The Grand Canyon of Crimea: amazing things nearby. Route Sokolinoe - Grand Canyon of Crimea (to the bath of youth) Canyon Crimea how to get there
Grand Canyon Photo: Oleg Smolninov, photographers.ua
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. Sightseeing 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 last just getting off the bus, and the first already jumping into the Bath of Youth, waiting in line, as if before another water slide in a 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, and 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, having studied 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 tourists' letters, 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 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, naturally there is a man in camouflage and he gives good 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, and also 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 at 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. The tourist 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 the river, the water in which is very cold even in extreme heat. 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... 
The Grand Canyon of Crimea - this popular route is somewhat akin to a novel by a Russian classic, in which some see simply an interesting everyday story, while others see a deep philosophical subtext, finding, behind the interweaving of phrases, a second, third and even fourth meaning. The Grand Canyon of Crimea is a seemingly canonical place, worn down almost to holes by the feet of a whole stream of excursionists, while most of them do not even realize that they see only a small fraction of its breathtaking beauties.
In order to fully enjoy the impressive views of the most famous Crimean gorge, you need a certain physical, and ideally, climbing, training, comfortable trekking shoes, and, most importantly, a willingness to spend a whole day traveling along the bottom, banks and capes of the Grand Canyon of Crimea . And only then, having become convinced of the seriousness of your intentions, will he reveal all his hidden corners to you.
Great discovery of the Grand Canyon of Crimea
Until the 20s of the last century, this gigantic chasm was known only to scientists, and there was not a word about it in guidebooks to Crimea. He told the world about this unique canyon in his books, and, in fact, Professor Puzanov gave it its name. But the real popularity of the Grand Canyon of Crimea was brought by a documentary film made about it in 1925 and today, alas, lost.
After the film was released, the Grand Canyon of Crimea, a hitherto unknown route, became a place of pilgrimage for tourists.
Its length is 3.5 km, the height of the walls is 320 m. Usually the canyon passes upstream. The most popular section is from the Postal Oak to the Bath of Youth, which is located approximately in the center of the gorge. What goes beyond its borders usually eludes the gaze of organized tourists.
The inaccessible Grand Canyon of Crimea, the Bath of Youth, seems to cut off inexperienced tourists. This section of the route almost always runs along the dry bottom of the gorge. It takes 3-4 hours for trained hikers to cover its 2 km section in summer. This low speed is explained by the large number of obstacles that you mainly have to climb around.
During spring floods and after heavy rains, this section is practically impossible to cross.
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Grand Canyon of Crimea: “Great Around the World” route
The circular route, when travelers walk along the bed of the Grand Canyon of Crimea upstream of the Auzun-Uzen River, and then return along the upper path, admiring the gorge from numerous capes, is called the “Great Around the World”.
It starts from the Yew Cascade, which is located a little lower downstream than the “classic trail” that starts from the Post Oak (or rather, the remains of a tree where tourists leave notes).
Along this route there are many interesting objects that are definitely worth paying attention to.
Yew cascade. A waterfall under old yew trees that flows towards huge stones overgrown with moss and entwined with plants. If you walk from it along the right bank, then on the way you will encounter a narrow gap between huge boulders. An old tourist tale says that unfaithful spouses get stuck in it.
Blue Lake. It represents an expansion of the channel. Its water is emerald green, but only in early spring. In summer there are many swimmers here, so it becomes cloudy and greenish.
Apple Ford (at the descent of the path leading from the Postal Oak). This is the name of the place opposite the mouth of the first left tributary of the Auzun-Uzen River - Almachuka (translated from Tatar as Yablochny). In autumn, it carries many wild apples into the main channel, which fall into its waters from apple trees growing upstream. This is where the fruits accumulate, which is what gave the place its name.
Source Pania (from “Panagia” - “All-Holy”). It was one of the holy springs that were worshiped here back in the Middle Ages. Today it is one of the TOP 20 Crimean springs, spewing out 370 liters of water every second.
Bath of youth. This is one of the erosive cauldrons, “drilled” into the bottom of the canyon by stones rotated by the spring stormy flow. Decorating the Grand Canyon of Crimea, the Bath of Youth or Kara-Gol attracts hordes of tourists who take its name too literally. But it appeared quite recently - in the 60s. People jumped out of this black lake and plunged into it too quickly, because the water temperature here, even in the hottest heat, is about + 9 degrees.
