Skalnik Vityaz: a weekend on the Olkhinsky Plateau! Olkhinskie skalniki Skalnik Vityaz how to get

This material is intended to Guide to help, first of all, beginners to explore the Olkha plateau.

For ease of use in the text, the key fork points are indicated with their serial numbers(in blue). These numbers, together with the points, are indicated on the maps, with tracks marked on them. In addition, all key points are listed in the final section - Appendix, and also with serial numbers highlighted in blue.

The number of tourists using GPS navigation in one form or another is growing, I hope this material will be especially useful for them, and others will be encouraged to use the already very widespread programs for navigation and training.

We will focus primarily on cross-country skiing routes. Of course, in the taiga, sometimes the amount of snow is such that wider skis than cross-country skis may be needed ... Nevertheless, after someone passes and tramples the ski track, participants on ordinary cross-country shoes will follow this "hero".

If you put on the map most of the famous ski routes, you get a very tangled tangle, which only an experienced tourist can unravel. Our goal is to help everyone who yearns for the wild, quiet taiga and soft, sometimes their own, ski tracks master all the interesting paths.

To complete the picture, we will consider all popular starting and finishing starting points, famous forest roads and winter roads, as well as the main nodal points - intersections and forks, some particularly interesting places - rock climbs, passes, camp sites, etc.

If the description is approached formally, the start of the ski route through the Olkhinsky plateau can be the city of Irkutsk, and the finish line - the city of Slyudyanka. At least one example of such a heroic day trip is known to me. However, this is completely exotic, and in fact it is already a super marathon with elements of survival. We will limit ourselves to one-day crossings of a maximum of 70-80 km, no more.

From Irkutsk you can get to the Olkhinskoye plateau on skis along the well-known route Akadem-Bolshoy Lug. Once it was very popular, there were competitions, and even night ones. However, due to intensive cottage development and the development of the road network, the route has lost its attractiveness, although it is still supported by enthusiasts.

The most convenient way to get to the Olkhinsky plateau in winter is by train.

Most popular stops: Rassokha , Eaglet , Lights , Difficult , Podkamennaya , Sanatorium , Deep , Moving. These are both starting and finishing points. Rassokha, Orlyonok, Ogonki can also be reached by car. However, road conditions can be very different. This is especially true for Ogonki, where you should not go by car without all-wheel drive. There may also be problems with passing in the presence of oncoming traffic. To Podkamennaya, Glubokaya and Pereezd - no problem by car, but what will you do next? Routes from these points are non-circular.

So, let's start unraveling the tangle from the Glubokaya station. We do not consider moving, since these are primarily routes to Baikal and Slyudyanka, or towards Irkut and, for example, to Shamanka. There are also routes towards Irkut from Glubokaya and Podkamennaya stations, they are not considered here. Relevant topics can be found on Angara.Net.

And the low Primorsky ridge is a unique area, the so-called Olkhinsky plateau.

On the maps, this area forms the shape of a regular triangle, it is limited from the south by the waters of Lake Baikal, the waters of the large Irkutsk reservoir and the Irkut valley. This is a hill covered with mixed forests with elevations of 500-800 m with unique granite rock outcrops up to 75 m, not inferior in their natural value to the Krasnoyarsk pillars, but not so popular among tourists.

The most famous remnants on the Olkhinsky plateau are the Vityaz rock, 30 m high, the Idol rock, 20 m high, the Mirror rocks, 16 m high, a bizarre rock with a clearly visible face - the Old Woman Izergil, 25 m high. the plateau became the city of Kamen Moigoty with a mark of 1222 m. The main rocks are located in the valley of the picturesque mountain river Bolshaya Olkha, which gave the name to this elevated orographic unit.

Vicinities of the Olkhinsky plateau

There are a lot of interesting natural and man-made objects in the vicinity of the Olkhinsky plateau rock formations. A very picturesque picture is the mountain river Bolshaya Olkha itself, on its banks you can have a pleasant rest on a day off, because it is located very close to Irkutsk. In the south, the plateau approaches closely, and abruptly breaks off to Baikal, forming picturesque rocky cliffs and steep cliffs.

At their foot there is a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, often called the "golden buckle" or its Circum-Baikal section. From it, passengers can enjoy magnificent panoramas of Lake Baikal. Branch from Art. Slyudyanka II to the village. Baikal, only 89 km away, is a state-protected monument of unique engineering structures.

