Mountains” is located 3 kilometers from the village of Sokolinogo, Bakhchisaray district. There are many paved paths and paths leading to the northern part of the Ai-Petrinsky massif, so anyone who wants to get into the holy of holies can do so. True, it is best to choose a dry season, since during high water the Canyon can absorb uninvited guests. After all, his heart is made of stone, and it knows no pity.

The Grand Canyon is relatively young - it is only about 2 million years old! Once upon a time, the depths of the ocean raged at the place where it is located. Nature sculpted the local landscape, sometimes raising mountains to the skies, sometimes throwing them into the abyss of the sea. One day, during another reconstruction, 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” into the rock formation, forming a gorge in the canyon. At the bottom of the canyon, many rapids, waterfalls and erosion boilers, the so-called baths, appeared. Today the channel is a three-kilometer depression with smooth walls along the sides, cluttered with blocks and boulders. Its maximum depth is 320 meters, its width reaches from 3 to 5 meters.

For the first time, the “Lost World” of 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-Petri, 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 chasm, stretching parallel to Yaila. Looking with bated breath into the abyss that blocked our path, we saw that a river was flowing at its bottom. The opposite edge of the chasm was also absolutely vertical, like the one on which we stood. The direct distance to it was no more than 200-250 m. White-bellied swifts were whistling across the abyss separating us,” this is how the traveler described his impressions.

Perhaps the author of these lines was a little disingenuous. It's nice to feel like a pioneer of new lands! The gorge, of course, was well known to local residents even before Puzanov. Other researchers and local historians also knew about its existence. In 1906, in a scientific article, the Canyon was mentioned by botanist I.V. Vankov. In 1915, N.V. Rukhlov described in detail the main rivers in the mountainous Crimea, including in the area of the Grand Canyon. Shortly before the First World War, the Crimean Society of Naturalists published a guide to Crimea, in which there is a mention that in the Kokkoz region there is ... “an interesting mountain gorge “Canyon”. A unique depression was marked on topographic maps of Crimea, published before the revolution. Puzanov further popularized the exotic corner of Crimea. After his article and the film “Along the Grand Canyon of Crimea,” filmed by F.F. Schillinger, the natural monument began to become widely known. 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 temperatures have created a special microclimate in the Grand Canyon. The vegetation here develops with a delay of 3-4 weeks compared to the surrounding forests. On local slopes composed of limestone, you can find small groups of pine trees. Broad-leaved forests grow in the lower part of the gorge. Centuries-old hornbeams, beeches, ash trees, oaks, maples, rowan trees and lindens are the eternal inhabitants of these places. The undergrowth is represented by many shrubs. Hazel, dogwood, barberry, buckthorn feel great here... A feature of the Canyon flora is the presence of one and a half thousand tertiary relict trees. Among them, a prominent representative is the yew berry. There are real giants, reaching 1.5 meters in girth and 10-15 meters in height.

During the Ice Age, the well-insulated canyon became a haven for heat-loving plants. The depression warmed rare species of ferns, relict butcher's broom, endemic saxifrage, more than two-thirds of the orchid species of Crimea, among which there is a very rare flower called Lady's slipper.

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

The unique nature of the canyon requires careful protection and conservation. 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 resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Today, on protected lands, it is prohibited to pick flowers, cut down trees, light fires, or, in general, rudely interfere with the ecosystem of the area. The state of the reserve is monitored by employees of the Kuibyshev forestry enterprise. They also developed special routes for tourists.

In the heart of the Canyon

The journey to the heart of the Crimean Mountains begins not far from the Postal Oak. During the Great Patriotic War, partisans left secret messages in the once powerful tree. In peacetime, tourists continued this tradition. As a result of the fire, only part of the oak trunk remained. The guides suggest that the tragedy occurred due to a lightning strike, although it is quite possible that the main reason was human negligence.

There are two trails leading from the Post Oak. The first one goes to the bottom of the gorge, the second one, the “Winter Trail,” 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.

Travelers who choose the summer trail will, after some time, be greeted by the first attraction - Blue Lake. The reservoir, shallow in depth, is the widest in the Canyon. Those wishing to swim are in for a surprise - the water temperature in local springs, rivers and lakes does not exceed 11°C even in the hottest months. Blue Lake is the largest karst spring in Crimea. Every second it brings about 370 liters of water to the surface.

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

The small waterfalls are incredibly picturesque. The water falling from the stones washes away the basins underneath, forming stone baths. One of them, the most famous, is called the “Bath of Youth”. The modern name of the “bath” has been known since the early 1960s, and it was once 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 swimming in it you can rejuvenate yourself by several years. Indeed, 9-11 degree water is very invigorating!

The Bath of Youth is the last point of excursions along the Grand Canyon of Crimea. To go further, you need to have rock climbing skills. In the spring and during heavy rains, you must be prepared to move 100 - 200 meters knee-deep in cold water. Don't forget about the danger of rockfalls. During floods, movement along the extreme part of the canyon is strictly not recommended. Once upon a time, 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 screams, squeals and laughter are heard from the Auzun-Uzen crevice - that the devils are celebrating their weddings...”