The depth of this “trough,” as the Crimean Tatars simply called the baths, is no more than 5 meters. It is fed by an ever-living spring located 150 m upstream.
Yohagan-su tributary (missing water), right, joins upstream. In summer it dries up, revealing a steep slope with a suite of smooth-walled baths. It is loved by canyoning fans who climb up it to get to the right wall of the canyon.
If immediately after the Bath of Youth the Grand Canyon of Crimea is still full of water, then, literally, after a few hundred meters, its bed completely dries up. Nature has prepared natural barriers for travelers here in the form of piles of huge boulders and smooth-walled baths, narrow corridors where you can barely stand with your arms outstretched.
There are only four such narrowings. The largest corridor is the first, 200 m long, the smallest is the last. But even between them the channel does not expand to more than 6 m.
Having conquered the extreme Grand Canyon of Crimea, the route can be laid out in two directions - either continue it, returning to the starting point along the upper trails, or go to Ai-Petri.
Grand Canyon of Crimea: how to get to observation points
Capes, from which you can view the Grand Canyon of Crimea from above, are located on both sides. They are numbered, designated by numbers, although there are also “nominal” ones.
Getting to them is not difficult - numerous paths lead to them, they are marked on the map.
A particularly impressive view opens from the Sentinel Cape, also known as the First, which literally reigns over the canyon.
An excellent vantage point is the Fourth Cape, next to which the Cow Grotto (Taur-Koba) appears black. According to the stories of tourists who had to stop here for the night, the wind produces absolutely incredible sounds from the grotto, turning it into an Aeolian harp; all the rustles here are amplified many times over. It received the name “cow” because shepherds hid their cattle here in bad weather.
A breathtaking panorama also opens from Cape Trapis (from the Greek “trapezus” - table), but only in spring and autumn, because in summer it is covered by green thickets.
A hike through the Grand Canyon of Crimea in the summer will take just one day and will be a wonderful family adventure. And those who are ready for more severe challenges can try to overcome the canyon in the off-season or become a pioneer of their own climbing route.
The crevice is located next to the Bakhchisarai-Yalta highway. Therefore, the answer to the question: “The Grand Canyon of Crimea, how to get there on your own?” uncomplicated. There are many buses and minibuses running between these settlements.
Regular buses run from Bakhchisarai to the village. Sokolinoe, from there to the entrance to the Grand Canyon 5 km towards Yalta. It’s impossible to pass by – there’s a landmark parking lot and an abundance of excursion buses.
Of course, everyone who goes on vacation to Crimea hopes to see something interesting and unforgettable there. Fortunately, the nature of the peninsula is rich in beautiful and fascinating sights. Along with the sea, caves and mountain slopes, the canyons of Crimea can make a lasting impression. These are unique wildlife objects whose history dates back thousands of years. Today we will get acquainted with the three most famous Crimean canyons.
Grand Canyon
For tourists who have visited here, the gorge, covered with forest, with blocks of rocks, clear springs and deep baths, remains one of their favorite places for life. Coming here, people are immersed in an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Nature fascinates with its beauty and inspires philosophical reflection. Here you want to be silent and calmly look around, and there is something eternal in this silence.
It was formed at the site of a giant split in the Ai-Petri mountain range, when Mount Boyka separated from it. The edges of the slopes have practically not crumbled, and the shape of the canyon looks like a partially split log. The depth of the Grand Canyon at different points is 250-300 meters. Moreover, its width in some places allows two people holding hands to touch opposite walls. It is thanks to this steepness, narrowness, coolness on hot July days, twilight, silence and the feeling of complete dominance of nature that people come here again and again. Assessing the scale of this beauty, you can realize the insignificance of our everyday problems and be inspired to conquer new heights.
Visit to the canyon
The main disadvantage of the canyon during the holiday season is the overabundance of visitors. Excursion buses come here in a constant stream from all over the world. Therefore, from 11 to 15 o'clock, a continuous two-way line of people walks along the stream along the only path. This oversaturation makes it difficult to enjoy true natural beauty.
Organized visits usually follow a short route - to the Bath of Youth and back. But the main beauty begins next. There the trail is more difficult, but it's worth it. Therefore, after walking 100 meters above the Bath of Youth, you can find yourself alone with nature. Here you will find transparent pools with warm, sun-warmed water, banks overgrown with euonymus and yew, and that same silence. A little more up and the canyon itself will open up to you. Having seen it, you will definitely begin to look at Crimea in a new way.
Grand Canyon: how to get there?
