Vodopad Shum (Shum Waterfall)

Vodopad Shum (Noise Waterfall) is a regional hydrological nature monument in the Krasnogvardeysky District of Orenburg Region. It lies 1.5 km west of the village of Yermakovo, on the Maly Uran River. The protected area covers 3 hectares.

Nature

The nature monument covers a chain of lake-like pools on the Maly Uran River, ranging from 10×20 to 15×45 meters. The pools are surrounded by cattails and reeds and are linked by narrow, fast channels. On these channels the water forms rapids-waterfalls up to 1.5 meters high — which gives the place its name.

On the right bank, steep cliffs expose red-colored sandstones and mudstones. Willows, wych elm, Tatarian honeysuckle and wild rose grow along the water. The river holds pike, ide, chub, bream, rudd, roach and asp. In the flat steppe landscape of Orenburg Region, where rivers with a notable drop in elevation are uncommon, a waterfall like this is a rare feature, which is why the site was given nature monument status.

History

In 1964 the waterfall's height reached 3.5 meters — higher than it is today. Since then the riverbed has kept changing, and the waterfall section has shifted more than 9 kilometers upstream from where it was recorded half a century ago. This is a common process for rivers flowing through loose sand-and-clay rock: the water gradually erodes the ledge, and the rapids "move" against the current.

Yermakovo, the nearest village, was known until 1961 as the settlement of Farm No. 3 of the Sverdlov state farm and is part of the Sverdlovsky rural council of Krasnogvardeysky District.

Getting there

The route goes to the village of Yermakovo in Krasnogvardeysky District, Orenburg Region, and from there about 1.5 km west toward the Maly Uran River. The track leading to the waterfall itself is unpaved and unmarked, so it is best to follow the river and ask locals for the exact spot of the rapids.

Good to know

Vodopad Shum is listed among the official nature monuments of Orenburg Region. Since the rapids keep shifting upstream over time, it is worth asking locals for the current location — the spot marked on older maps no longer matches today's riverbed. The land belongs to the Sverdlovskoye agricultural enterprise, and given the distance from larger towns and the lack of marked trails, it is best to visit during daylight hours.