Holidays by the sea, mountain hikes or excursions to historical places are undoubtedly good. But sometimes you want to diversify your vacation. Recently, an increasing number of tourists are turning their eyes to the plain and mountain lakes of Russia. Our article will be devoted to the last reservoirs. In the Russian Federation, there are more than two and a half million lakes. Of course, not all of them are mountainous. But among them there is something to choose. Below you will read a short selection of places to relax on the mountain lakes of our country. The main regions where these reservoirs are concentrated are the North Caucasus, Altai, Chelyabinsk Region, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Karelia and Transbaikalia.
Lakes classification (short)
These bodies of water are classified according to the origin of the basins. There are tectonic lakes. They are in the dips and troughs of the earth's crust. Such lakes differ in considerable depth. Baikal, for example, has a tectonic origin. And therefore, its depth reaches 1637 meters. There are glacial tectonic lakes. These include Valdai, Seliger, Onega, Ladoga, Imandra. They were formed as a result of the glacier forcing tectonic troughs. Volcanic lakes in our country are concentrated mainly in the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. Due to collapses and the formation of natural dams, mountain lakes such as Ritsa (North Caucasus) and Sarezskoye (Pamir) were formed on the rivers. Basins of water bodies are also formed due to changes in the river bed. Such horseshoe-shaped lakes are called "old women". Small saucer-shaped bodies of water arise due to subsidence of friable karst rocks. There are especially many such lakes in the south of Western Siberia.
Altai Lake Region
Most of the water bodies here are of glacial origin. Markakol, Teletskoe - these are typical mountain lakes of a moraine type. They lie in picturesque gorges between steep cliffs. But Gorny Altai has about twenty thousand lakes, and each of them has its own enchanting world. For example, not many dare to plunge into Katun - the water is so cold in it. And the nearby Aya Lake warms up to plus thirty degrees Celsius in summer. The cascade of Karakol reservoirs stretched along the slope for a long time. Above them green grasses and colorful alpine meadows. And even higher are lakes of caravan origin. In winter, we push our glacier to our bed in a mountain circus. In summer, water accumulates there. The depth of such ponds is significant, and the water is very cold. Incredibly beautiful ponds of moraine-dammed origin. Talmenye, Shavlinsky, Kucherlinsky, Multinsky lakes change their color from milky to pale azure.
Not far from the sea
If you are not an expert in trekking and climbing, this does not mean that the mountains with their ponds are closed to you. There are many lakes that are easily accessible for unprepared tourists. Take Sochi, for example, where many Russians come to rest. The mountain lake Ritsa is known to all. But there are other, equally interesting and picturesque reservoirs near the all-Russian health resort. Khmelevsky lakes are located on the eastern slope of the Achishkho massif. It is fifteen kilometers from Krasnaya Polyana. So you can get to the lakes on a suburban minibus number 105, which leaves from the bus station in Sochi. You need to go out near the Alpika-Service ski base. Four lakes are named plainly: Big (it’s Northern), Eastern, Southern and Western. But the beauty of the landscape, they are ready to argue with the famous Ritz. Organized excursions in jeeps and UAZs make there.
Other mountain lakes of the Krasnodar Territory
Ponds located on the northern slopes of the Caucasian ridge are mainly of glacial, avalanche-dammed or karst origin. It is most convenient to relax on Abrau - it is located only fourteen kilometers from Novorossiysk. This is a closed lake, into which only one river flows - Durso. Kardyvach, located at an altitude of one thousand eight hundred thirty-eight meters, breaks all the records for beauty in the North Caucasus region. Surrounded by alpine meadows against the backdrop of snowy peaks, it changes its color every minute. Unfortunately, it is forbidden to stop with tents on the shore, because the lands of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve are spread around. Lake Psenoda is the pearl of the Lago-Naki plateau, which is popular with tourists. Its origin is glacial-karst, and its altitude is almost two thousand meters. Psenoda, whose name translates as "beautiful well", is not always filled with water. Since the lake feeds on glaciers, in the summer, in dry weather, it dries up.