There are 38 tunnels in the rocky coast of the lake with a total length of 9063 m. There are also 15 rock galleries with a length of 295 m, 3 reinforced concrete galleries, 248 bridges and high viaducts, up to 270 retaining walls strengthening the route. By the number of unique engineering structures, this section of the road has no analogues in the country.

From the very north-east of the Olkhon plateau in a south-western direction, the federal highway M-55 or P258 "Baikal" passes through its territory, on the canvas of which 296 bridges were built, the road is replete with sharp turns and serpentines. The Tunkinsky tract A333 departs from this highway to Mongolia and the Kyakhtinsky tract A340 to Buryatia.

Climate

The climate on the Olkhinsky Plateau belongs to a sharply continental type, with an average January temperature of -22°C, closer to the coast of Baikal it is noticeably warmer than -18°C. The temperature minimum on the plateau is -45оС. Since the end of October, snow has been falling here, its cover during the winter reaches 1 meter, but with the absence of steep slopes, there is no avalanche danger on the plateau.

The average July temperatures on the plateau are +18°C, on the Baikal coast in summer it is noticeably cooler than +15°C. The temperature maximum in summer reaches +33оС, +35оС. In addition to northwestern winds, with the general transport of air masses, dry winds often blow from the south from Mongolia, bringing moisture from Lake Baikal and the shores of the Irkutsk reservoir. Precipitation on the plateau falls annually 400-450 mm.

Weekend on the Olkhinsky Plateau

If the weekend is ahead, a fascinating trip to the stone idols of the Olkhinsky plateau in any season of the year will be a wonderful place to relax. This route, due to its saturation and accessibility, can become a wonderful active mountain adventure. More than half of the walking route from the Orlyonok station to the rock climbs runs along the Olkha River, which is beautiful at any time.

In the Soviet years, the granite remnant "Vityaz", known among all the rock climbers, was very popular with climbers and vacationing students. Every weekend, a crowded train brought up to several hundred tourists to the Orlyonok station, who enjoyed spending their free time on the plateau.

Here, on the Vityaz, rock climbing competitions were regularly held by local athletes. Hammered bolts are visible on the rock, indicating 19 climbing routes, their length is from 25 to 35 meters, the highest difficulty category is V and VI. "Vityaz" is a wonderful climbing wall with many monolithic sections, shelves and plumb lines. In September, a local bard festival, which has already become traditional, is held here near the rock.

The path to the "Vityaz"

On the platform, breathing in the clean coniferous air, perhaps with a group of fellow travelers, you should go to the bridge over the Olkha. At the beginning of the journey, you should familiarize yourself with the route at a special information stand. Behind the bridge there will be a fork of two mountain paths. Now you don’t need to be interested in the gentle “lower path” that goes straight along the logging road along the Olkha, it will be convenient to return to the bridge at the end of the journey along it.

A more difficult and spectacular route should be started from the "upper path" going to the right. The most difficult here will be the first ascent to the power line, but when it ends, you can enjoy a very picturesque descent along the ridge to the very foot of the Vityaz rock. On the route, it is very important not to make a mistake with the search for the right path near the power lines, the road here will go to the right, but you need to find the path that goes to the Vityaz ridge to the left. Having come out correctly on the ridge, you can safely go down to the foot of the rock for about 1.5 hours.

If tourists have two or three days off in reserve, you can take your time to get acquainted with the surroundings and spend the night at the first rock in a log cabin or a felt yurt at the Vityaz camp site of the same name. 12 people can stay in two yurts at the same time, the cost of a daily stay at the base is 400 rubles per person.

Buildings appeared here quite recently, 5-6 years ago due to the great popularity of this route among the townspeople. When it's warm, in a large clearing near the base, you can put up a tent and make radial exits to each of the rocks, explore lesser known groups of rocks, just enjoy being in nature.

Path to the Idol

The nearest rock along the route from the Vityaz is the graceful rock rock Idol, similar to Easter idols. It is a column-like 20-meter monolith visible from a distance with a characteristic larger slab on top, resembling a headdress. It was for this accessory, which made the Siberian rock look like with overseas idols of Easter, that it got its name.

It is quite easy to walk from the Vityaz along a well-trodden, well-marked path that goes to the right to the Idol for about 3 km. In the middle of the path, after 1.5 km there will be a small wooden bridge, it can also serve as a guide. With a simple crossing, the path bifurcates again, to the left the path goes to the buildings of the Skazka winter hut, to the right you can go 1.5 km to the Idol. Very close to the "Idol" is another well-known rock "Turtle".

