From the article you will learn everything about the Grand Canyon of Crimea: why it is interesting, how long the excursion lasts, what attractions are included in the route.

Grand Canyon occupies a special place among natural monuments Crimean peninsula. The huge majestic gorge is located about four kilometers from the village of Sokolinoe - on the northern slope of the Main Ridge Crimean mountains. The height of the canyon bed ranges from 500 to 600 m above sea level. The mighty cliffs of the gorge rise 300-350 m above the sea.

The depth of the Grand Canyon of Crimea is also impressive - it reaches 320 meters. The length of the gorge is about 3,500 meters.

What is famous about the Grand Canyon in Crimea?

The Grand Canyon took thousands of years to form. He was washed with water mountain river Auzun-Uzen, which still flows between the Ai-Petri yayla and the Boyka mountain range. The flora in these places is diverse. The rocky slopes are overgrown with Crimean pines. In the lowlands, trees form dense thickets. Here you can find birch, hornbeam, ash, beech, etc. There are also relict yew trees in the gorge. Rare species of ferns, relict butcher's broom and saxifrage - one of the endemics of Crimea - also grow here. Evergreen ivy is found almost everywhere.

The Grand Canyon in Crimea is famous for its picturesque waterfalls, rapids and monumental stone chaos formed by masses of marble-like limestone. The waters of a mountain river have been moving stone blocks downstream for thousands of years. It was they who “drilled” gorges and basins into the softer limestone bed.

Grand Canyon of Crimea - how to get there

  • Independent tourists. As a rule, those who go on a hiking trip to the canyon are prepared for difficulties and know that public transport is difficult in this part of Crimea. The easiest way to get to the Grand Canyon is to take a taxi in the village of Sokolin. The locals have been driving for a long time and, most likely, will spot you from afar and offer you a ride to the beginning of the route. All that’s left to do is get to Sokolinoe itself;
  • Independent travelers with a car. By car it is easy to get to Sokolinoe from (a little closer) and (a little further). Then climb up to Ai-Petri, following the signs. There is only one road there, so there shouldn’t be any discrepancies. The second option is, on the contrary, to go down from the Ai-Petri plateau. A little below the halfway point you will find a sign “Grand Canyon”;
  • Group tourists (with excursion). The best option. They will pick you up and take you in comfort, and during the walk they will tell you and show you everything.

Grand Canyon - difficult to reach public transport sight. But it's worth a visit. Therefore the order organized excursion seems to us the most profitable solution.

Where to Stay in the Grand Canyon Area

For those who have their own car, we have an even better idea than a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Sevastopol residents and guests of the hero city will especially like it. In the village of Sokolino there are two camp sites where you can spend a luxurious weekend. So to speak, at the foot of Ai-Petri, half an hour’s drive from the reserve.

We like both, which one is better - choose for yourself.

#1. Kutler Estate

Landscapes of the Belbek Valley (Kutler Estate)

Family guest house in the Belbek valley, where different times either poppies are blooming, or alpine grasses. At the Kutler estate, the rooms are decorated in a chalet style, have air conditioning, panoramic breakfast terraces, a sauna and well-groomed grounds.

#2. Fisherman's Farm Chalet

A new camp site with nice, cozy rooms, which few people know about. In addition to standard amenities (bathroom, air conditioning, wi-fi), microwave ovens and electric kettles are available. The territory has a well-kept garden and mountain views.

Grand Canyon - full tour route

The excursion route along the Grand Canyon begins behind the village of Sokolinoe. After about 5 km the trail comes out to the gorge. It leads through a beech forest to a small picturesque clearing where stands the Post Oak - one of the most famous trees - about 350 years old. The oak is famous for the fact that since the middle of the last century, a tradition has emerged of leaving notes with wishes in the hollow of a century-old tree. If you make a wish from your heart, it will certainly come true.

In the early 80s. 20th century oak burned down. The dry, burnt out giant is gradually turning into dust, but still continues to stand at the entrance to the Grand Canyon.

Stop #1. Blue Lake

Waterfall "Silver Streams"

If you go from the Postal Oak along the path to the right, you will soon see Blue Lake And Waterfall Silver Streams- two amazingly beautiful . Blue Lake is the widest erosion basin in the gorge. It is filled with unusually clean and clear water with a delicate blue tint. The water temperature in the lake does not rise above 12 degrees even during the summer heat season. Swimming in a shallow, cool bath gives tourists strength to continue their journey.

At a two-meter height above the basin there is a picturesque Silver Streams waterfall. It fully lives up to its name. A green cap of moss hangs above it, and water flows down over the stones, dividing into streams that shimmer in the sun, like threads of silver.

