The Shaumyan Pass is a relatively small stretch on the shortest path to the Black Sea coast from central Russia. It is located on the highway leading from Maykop in the direction of Tuapse. But in order to embark on this journey, it is completely insufficient to simply look at the map and estimate the distance between the starting and ending points of the path. For this, one should have an idea of what the Shahumyan Pass is. This road, to put it mildly, is not the easiest. And before choosing it, you should think carefully about the fact that a short path is not always optimal. Moreover, a more convenient route runs along the entire Black Sea coast. It is not so short, but you can get to Tuapse on it without any problems. But if you want adventure and the soul craves adrenaline, then you were not mistaken with the choice of direction.
What you should know about Shahumyan Pass
The length of this section is approximately eight kilometers. The mountain pass is covered with dense vegetation, so the road here is narrow, winding, with a very difficult side view. Asphalt is completely absent, and the condition of the road itself leaves much to be desired. The road surface here is of gravel type, which creates many problems from stones flying out from under the wheels. If from passing vehicles they can be avoided by keeping a distance, then nothing can be done with oncoming cars. A negative feature of the gravel road is a constant cloud of dust hanging above it. This makes the review even more difficult. But overcoming the Shahumyan pass, we should not forget that this is a pretty beautiful place.
Therefore, do not rush. In several places on the track, quite acceptable side pockets are equipped for a short stop. Here you can go out, take a walk and take a picture against the backdrop of the picturesque spurs of the
Caucasus Range, and then calmly continue on your way towards the Black Sea. It will be useful to know that this road on Tuapse is unstable. Often the passage along it in an administrative order is blocked due to the development of landslide trends on the mountain slopes. And in winter,
snow drifts occur here
. For more than ten years now, a tunnel has been under construction on the Maykop-Tuapse highway. But this is a very expensive project, and the prospects for the successful completion of this construction at the moment seem rather vague.
How to pass difficult areas
Precautions here are elementary - this is a speed mode and maintaining a distance. This generally applies to any mountain roads, especially such difficult sections as the Shahumyan Pass. You should not rush here under any circumstances! The temptation is especially great to increase speed when the top point of the track is left behind. This is a big mistake, since the descent from the mountain serpentine is always more dangerous than the ascent. Moreover, there is absolutely nowhere to rush: when the road went downhill, no more than two tens of kilometers separate you from Tuapse. The Shahumyan pass was the most difficult part of the route, and it was successfully overcome.