Path to the Old Woman

The path from the "Idol" to the rock "Old Woman" will not be so noticeable and you need to be more careful. Skalnik got its name for its resemblance to the face of an old woman, according to a clearly visible protruding "nose", angry "eyes" and a wrinkled "face". Having determined the further direction, it is necessary to prepare for the section of the path through the burnt forest. But on this 4.5 km trail, everyone will feel like the heroes of Tolkien's fantastic works because of the similarity of local landscapes.

Here it is important not to get lost and to accurately follow the marking red signs on the trees and special signs. It is from the "Old Woman", past the "Vityaz", along the "lower path" 10 km you can walk back to the station. "Eaglet". In total, the length of the circular route along the paths and rocks of the unique area will be 22 km.

By car to Vityaz

Among the members of local car clubs, the difficult road to the Vityaz rock has long been known. You can go to the famous rocks here on all-wheel drive cars. From Bolshoy Lug to the rock can be reached by forest inconspicuous roads with many fords 20.5 km, but be sure to take a guide. Numerous forest forks can easily confuse even experienced motorists.

From the village it is necessary to move to the southeast past the garbage dump in the valley of Molta. After 4 and 11 km, at well-marked forks, you need to turn right, and only at the third fork, after 12 km, turn left uphill to the pass. Along the road everywhere lie blocks of stones with holes drilled into them.

13 km after the start of the descent from the pass, you need to move to the right downhill and go along the large Zyryansky stream. After the next 14 km, turn right again and move 2 km to a small concrete bridge across the Olkha River. Having overcome the bridge, you should follow the signs “to Vityaz”, and a little later on the 19th km turn off the knurled road downhill to the foot of the rock.

How to get to the Olkhinsky plateau

From Irkutsk to the Olkhinsky plateau, you should move along the Kultuksky tract to the city of Shelekhov, here turn left at the Rosneft gas station in the direction of the villages of Bolshoi Lug and Olkha. The highway runs along the railway track through these settlements to the Orlyonok station. At the station, you can leave your car in a special parking lot and walk, or take a pleasant bike ride of 7-8 km along the Olkha riverbed to the loaches themselves.

You can go from Irkutsk to the Orlyonok station by train from the Irkutsk-Passenger station in the direction of Temnaya Pad, the journey takes up to 1.5 hours. Upon arrival at Orlyonok, you can get into an organized group or take a walk on your own to the Vityaz rock climb, which is popular here. Along the well-trodden path 2.5 km into the forest to the beautiful rock "Idol", similar to the idols of Easter Island.

60 km from Irkutsk, in the Irkutsk, Slyudyansk and Shelekhovsky districts, between the most beautiful peaks of the Tunkinsky bald mountains widely known to tourists and the low Primorsky ridge, there is a unique area, the so-called Olkhinsky plateau.

The most famous remains on the Olkhinsky plateau are the Vityaz rock, 30 m high, the Idol rock, 20 m high, the Mirror rocks, 16 m high, a bizarre rock with a clearly visible face - Old Woman Izergil, 25 m high. The highest point The plateau became the city of Stone Moigoty with a mark of 1222 m. The main rocks are located in the valley of the picturesque mountain river Bolshaya Olkha, which gave the name to this elevated orographic unit.

Vicinities of the Olkhinsky plateau

At their foot there is a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, often called the "golden buckle" or its Circum-Baikal section. From it, passengers can enjoy magnificent panoramas of Lake Baikal. Branch of the Circum-Baikal Railway from the station. Slyudyanka II to the village. Baikal, only 89 km away, is a state-protected monument of unique engineering structures.

Climate

Weekend on the Olkhinsky Plateau

The path to the "Vityaz"

Path to the Idol

Path to the Old Woman

Imagine a giant triangle on a map of an area. Which is located within three districts of the region: Irkutsk, Slyudyansky and Shelekhovsky. It is 50 km long from north to south and 30-80 km from west to east. From the south, this triangle borders on Baikal, along the coast of which the notorious Circum-Baikal Railway stretches. From the northeast, it borders on the Irkutsk reservoir, formed by the Irkutsk hydroelectric station. And from the northwest with the Irkut River. This triangle is called the Olkhinsky Plateau, a physical-geographical region between the Tunkinsky Goltsy and the Primorsky Range in the Irkutsk Region. It is named Olkhinsky in honor of the 37-kilometer river Bolshaya Olkha or simply Olkha. The Olkhinsky Plateau is a wooded upland abounding with remnant rocks, the most popular of which are: Vityaz, Idol, Mirrors and Starukha.