Stop #2. Apple Ford

Apple ford - one of the stages of the canyon excursion

After descending from the Sentinel Cliff, tourists will find another one of the natural beauties of the Canyon - Apple Ford. Here, upstream the river, wild apple trees grow in large numbers. With the arrival of autumn, their fruits and leaves fall into the water. The current brings them to the ford opposite the mouth of the Almachuk - a tributary of the Auzun-Uzen, the name of which is translated into Russian - “apple”.

Stop #3. Pania Source

Pania Spring (Grand Canyon)

Beyond the ford the river valley becomes deeper. Not far from it is the Paniya spring. Its name is a simplified form of the word "Panagia" ("All-Holy"). There are many holy springs in Crimea, discovered in the Middle Ages. Most likely, Pania is one of them too. This is one of the largest sources fresh water on the peninsula. In an hour, up to 1400 m3 of water comes out of it. Next to the spring there is a flooded cave of the same name.

Stop #4. Bath of youth

The end point of the route is “Bath of Youth”

The tour ends at the Bath of Youth - one of the main attractions of the Grand Canyon of Crimea. This is the deepest cauldron (5 m) along the Auzun-Uzen stream. A waterfall falls into the basin from above. This is the most famous “bath of youth” on the Crimean peninsula. It is filled with cold, clear water, which does not warm up above 11 degrees even in forty-degree heat. Swimming in the basin strengthens and invigorates. By tradition, most tourists plunge into it.

Viewpoints of the Grand Canyon

Panorama of the canyon from observation deck

There are several viewing platforms in the gorge. The most popular of them is the top of Sentinel Rock, from which a magnificent panorama of the canyon is visible. Good review the tract also opens from the Fifth Cliff. From this observation deck, you can clearly see the Grand Canyon along almost its entire length.

What to take with you on an excursion

A walk through the Grand Canyon takes about 2.5-3 hours. The difficulty of the route is below average. However, it can be compared to hiking in the mountains. You have to walk through the forest, jump over ravines, rivers, and overcome obstacles. So note that On an excursion to the Grand Canyon of Crimea you need to wear comfortable shoes. Girls climbing through forest potholes in open sandals, sometimes even heels, evoke not only a smile, but also sympathy. Take care of yourself!

And don't forget to bring a liter bottle of water per person. The excursion is long, there will be nowhere to buy things along the route.

A route map that will accompany you along the way

Ticket prices for the Grand Canyon 2019

The Grand Canyon is a nature reserve, but they charge an entrance fee. Ticket price for adults is 100 rubles. The condition of the route is excellent. There are railings and steps along the trails, and you will see signs and maps along the way.

You won't be able to get lost, don't even hope.

Grand Canyon on the map of Crimea

You can estimate where the Grand Canyon is located in Crimea on the map. It will be easier to find and mentally get to the gorge from it.

And where is it located? : how to get there, : how to get there. , - where to stay.

Photo tour of the Grand Canyon. Enjoy nature, forest, clear water in springs and, of course, a bath of youth!

Grand Canyon Photo: Oleg Smolninov, photographers.ua

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For those nature lovers who have visited Grand Canyon of Crimea for the first time, this grand, forested gorge with deep baths, invigorating waterfalls, clear springs and slabs of rock remains a lifelong favorite. The desire to return here will never leave you.

The main disadvantage of the canyon in mid- and late summer is the overabundance of tourists. Excursion buses come from all the cities of Crimea, and from eleven to three a line of people wanders along the stream in a continuous two-way flow along a single path, with the latter just getting off the bus, and the first already jumping into the Bath of Youth, waiting in line, as if before another water slide at the water park.

The second disadvantage of organized visits is the short route (round trip - about three kilometers). The main beauty of the canyon, and, in fact, the canyon itself begins above the Bath of Youth. The path there is more difficult, but after a hundred meters you can find yourself completely alone. Only yours will be transparent baths, rocks heated under the sun, shores overgrown with yew and euonymus. A little more and you will see a real canyon.

The Grand Canyon formed as a giant split of the Ai-Petri massif when the mountain moved away from it Boyka. The edges have hardly crumbled, and the gorge is shaped like a half-cleaved log. Its depth is 250-300 meters, and the minimum width inside is such that two tourists can hold hands and touch opposite walls. It is this steepness, this narrowness, this twilight and coolness on a July afternoon, and silence, and a sense of the greatness of nature (and therefore the insignificance of their own problems) that attract people here who are tired of civilization.