Although this place is popular among tourists, the path to it can cause some problems. Without your own transport it is quite difficult to come to the Grand Canyon of Crimea. A tour is the most comfortable way to visit this attraction. Its disadvantage is that you will have little free time to explore natural beauty on your own. But you won’t have to worry about returning safely to the right place. For those who still decided not to be fooled by the cries: “Grand Canyon of Crimea: excursion” coming from all sides of the beach, and to get there on their own, we will tell you the route. First you need to get to the village of Sokolinoe. From there you need to walk/drive 5 kilometers along the Bakhchisaray-Yalta highway towards Yalta. The entrance to the canyon will be not far from the highway.
For those who travel by car, there are no problems. You can come to the canyon at any time (within your visiting schedule, of course) and slowly explore all the interesting places. It is impossible to get lost in the canyon, since the paths here are more than noticeably trampled. By the way, many tourists, entering the gorge, put on helmets in order to protect themselves from falling stones. The rocks themselves rarely fall, but when crowds of tourists walk along the top, the likelihood of injury increases. If you are traveling to the Grand Canyon of Crimea by car, it is better to put something in the trunk to protect your head.
Chernorechensky Canyon
When talking about the canyons of Crimea, it is impossible not to mention the Chernorechensky Canyon. In the area of Inkerman it flows into this place. Its water mirror covers an area of six square kilometers. This is the largest reservoir in Crimea, which supplies clean water to the whole of Sevastopol.
Below the reservoir, Crimea begins. Its second name is the Small Canyon. Its length is as much as 16 kilometers. Stormy foamy water here alternates with calm backwaters, rapids, waterfalls and ledges turn into floods, in which there are even islands. Under the canopy of trees it is always humid and cool, but in the sun the rocks are hot. River spray from time to time shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. Beautiful place! There are baths in the canyon, the water in which is even warmer than in the Grand Canyon. Only it flows with pressure, so swimming in some places is dangerous. Along the banks of the river you can find a lot of mushrooms, campfires for tourists and benches for relaxation.
Closer to the village of Morozovka, a wide and deep trench begins with a strong flow of water. When passing through it, tourists are secured with a rope. Walking along the canyon, you can see huge boulders cutting through the water, large beech trees, old juniper, ferns, euonymus and other interesting plants. The fast mountain river gives the impression that we are somewhere in the Carpathians, and not in the Crimea.
The Small Canyon of Crimea includes many ascents and descents, so it is difficult for inexperienced tourists. It is advisable to walk along it with guides, as there are a lot of different paths, roads and steep cliffs. At the beginning of September, it is unlikely that you will meet tourists in the Chernorechensky Canyon.
How to get to Chernorechensky Canyon
You can get to the lower part of the canyon from the village of Chernorechye (1 km). On the way you can stop by to look at the Chorgun Tower. The middle part can be reached from the villages of Morozovka (2 km) and Rodnoe (5 km). To the top - from the road between the villages of Shirokoe and Peredovoye (0.5 km).
Canyon Kuchuk-Karasu
5 kilometers south of the Simferopol-Feodosia road, just beyond the village of Povorotnoye, the Kuchuk-Karasu River formed a canyon. It is distinguished by an abundance of waterfalls. Emerald waterfalls, “erosion cauldrons” and stone baths are what the canyon is famous for.
Along three kilometers of the river there are five waterfalls. Each of them has its own characteristics. The first waterfall forms the bath of youth, or, as it is also called, the Font of Diana. The water temperature here does not rise above 10 degrees. Swimming in the font allows you to tone and harden your body.
The second waterfall was named “Gorge”. There is another cold water bath here. By the way, they are located everywhere here. From here you can see the Falls of Love. It consists of two small streams, which after the waterfall combine into one powerful stream.
A little further you can admire the graceful trickle of the Kosichka waterfall. During the rainy season and snowmelt, it turns into a huge spit. The last waterfall has no name, but is more than 10 meters high. It consists of alternating waterfalls, drains and waterfalls, which follow each other without intervals. As a result, powerful streams of water fall in zigzags, which makes an incredible impression.
Conclusion
Today we looked at the main and most interesting canyons of Crimea. In general, there are many more canyons on the peninsula, less exciting, but also quite interesting. A walk along them allows you to escape from the monotonous beach holiday and see Crimea from the other side. We recommend that you visit the canyons of Crimea, which charge you with the incredible energy of centuries-old forests and ancient majestic mountains.