Holidays in the native land can be no less interesting and informative, compared with visiting expensive foreign resorts. And there are many places around that can impress with their beauty and deliver a lot of pleasant experiences. One of these beautiful wildlife specimens is Lake Yastrebinoye.
Topography of Hawk Lake
Lake Yastrebinoe is located in the north-eastern part of the Karelian Isthmus near the border between the Priozersky district of the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia. It stretches from the north-west to the southeast for two kilometers, while the northern part of the reservoir is narrower - has a width of about 150 meters, in the south it expands to 250 meters.
Very popular with tourists is Lake Yastrebinoe. The Leningrad region is rich in a variety of water bodies, whether it be a small river, a small lake or a swamp, but the surroundings of Yastrebinoy are rightfully considered the most picturesque in this region. The lake is located in the hollow between the steep granite ledges of the tip of the Baltic Shield, raising their peaks by 50 meters. It is believed that it was formed during the passage of a glacier, carrying with it huge granite blocks. Today, the territory of the lake itself and the zone adjacent to it, spreading over 10 kilometers, are among the natural monuments specially protected by the state.
Terrain
The landscape of the vicinity of the lake is complex and picturesque due to the alternation of selga ridges and deep depressions. The landscape is very decorated with steep walls formed by the exit of crystalline rocks, rocky niches and terrace systems, as well as the presence of narrow crevasses between separate large breakaway blocks. The most pronounced similar relief along the ridge, stretching along the eastern shore of the lake for 900 meters and having a width in different places of 100 - 350 meters. The cliffs here almost plummet under the waters of the lake, which attracts all climbers and tourists from nearby areas for training, competitions and festivals. The most famous and visited rock is Parnassus, it is especially popular among climbers. The northern and western shores of Lake Hawkeye are also formed by sheer granite rocks with a height of up to 15 meters.
The surrounding area is densely covered with vegetation, represented mainly by pine. All this makes Lake Yastrebinoye attractive both for simple vacationers who want to tear themselves away from civilization for a while and enjoy the picturesque area, as well as for mountain climbers who hone their skills on the steep “lamb foreheads”.
Lake Yastrebinoye - natural monument
Due to its uniqueness, this natural site was declared a natural monument in 1996, that is, a specially protected natural area occupying more than 1600 hectares. The peculiarity of the relief is manifested by a special type of vegetation characteristic of the northern regions of the Karelian Isthmus. The most characteristic difference is the combination of oak forests with typical rocky vegetation. Almost nothing grows on the vertical walls of rocky shores, with the exception of individual plants that have settled among cracks and on the eaves of rocks. Most of them are various species of ferns, mosses or lichens.
In the upper and middle parts of the slopes of the selg, especially along the eastern coast, there are blueberry-green-moss pine forests, among which there are birch, gray alder, and juniper. The lower parts of the slopes are occupied by small-leaved formations, areas of spruce forests, aspen fragments, combined with forbs of oak plants. The northern coast is covered with sections of meadow plants: hedgehog, timothy, cornflowers, ivan tea and others. The distant margins of the selga in some areas are adjoined by small upper sphagnum bogs, which have a characteristic set of species. The northern end of the lake has a dry channel, overgrown with sedge, saber and single willows.
The aquatic vegetation of the lake is represented by rare narrow stripes of reed; in the central, deep part of it, representatives of the flora are extremely rare. In shallow water, you can see the leaves of the yellow egg capsule, mangrove, and rdest. Along the coast, you can find a wing of wingfish and saberfish.
Animal world
Lake Yastrebinoye, despite the increased interest and attendance of numerous tourists, preserves the diversity of the animal world inhabiting it, represented mainly by lower vertebrates and birds. In the meadows, ponds, and sparse stands, both forestry and forest species of amphibians and reptiles feel great, represented mostly by ordinary gray toads, grass frogs, spindles, snakes, viviparous lizards. Among the regularly encountered birds, in addition to trivial forest species, one can note the presence of various black grouse, buzzards, beetles, goshawk, sparrow hawks, many species of owls (bearded and long-tailed owl, bore owl, long-eared owl and marsh owl , passerine goose owl) , Bluebirds, Blackbirds. Rare species of mammals, such as underground vole, European mink, are found. In the lake you can meet European crayfish.
How to get to Lake Hawk
There are several ways to get to the object of interest, although each of them has its own characteristics and difficulties. Lake Yastrebinoye, whose neighborhood map does not reflect all the difficulties of visiting it, is located away from good roads, so you may need a good SUV to get to it. To the village of Kuznechny, located within 13 km from the lake, there is an asphalt road, from which you will need to turn onto a well-groomed forest path, through which it will be easy to reach the target in good dry weather. You can pave the way through the town of Priozersk and the village of Sevastyanovo, bypassing the Kuznechnoye station, so that, having chosen a dirt road on the right side of the fork, pass a field, a hill and a log bridge, which is very close to the lake you are looking for.
For lovers of walking or cycling it will be convenient to get by train from the Finland Station to Kuznechnoye Station, from which you need to get to the railway platform 165 or 168 km by diesel (which runs very rarely) or on foot. A dirt road will lead them to the beginning of the reserve, after which it is easy to get to Lake Hawk through forest paths. Such a path with proper dexterity and knowledge of the route will take no more than two hours. The main thing here is to choose the right paths, as Lake Yastrebinoye is adjacent to several other bodies of water, such as Klukvennoye and Svetloye lakes, as well as swamps, which can complicate the path.
Many get to their destination along the Ho Chi Minh trail, which leads from the Kuznechnoye station through a quarry to the lake itself. This route is marked, that is, there are signs on the entire route that will help you to stay on track, but if you don’t know a guide, you can wander along the path for several hours, instead of the usual three.
Public Life on Hawk Lake
The whole warm season, from early spring to late autumn, is full of life on the shores of Lake Hawkeye - crowds of tourists come to admire the picturesque landscapes of the lake and its environs, in summer rock climbers from various sections live, climbers and just amateurs. On the banks of camps for children . And on the rocks every year amateurs and professionals gather for mass climbing competitions "Rocky Marathon", held in early May for the holidays.
Thus, vacationers in the Leningrad region can be advised to visit Lake Yastrebinoye. Karelia, being very close to its shores, left an imprint on the surrounding landscapes, revealing to the lovers the severe northern beauty.