1. First of all, I went to the Raven (alternative name - Lizard), about 20 meters high. The rock is a free-standing rock. It is located farther from Irkutsk than other more popular rock climbs. To get to it, you need to get to the Podkamennaya station.

11. Another day was chosen for the trip to popular rock climbing. In the photo - Vityaz. This is the most popular and accessible rock of the Olkhinsky plateau, 30 meters high. Vityaz is of interest to both beginners and experienced climbers. They go to the rock from the Orlyonok station along the upper or lower path. The upper one is on foot and steeper on the way up. The lower one is longer than the upper one, but it can be driven by car.

12. View of Olkha.

14. Alder and camp site.

22. Burunduslik found something to stuff in his cheek for lunch.

24. Nuthatch.

26. Now I will show why this rock got its name. If you look closely at the top of the rock, you can see a semblance of a head, massive eyebrows, a large straight nose, squinted eyes, cheek and mouth. Together, it resembles the face of a warrior.

27. Skanik Polytechnic.

28. Along the path to the Idol grows a lot of lingonberry bushes.

29. Marsh rosemary. A useful plant that is used in the economy and medicine.

31. Moss carpets.

32. Old classic tablets. When I went here for the first time, I was guided by them.

33. Cowberry trail.

34. After I crossed the bridge over the Olkha, I decided not to turn off the path and walk a little along the river bank. After that I got into such a small kurumnik - a field of stones.

35. Reindeer moss grows in abundance between the stones. Hundreds of fluffy balls.

41. Idol. Height 20 meters. The southern part of the rock is an unusual remnant in the form of a stone pillar, consisting of separate blocks. The northern part is pillar-shaped, but much thicker, lower and less showy.

47. View of the rocky Sibiryak.

49. Skalnik Turtle - the first thing that meets on the way from the Idol to the Old Woman.

53. Observation rock on the trail Idol - Old Woman. From this rock you can see the rocks: Turtle, Idol, Siberian, Angarsk, Stone Shakhtai, Old Fortress, Mirrors.

54. Old woman. Here I was alone. The people who met me earlier did not come here. Moving on the Old Woman's head was pretty scary. Climbing is much easier than jumping at a height of 25 meters. Before the rock was called the Old Woman Izergil, it was called the Carriage - for the trapezoidal profile visible from afar against the background of the crest. Of the name Old Woman Izergil, only the first word stuck. Everyone calls this rock just the Old Woman. Near the main rock of the Old Woman there is a smaller rock. They call her Granddaughter.

55. The hook-shaped nose of the Old Woman is clearly visible.

58. After the old woman there was a long road to the Mirrors. Windbreak, bumps, dim lighting. Navigation problems.

59. This photo is concentrated pain, hatred and relief. It's almost seven in the evening. A dimly lit path strewn with autumn foliage. I stopped as soon as the rays of the sun broke through the branches in my direction. I looked to the left. I checked with the navigator. Yes, you have to turn off the road here. Here, behind the bushes, there is a small kurumnik, and behind them is a mirror rock. And everything is strewn with reindeer moss, which I like more than any reindeer (if there was a steppe here, it would be expanse for them). Somehow, my memory brought me here, satellite navigation and pictures of trails, of which there are too many. In some places I had to go through a windbreak, when the road literally went out from under my feet, dissolving in the forest thicket. Damn rock. Damned weeds. I was supposed to be here by sundown, but I miscalculated my time and energy. Twenty kilometers have already been covered. Ahead of me was another ten kilometers of running in the dark with a sprained foot two hours before the last train, a bruised knee, a tick-fellow traveler on my shoulder and a sore throat.
From mountain to mountain, from mountain to mountain. No more foot here. With your forest in your head, you don't go to someone else's forest.

61. Skalnik Mirrors. The last respite at a height of 16 meters. Skalnik is a group of rocks on a side ridge extending from the main ridge between Klyuch Zyryansky and Zyryansky second. It got its name due to the smooth walls on the eastern side of the rock.

