Kostyonkovskie Rocks

Kostyonkovskie Rocks (Kostyonkovskie skaly), also known locally as the Blue Rocks, are a regional nature monument in the Novokuznetsk municipal district of Kemerovo Oblast, on the bank of the Chumysh River near the village of Kostyonkovo. The rocks rise above a narrow canyon of the river in the Salair Ridge and reach a height of 123 meters, with elevation differences in the area reaching 388 meters. Locals call them the Blue or Light Blue Rocks because of the bluish tint of the moss covering the stone — this local name is in fact better known among visitors and residents of Novokuznetsk than the official one.

Nature

The nature monument covers 80.27 hectares and is known for its variety of rare plants and animals. On the rocks and at their foot grow false-Cossack juniper, fragrant dragonhead-mint, foreign dragonhead and the relict low sedge, a species that has survived here since pre-glacial times. The upper part of the slope preserves patches of "chern" taiga dominated by Siberian fir — a type of forest with tall herb undergrowth beneath conifers, typical of the foothills of the Salair Ridge and the Kuznetsk Alatau. In the lighter pine forests and birch groves at the foot of the rocks, rare orchid species can be found. The Apollo butterfly, listed in the Red Books of Russia and Kuzbass and disappearing in many places because of the ploughing of steppe slopes, has also been recorded around the rocks.

History

The relief and vegetation of Kostyonkovskie Rocks attracted scientists' attention long before the site received official protection: rare plants and animals here were first described back in 2007. The rocks received the status of a regional nature monument on July 14, 2016, when the boundaries and protection regime were also set, banning ploughing, logging and other economic use of the slopes.

What to see

An ecological trail called "On the Way to the Blue Rocks" runs for 2.33 kilometers, letting visitors walk from the village to the foot of the rocks without losing their way. A suspension bridge across the Chumysh River leads to the trail and has itself become a local landmark and a popular spot for photographs. From the top of the rocks there is a view of the winding Chumysh below, its islands and the dense forests covering the canyon's slopes all the way to the horizon.

Getting there

Kostyonkovskie Rocks are located near the village of Kostyonkovo, off the Leninsk-Kuznetsky — Mezhdurechensk highway that bypasses Novokuznetsk. Turn toward Kostyonkovo at the junction on this highway. Inside the village the paved road follows Taёzhnaya Street, and right behind the post office it turns into a dirt road leading toward the river. From there it is about a ten-minute walk to the rocks along the ecological trail, across the suspension bridge.