Even a very small pebble that accidentally falls from the three-hundred-meter wall of the Grand Canyon is dangerous for the life of a pedestrian on the lower path. It is better not to linger under this natural fortress, not to throw stones, not to shoot, not to whistle, and most importantly, not to talk to those walking along the upper path (all kinds of jokers you won’t meet in the mountains). Those who wear helmets act very wisely.

Route along the Grand Canyon of Crimea

The excursion bus stops above the road, near the foresters. The map of the canyon is near the highway, after studying it you can go down the wide path - the remnant of the Roman road, to the Sary-Su river - "Yellow Water". In fact, in the Sary-Su river there is not water, but stones that are yellow-brown from a coating of salts and algae. The river itself is so clean that you could drink from it... although it’s better to be patient and go up to the spring.

After crossing the bridge, you need to pay for the entrance to the Grand Canyon of Crimea reserve. The trails here are marked and so well trodden that you don’t need to talk about them. The same half-dirt road, half-trail, with a steep, long climb, will lead to the long-burnt Postal Oak. The trail here will turn left, into Sokolinoe, and the main road (the same Roman one) will lead to the right, deep into the canyon.

The five-hundred-year-old oak was considered a meeting place and memorable messages that visitors to the canyon left in the large dark hollow. This tradition arose during the Great Patriotic War - this is how the partisans conveyed important messages to each other.

In 1982, someone set fire to letters from tourists, and a huge tree died from the fire. In outdated guidebooks they write that the oak caught fire from lightning. It would have been more spectacular, but questions from local residents left no doubt - the oak tree was set on fire. Nevertheless, even to this day, notes are placed in the charred hollow. There is also a legend about the Postal Oak.

From the remains of the oak tree, the trail leads past the Parus rock, and opposite Cape Sosnovy descent to the widest bath of the canyon - Blue Lake. People usually swim here, even swim, although the depth is no more than one and a half meters. The seasoned ones enjoy sitting with their swimming trunks tied up with a rope in the inclined “jacuzzi waterfall.” The test is not for sissies - water is 10-12°C.

Further the trail leads to a karst spring Pania, one of the most abundant in Crimea. Above the spring, under the yew trees, you can find the entrance to the Pania Cave. But it’s better not to do this: the cave is practically impassable. The roots of the yew trees get in the way, the water level changes, and you can easily drown. Even the professional pioneer Nikolai Leonov, who discovered a dozen caves in Crimea, gave up trying to dive through the water siphons of Pania.

The Bath of Youth from the Pania spring is only 600 meters away, this is the most interesting path - along the rocky bottom of the Auzun-Uzen stream ("Mouth River"), which has cut through the canyon, past the three-hundred-meter-high Sentinel Cliff, which "guards the entrance to the canyon." Here you can see traces of the work of water - erosion boilers, as Professor I. I. Puzanov called them in the first brochure about the Grand Canyon. Stones fall into a random depression, the fast current twists them, grinds them down and rounds the hole. This is how these “cauldrons” are formed, of which there are more than a hundred in the canyon, and this is how the deepest of them was formed - a four-meter Bath of youth. Traces of the river overflowing during the flood are visible; It is dangerous and difficult to walk along the lower path in spring. There is a winter trail for this, a little higher, although it is also inconvenient.

After the Bath of Youth, the trail goes along the right side of the stream, along the rock from where you jump into this bath. But it’s cramped there and you can slide down after the jumpers, so it’s better to go a little higher, around. Then you will have to jump from stone to stone, make your way first along the left side, then along the right, somewhere climb on all fours, somewhere walk a few steps through standing (in summer even stagnant) water... But if you feel normal on mountain trails, hiking through the canyon will be quite accessible, reports the Adonis website.

There is eternal twilight here. Spring and summer, judging by the time of flowering, begin in this gorge a month later... Let's give the floor to Professor Puzanov: “After a few hundred meters of travel, the walls of the canyon begin to hang more and more menacingly, and the bed is cluttered with gigantic, water-swept blocks, forming puzzling cataracts and even stairs. Deep erosion cauldrons, drilled with water in the rock bed of the stream using round stone cores, were partly filled with never-drying... water, on the surface of which scurrying beetles, fast as mercury, became increasingly... darker. and the gorge becomes darker, only a narrow blue strip remains visible from the sky. At the bottom of the canyon, fresh rubble from boulders that fell from the vertical walls and shattered was quite real.

The Grand Canyon is convenient for botanical research. At the bottom there is only one path, around which plants are concentrated. Just there, among the numerous trunks of the yew tree, strange, rare for the Crimea, butcher's broom and scolopendra fern are visible. You won’t confuse them with anything if you know what the Mediterranean butcher’s broom looks like, which is abundant in the forests of the South Coast, and the common fern that grows in forests, often in places of fires. Among the lilies of the valley you can suddenly see the rare orchid "Venus's slipper".

