Mount Khagumeru

Mount Khagumeru rises on Cape Passeka, on the southern edge of Nakhodka urban okrug in Primorsky Krai, within the city limits of Nakhodka. The summit stands right above the sea and, seen from the water, looks like a rocky ridge covered with an oak grove. The nearest notable landmark on the map is Lake Primorskoye, about a kilometer and a half to the northwest.

Views from the summit

From Mount Khagumeru opens a panorama of Cape Passeka — its rocky cliffs and lone sea stacks by the water — as well as Progulochnaya and Morskiye Glubiny bays. On a clear day the neighborhoods of Nakhodka itself are visible. A triangulation marker stands on the very top, a good spot to stop and look around: the ridge is fairly narrow, and the sea opens up on several sides at once. Sunrise from Mount Khagumeru is considered one of the finest around Nakhodka — the eastern slope catches the sun first.

Nature

The slopes of the mountain and the neighboring Cape Passeka are covered with oak forest and a dense undergrowth of euonymus — these very thickets form the green ridge visible from the water. In spring and early summer wild rose blooms among the shrubs. Closer to the summit the trail runs through stretches of woody shrub that in places have to be pushed aside by hand rather than simply walked around.

History

At the foot of Mount Khagumeru, on Cape Passeka, a coastal artillery battery, No. 905, has survived — a cultural heritage site commissioned in 1935. The battery was part of the 52nd separate artillery division of the Suchan Coastal Defense Sector of the Soviet Pacific Fleet and covered the sea approaches to Amerika and Vostok bays. Today its structures remain standing next to the mountain as a monument of pre-war coastal defense in Primorye.

Getting there

Mount Khagumeru lies within Nakhodka, in the area of Cape Passeka, and can only be reached on foot or by motorbike. A single motorbike trail leads to the summit, heavily overgrown with shrubs in places — the going is slow, and at times you have to literally push through the branches. For the hike it is recommended to wear sturdy long-sleeved clothing and protective glasses, since branches often whip at the face and exposed skin is easily scratched on the shrubs and rocks.