Khrebet Kraka

Khrebet Kraka, also known as the Black Ridge, is a mountain range in the Southern Urals, in the Beloretsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan. It stretches for about 90 kilometers from north to south and is made up of three parts — the Northern, Central and Southern Kraka.

Name and origin

The name "Kraka" is most often traced to the Bashkir phrase "kyrk arka" — "forty ridges," a popular description of the massif's heavily dissected relief, cut by a great number of crests and spurs. Another reading takes "kraka" simply to mean "ridge" or "range."

A legend is attached to the name: according to one version, a giant fish once lay on the site of the massif; over time it turned to stone, and its bony spine became the forty mountain ridges that gave the range its name.

Relief and geology

The peaks of Khrebet Kraka have a characteristic flat, plateau-like shape and make good viewpoints, while the slopes below remain steep and rocky. The northern segment is the highest part of the massif, with several summits rising above a thousand meters; the highest point of the range reaches 1045 meters above sea level.

The massif's geology includes Paleozoic rocks — limestones, shales and sandstones. Kraka is largely composed of ultrabasic rocks, and chromite ore deposits have been found here as a result.

Nature and protection

The Bashkir State Nature Reserve lies within the Southern Kraka. In the 1940s, maral deer were brought there from the Altai and have since settled in the local forests.

Tourism

Routes across Khrebet Kraka are generally considered of medium difficulty: unlike many other Southern Ural massifs, it has almost no large boulder fields or scree slopes to slow the climb. The flat summits offer panoramic views of neighboring mountains, including the Yamantau massif and Mount Arvyakryaz and Mount Malinovaya.

The town of Beloretsk usually serves as the starting point for a trip. From there it is about 40 kilometers by car or bus to the village of Shigayevo, the settlement closest to the range, and about 80 kilometers to the village of Kaga, which separates the Southern Kraka from the central part of the massif. Ufa lies roughly 240–250 kilometers from Khrebet Kraka.