Bolshoye Ivanovskoye Lake

Bolshoye Ivanovskoye Lake lies in the Ordzhonikidzevsky district of the Republic of Khakassia, on the land of the Priiskovy rural council. It sits in a gorge at the headwaters of the Pravaya Sarala river, surrounded by the mountains of the Kuznetsky Alatau ridge, at an elevation of about 1,290 meters above sea level, and is part of the Ivanovskiye Lakes (Ivanovskie ozera) group, a regional nature monument of Khakassia.

Nature

The Ivanovskiye Lakes are a cascade of four separate water bodies of cirque origin, meaning they were carved out by an ancient glacier in a mountain basin. Besides these four, the nature monument's territory holds six more small, unnamed lakes scattered among the rocks and stone fields. The group is ringed on every side by mountains of the same-named ridge: Ivanovskaya to the west, Zaozyornoye to the south, and Zolotye Roga ("Golden Horns") to the east, a name that recalls the gold prospecting once done in these parts.

The deepest lake of the group reaches 58 meters, the uppermost lake is about 3 meters deep, and the remaining two are no more than 2 meters deep. The bottom of the lower lake is covered with large sharp stones and slabs, while the other two lakes have sandy bottoms. In summer the water of the lower lake turns an emerald-blue color rarely seen in the lowland lakes of Khakassia. But because the lakes are fed by glacial meltwater and are shallow, they barely warm up even at the height of summer: snow patches remain on the surrounding slopes through the warm season, and large chunks of ice left over from winter can sometimes be seen floating in the water.

In July and August, both tourists and local residents from nearby villages fish for Siberian grayling in the lower lake.

Getting there

The nearest settlement is the village of Priiskovoye. It can be reached by car or by bus: scheduled buses from Abakan run as far as the village of Kopyevo, a hundred kilometers from Priiskovoye, after which one needs to find onward transport or walk. From Priiskovoye, an unmarked trail, passable year-round, leads to the lakes; summer and early autumn are the easiest time to go, once the snow on the passes has partly melted.

Good to know

Even in summer there is snow by the lakes, and the water stays cold because of glacial feeding, so warm clothing is worth bringing. The trail from Priiskovoye is unmarked, and it is better not to walk it alone.