During the summer daylight it is possible, if desired, to walk most of the canyon along the bottom and return along the upper path, which is above Blue lake will again merge into the main “Roman road”.

There are different trails leading into the canyon. Having crossed Ai-Petri, buses usually stop above the main entrance to the canyon. If you start your hike from there, it is better to immediately go down to the river. You can also walk through the forest, along the Almanchuk stream (Apple stream), across the crossing "Apple Ford"- to the common path. Or, before reaching the ford, climb the path upward, through a small pass, to immediately come to the Pania cave under the yew trees, to the spring.

What to take with you

Comfortable sports shoes. Forget about tight pants, skirts and sandals with slippery soles. A swimsuit and towel would also be helpful. You don’t have to worry about food, because in the vicinity of the canyon local residents They sell all sorts of delicious things.

How to get to the Grand Canyon of Crimea

Highway Simferopol - Bakhchisarai. First option: from the bus station by minibus to the village of Sokolinoe. Then 5 km to Mount Eagle Zalet. The restaurant located nearby will serve as a reference point.

Second option: from Yalta by car along the old asphalt road Bakhchisarai - Yalta across the Ai-Petri plateau to the reserve, about 5 km short of the village of Sokolinoe.

GPS COORDINATES: N 44°31.120, E 33°59.092

We invite you to take a walk along the Grand Canyon together with the famous Crimean blogger Sergei Anashkevich.

"The Grand Canyon of Crimea itself is located between the Ai-Petri and Boyka massifs just above the village of Sokolinoe. In fact, this cleft is the border of two massifs, separating the mountainous part from the northern foothills. You can get into the canyon from the Sokolinoe-Ai-Petri highway, as well as several hiking trails.
On the highway, at the entrance, of course, there is a man in camouflage standing and collecting money for entry, although they don’t ask you to pay extra for photography.

3. At the very beginning of the trail into the canyon you will come to the edge of a shallow, noisy river. It is called Kokkozka and... this is the very river that washed out this canyon over 1.5 million years.

4. The trail along the canyon passes through a picturesque beech forest, bright green in summer and incredibly beautiful in autumn, literally tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I will be in these places again, but on a different route.

5. Remains of post oak. Once upon a time, even before the collapse of the USSR, this oak was known in many parts of our country. This tree served as a kind of mailbox for tourists visiting the canyon. They left letters in the hollow for those who came here after them - in fact, this was a kind of prototype of geocaching. But in 1981 the oak tree was gone; it burned down from a lightning strike.

6. At this point the trail will split. Going to the left, you can climb the Oguz-Chikargan-Bogaz pass and then go to the Boyka massif, as well as walk along the top of the Canyon. The right branch leads to the bottom of the canyon. We're going right this time.

7. There are still low side walls and a fairly calm current of the Kokkozka.

8. But the lower it goes, the more stormy it becomes, and rapids and riffles appear. The stones are very slippery and if you want to cross the stream, you need to do it extremely carefully

9. True, bridges have been built here and there

10. It’s not for nothing that they say that you can watch water flow forever.

11. The Kokkozka current is just above the Blue Lake

12. Milk waters

13. Here you can see how the river continues its work of deepening the canyon. Every year, drop by drop, grain of sand, it washes away rocks. This is clearly visible from the exposed roots of the trees.

14. The roots look like gnarled fingers clinging to rocks.

15. The largest karst spring in Crimea is Pania. It was first explored and described only in 1915. By the way, it is interesting that the canyon itself was explored in detail only in 1925. This was done by Professor I.I. Puzanov.

16. In summer the spring is often waterless. Only damp stones covered with a green layer of moss indicate that during certain periods there is a lot of water here.

17. Stones of the Pania spring

18. In its narrowing part, the gorge looks truly impressive. In some places the absolute height of the walls reaches 550 meters

19. And there, just ahead, you can see the end of the canyon. At this point its narrowing reaches 3 meters, but getting there is no longer so easy

20. Hiking trail along the Grand Canyon actually ends at the so-called Bath of Youth (Lake Kara-Gol)

21. This is a natural bowl formed by the stormy waters of a river, the water in which even in extreme heat very cold. Apparently, this is why it is believed that bathing in this stone bath brings youth. In general, be that as it may, tourists who have reached the end of the trail bathe en masse in almost icy water, jumping out of it as if stung

22. And all this has been observed every day for many years now by two pine trees high on a cliff.

23. Looking from above at the opposite end of the canyon, you hardly realize that once it was an almost continuous surface, not yet cut by a small stormy river...