Transbaikal region
It has several thousand reservoirs of different origin. Tectonic lakes, like Baikal, have a significant depth. This is Otkoyakyol, Big Leprindo. Mountain lakes in Transbaikalia arose as a result of the activity of glaciers. They usually have steep and steep shores, and the depth begins immediately off the coast. If these lakes are located above the mark of one and a half thousand meters above sea level, then there is no fish in them. Only crustaceans and protozoa algae inhabit water bodies frozen by ice for eight months a year. In the lakes of the lower tier, the so-called moraine origin, fish are found. Many of these reservoirs are located in the valley of the Upper and Middle Sakukanami rivers (Chara Valley), as well as on the Ikabya Plain near Mount Zarod. Thermokarst lakes arise due to thawing of permafrost. It happens that whole sections of forest fall through the ground. Among the drowned trees there is a free-flowing fish. The largest lake in the region is Nichatka. There are salmon, perches, pikes, burbots.
Oron - the northern brother of Lake Baikal
The Vitim Reserve, located on the border of Buryatia and the Irkutsk Region, is justly proud of its pearl. Oron Lake is only a hundred and twenty-five meters away from the depths of Lake Baikal. It is also of tectonic origin. Although the lake itself is located only 330 meters above sea level, it can be safely called a mountain, because it is surrounded by three-thousand-strong ridges. In this emerald reservoir there are many species of fish, and one of them, the loach of Davatians, is listed in the Red Book. Oron is a mountain lake, the photo of which is easy to confuse with the Alpine. This reservoir is twenty-four kilometers long and incomplete in width seven, is listed by UNESCO. The shores of the lake are surrounded by steep loaches overgrown with cedar dwarf and rare taiga. The water in Oron is surprisingly clean and soft. When swimming in a boat, one can see clusters of boulders at the bottom, although the depth in the lake reaches 184 meters.
Mountain lakes of the Chelyabinsk region
The region has more than three thousand fresh water bodies. They are located unevenly on the map of the region. Most of them concentrated in the east and north. Lake Uvildy - for those who like to relax in comfort. The shores of the reservoir are simply dotted with camp sites, because the beaches here are sandy, and the water warms up enough for swimming. This is the largest lake in the Chelyabinsk region by the area of the water mirror. And one of the cleanest. Arakul - a small lake, but very picturesque. Nearby is the Shihan rock massif - the highest in the Middle Urals. The five lakes with the cleanest water are Sungul, Kisegach, Elovoe, Turgoyak and Uvildy. The most accessible reservoirs are Itkul (near Yekaterinburg), Kisegach (a suburb of Chebarkul), Yakty-Kul (the outskirts of Magnitogorsk).
The highest mountain lakes
We have already mentioned that Baikal is “ahead of the rest” in the depth region. Well, what is the name of the highest mountain lake? Unfortunately, we cannot answer this question. The fact is that glaciers in the mountains often push cars that are filled with water in the summer. These shallow and small in size lakes sometimes lie at an altitude of two and a half thousand meters above sea level and even higher. Getting there is very difficult, and sometimes completely impossible. And swim in them - all the more. Indeed, at this altitude, even the air in July does not warm above +20 degrees, and the water temperature barely reaches +8 ° C. It also happens that during the summer night the surface of the lake fetters thin ice. Such ponds are often located in groups, in mountain circuses or caravans. Of course, there is no living creature in them. In winter, they freeze to the bottom.
Zyuratkul
Do not count these small reservoirs located at a considerable height without a name. Mountain lakes with a large area are much smaller. The most "high-altitude" pond of the Ural Mountains is Zyuratkul. In a literal translation, its name sounds like "Heart-Lake." Zyuratkul is often called the “Ural Ritsa”. Although the climate here is not as favorable as in the Caucasus, the landscapes simply fascinate with its beauty. The lake is located in the ecologically clean intermountain valley of the Chelyabinsk region. A water mirror lies at an altitude of seven hundred twenty-four meters above sea level. The lake is a favorite vacation spot for residents of the Chelyabinsk region. The most popular recreation center "Zyuratkul". It consists of an economy class hotel and a number of VIP-cottages.
Lakes of the Kamchatka region
The land of volcanoes and geysers is also teeming with fresh water. Of particular interest are mountain lakes, which are popularly called poets Vera, Hope and Love. Three reservoirs are cascaded at different heights (approximately 600 meters above sea level) and are connected to each other by a stream. Officially they are called Turquoise Lakes. In June, during the period of intense melting of snow, part of the ice is flooded. Sunlight, reflected, gives the water a radiant, bright blue color. High hills covered with snow surround the lake from all sides. These reservoirs are assigned the status of a conservation facility. The nearest city, Yelizovo, is located twenty-one kilometers from Turquoise Lakes.