62. Sunset over the red forest.

63. Who will lead you out of the forest, if the forest is you yourself?

The story ends hard, like Spanish post-metal, but with a happy ending. I miscalculated the time. And started the journey back to the station too late. I had only an hour left before the last train. Otherwise - night in a dark forest. I put on my forehead, ate my last apple, and started running. Ran non-stop, they were unacceptable. The pace changed depending on the elevation difference. Just before leaving the forest, I slipped and hurt my knee. I hobbled to the station. But I managed a few seconds before the arrival of the train. After such a run in the cold air, he lay with a cold, the palate became inflamed from swallowing cold air during shortness of breath. But he was at home, not in the forest. He also brought a tick on his shoulder.

On the territory of the Baikal region there are unique natural monuments - rocky outcrops formed as a result of weathering of rocks over hundreds of thousands of years. These stone sculptures, which are not inferior in their historical and cultural value to the famous Krasnoyarsk pillars, are hidden from prying eyes, although they are only 60 km away from the capital of Eastern Siberia - the city of Irkutsk.

The route to the rocks of the Olkhinsky plateau can be planned for one day off, or with an overnight stay. The plateau itself is a plateau between the valleys of the Angara and the Irkut with numerous remnant rocks.

Stone placers and lonely rocks on the flat tops of the mountains are the usual landscape of these places. Many original forms of rock shoes have beautiful names - the Old Fortress, the Old Woman Izergil, the Crow, the Pharaoh, Cleopatra.

ROUTE FEATURES

Due to its accessibility, this route can be recommended as an excellent weekend activity in any season, but especially bright colors in autumn. More than half of the way the route runs along the bed of the picturesque river Olkha.

In the Soviet period, the most famous of the entire group of rock remains - the Vityaz rock was very popular with students and beginner climbers. Every Sunday, a crowded train delivered several hundred tourists to the Orlyonok station, who walked the distance of 8 km to this rock.

Climbing competitions were regularly held here. On Vityaz, 19 named routes 25-35 meters long of the most difficult categories V-VI are marked with hooks. Skala is an ideal climbing wall with shelves, plumb lines and monolithic sections. Now there are much fewer tourists, although a road leads to Vityaz, and nearby on the banks of the Olkha, next to the rock, there is a camp site with Mongolian felt yurts.
Every year in mid-September, in a clearing near the Vityaz rock, a festival of bard songs, which has already become traditional, is held, where performers from all over Siberia come together.

HOW TO GET TO

You can get to the stone guards of the Olkhinsky plateau by car right up to the foot of the rocks, but the part of the route from the Orlyonok station to the Vityaz rock (8 km) is much more interesting to overcome on foot or by bicycle. In winter, the route is easily overcome in 30-40 minutes on cross-country skis.

By car: from Irkutsk to the exit along the Kultuksky tract and further in Shelekhov, immediately after refueling the Rosneft gas station (on the right side), turn left to the settlements of Olkha and Bolshoi Lug. The asphalt highway runs along the railroad tracks through the settlements of Olkha and Bolshoy Lug. At the Orlyonok station, you can park your car and then, through the wooden masonry across the Olkha River, take a cycling or walking tour of no more than 7-8 km along a picturesque dirt road along the Olkha River.

ATTRACTIONS

The most famous and accessible rock climb is Vityaz.

The view that opens from this rock allows you to take in the view of the entire plateau and see the surrounding sights and neighboring rocks from a bird's eye view.

In the neighborhood popular among climbers rocks Idol, Turtle, Old Woman, Fortress. They got their names because of the characteristic contours. The 30-meter Idol resembles the famous stone idols of Easter Island - the same pillar-shaped stone monolith with a slab and a head-like stone at the top.

It takes about 30 minutes (2.5 km) to walk along the path from Vityaz to the rock Idol hidden in the forest. The places here are reminiscent of the famous Krasnoyarsk Pillars, however, the rocks of the Olkhinsky plateau are less known, and are popular only among local rock climbers.

If you drive from the Bolshaya Olkha valley along the old roads up the Zyryansky 2nd stream to the top (923.7 meters), then you can walk (200 m) to the rocks of the Old Woman and the Fortress. The first is so named for its massive protruding "nose", angry "eyes" and wrinkled "face",

and the second - for the resemblance to a medieval castle.

The climbing routes here are pierced with bolt hooks. Beautiful rocks, to which you can almost drive up close by car, are also in the area of st. Andriyanovskaya and in the upper reaches of the Zazara River. The rocks themselves are clearly visible from the Kultuk tract, and from the tops of some rocks, even the blue expanse of the lake is visible.

In order to have a complete picture of the location of rock remains and stone sights on the territory of the Olkhinsky plateau, I recommend looking at this map.