For those who are not afraid of devils and witches and still decide to move on, fabulously beautiful corners of nature and unforgettable adventures await you!

Tourists who come to the Crimean peninsula to explore its natural attractions always leave time to visit the Grand Canyon of Crimea. Local residents lovingly call it the eighth wonder of the world, since the nature of this reserve is truly extremely beautiful and unusual.

The Grand Canyon is the most visited of all the canyons in Crimea. One has only to say that the cost of excursions for visitors is comparable to visiting the famous Livadia Palace or Nikitsky Botanical Garden.

Travel companies and excursion kiosks, open in almost all major cities of the Crimean Peninsula, create bus excursions with visits to the Grand Canyon. For those who travel around Crimea by personal vehicle, there are several options , how to get to the Grand Canyon by car.

Geographical position

Historians and local historians say that the Grand Canyon of Crimea in ancient times was part of the ocean floor. Today this natural landmark has several main geographical landmarks:

Geographically, the reserve belongs to the Ai-Petrinsky mountain range;
The canyon starts from the village of Sokolinoe, Bakhchisaray district (distance from the village - 3 km);
The Auzun-Uzen River flows along the bottom of the canyon.

As a result of centuries-old exposure to water on rocks and the movement of tectonic rocks, the walls of the gorge sank to a depth of 32 m, forming a slope of 75-90 0. The bottom of the canyon is a pile of stone blocks and boulders, numerous rapids and waterfalls. This place is considered the largest canyon in the Crimea peninsula. The first researcher to descend to the bottom of the canyon was Doctor of Historical Sciences - Professor I.I. Puzanov.

Excursion program

The first thing that strikes tourists who come to the Grand Canyon of Crimea on an excursion is:

The splendor of nature is unusual for these places;
Scenic trails on the plateau and along the rubble of boulders;
Numerous waterfalls and springs with drinking water;
Cool and fresh air.

When signing up for an excursion, be sure to check what the last point of the walking route will be. It is advisable that the hiking trail extend beyond the Baths of Youth and reach the narrowest point of the gorge.

Experienced guides lead the group along the most interesting impassable stone paths, so that tourists get the full experience. Having overcome stone blockages and dangerous areas, you will be able to approach a picturesque mountain spring - a spring flowing out of the mountain along a stone chute.

How to get to the canyon?

If you are vacationing in Yalta or its suburbs, and decide to drive to the Grand Canyon of Crimea by car, you should choose the route leading towards Bakhchisarai. Along it, having reached the Ai-Petri pass, you will need to overcome the path along a descending mountain serpentine road.

Along the route you can see the sign “Grand Canyon” and turn along it. Visiting this natural attraction is difficult because there are no regular buses or minibuses. Therefore, you can only get to the Grand Canyon by private car or by booking a tour in advance.

If you came to the canyon by car and decided to spend time using the services of a private guide, remember that these people, as a rule, do not have a license to conduct excursions, and in the event of an unusual situation they will not bear any responsibility!

If you are driving from the direction of Sevastopol, follow the following route:

Along the Sevastopol highway you get to Bakhchisarai;
Then use the navigator or map to select the route leading towards the Ai-Petri pass;
When passing the village of Sokolinoe, be extremely careful; 3 kilometers from it along the road you will see the “entrance gate to the Grand Canyon.” This will be the end point of your route.

There is a guarded parking lot near the entrance to the nature reserve. The car will have to be left there, since the movement of tourists in the canyon is only allowed on foot.

If you decide to get to the canyon by minibus or regular bus, you will have to get off near the village of Sokolinoe. Further passage of bus transport is prohibited. Many tourists make the trek on foot to the entrance to the canyon, but at the stop in Sokolin there are always many motorists and taxi drivers offering to take you to the reserve for a nominal fee.

The Crimean issue never leaves my thoughts. I was sitting here looking through photos from a hike in 2010, when we walked through the Grand Canyon of Crimea, and I realized that not all of them were posted, the report about the hike was long, it was necessary to write about many places and show them in photographs. But in fact, this attraction is worthy of a separate article. Moreover, to see it you don’t have to be a hiker or go on a hiking trip. It is enough to take public transport and follow a regular asphalt road from Simferopol (from Yalta it is more difficult) to get to the canyon. Of course, you won't go through it all, but you don't need to :)

I remember when we were walking with backpacks along the top of the canyon and somewhere in the middle of it we went down to wander along the bizarre stone recesses formed by the water, we met a group of ordinary tourists in flip-flops and swimsuits who were coming from the very bottom. True, they were already quite tired and it was obviously time for them to return back. I'm sure they were no less impressed than we were. So this is the natural attraction in Crimea that you need to see first.

Sometimes the channel narrows

How to get to the Grand Canyon in Crimea

Grand Canyon of Crimea how to get there (clickable)