The sun, the whisper of waves and a clean sandy beach – thoughts about this in the heat often interfere with work and make us look forward to weekends and vacations with enthusiasm. If you want to relax close to home, local reservoirs come to the rescue. Residents of the Urals are lucky in this regard: in the Chelyabinsk region it is difficult to even count the natural treasures; it is not without reason that it is called the lake region. Add to this mountain ranges and impressive cliffs, the smell of a pine forest and stunning sunsets, as well as the opportunity to go fishing and eat plenty of blueberries – and you’ll soon be off on vacation. We have selected the five most interesting Chelyabinsk “seas” that are worth visiting in the summer.
How to get to Chelyabinsk
It is more convenient from Moscow by plane; ticket prices start from 3,500 rubles* one way. The journey by train will take 32 hours, a ticket can be bought from 4,300 rubles*. By car you will have to cover almost 1,800 km. From the regional capital you can easily reach each of the lakes by car.
Zyuratkul: national park, eco-trails and pikes
Zyuratkul is the highest mountain lake in the Urals, located in the national park of the same name in the Satka region. If you want to combine a beach and active holiday, this is definitely the place for you. Just imagine: the setting rays of the sun silver the water surface, and all around rise the Zyuratkul, Nurgush, Urenga and Moskal ranges covered with dense taiga.
The lake is home to 17 species of fish, including pike, bream, burbot, roach and ide. Fishing is free; motor boats are prohibited. With proper luck, you will catch a royal pike weighing up to 12 kg. Swimming is quite cool even in August, but it’s nice to soak up the sun on the rocks or swim on the glanders.
Set aside one day for a walk to the Zyuratkul ridge – a wooden eco-trail has been laid to the area of subalpine meadows, along which it is convenient to climb. Admire the flowering carpet – here you can find relict alpine aster and Permian anemone. Next you need to climb a little along the kurumnik – stones of various shapes and sizes. On the ridge there are interesting large rocky outcrops called “Bear”, composed of blocks of white quartzite — try to discern a formidable beast in them. And one of the peaks in the southern part of the ridge, the conical Goluya Sopka, is often called White because of the rock sparkling in the sun and is compared to a giant sugar loaf. The panorama from the top of Zyuratkul is one of the most beautiful in the Urals: ridges blue to the horizon, the mirror of the lake and the greenery of the taiga. The length of the trail in both directions is 12 km.
How to get there:
Zyuratkul is 180 km away, which is more convenient to travel by car. Public transport goes to the city of Satka, closest to the park, then only by taxi or ride.
Where to stay:
With a tent on the shore and a view of the sunset or in cozy houses of the Zyuratkul eco-park, the cost of accommodation starts from 3,600 rubles* per night. Entrance to the territory of the national park is paid – 200 rubles per person.
Turgoyak – Ural Baikal
Turgoyak is called the Ural Baikal for its amazing purity – water transparency reaches up to 18 meters, the lake regularly takes an honorable second place in ratings like the “crystal seven”. This is explained by the fact that the reservoir “lies” in a giant granite bowl and is replenished by numerous underground springs. Water passes through the rock and is filtered naturally. The beaches here are mostly rocky, but there are also sandy beaches.
Turgoyak is one of the deepest reservoirs in the region, the maximum level is 34 meters. The coastline stretches for 27 km and accommodates a village beach, dozens of recreation centers, campsites, wild sites and secluded creeks, children’s health camps and sanatoriums.
Turgoyak has its own fleet, you can rent a yacht and go fishing, take a tour of the water area or visit Vera Island in the western part of the lake. Before the revolution of 1917, Old Believers escaped from the world on this tiny piece of land, and even earlier, religious buildings of ancient people were located here. During the excursion you will be told many legends not only about hermits and thousand-year-old sanctuaries, but also about Emelyan Pugachev: according to legend, the leader of a peasant uprising hid from the tsarist troops in a cave on the north-eastern shore. Not far from the grotto, next to the Golden Beach hotel, it is worth taking a walk to the rocky Cape Mother-in-law to admire the stunning views of the water surface and surrounding hills.
How to get there:
Just 120 km along the road towards Miass, and you find yourself in the village of the same name on the shores of Lake Turgoyak.
Where to stay:
Here a huge selection of bases, hotels, campsites and apartments for every taste and budget, from the Golden Beach resort (from 8,300 rubles* per night) and Resort Forelka (from 6,300 rubles* per night) to the ethnic complex and wild coastal sites, where You can pitch your own tent for free.
Itkul and Shaitan-stone: legends and monsters
A shallow lake by local standards with colorful pebbles, clear water, sandy beaches, picturesque green hills and forests rich in blueberries. The name translates from Bashkir as “meat lake”: a lot of fish and even crayfish are still found here. The average depth is from three to five meters, in shallow water the water warms up quite quickly for the Urals (to about 20°C): even children swim. The gently sloping shores, convenient for descending to the water, in the eastern part of the lake in the southern part are replaced by steep rocky cliffs covered with coniferous and birch forest.
The main local attraction is the ten-meter rock-island Shaitan-Kamen. It rises like a formidable guard a couple of tens of meters from the southern shore. In winter you can get to it by ice, in summer you can swim or take a boat. Bashkir legends call the stone sacred, and local residents report a mysterious snake similar to the Loch Ness monster, which supposedly sometimes appears in the lake. The mysticism of the place was added by the famous Ural writer Pavel Bazhov, who depicted in the tale “The Golden Hair” a giant snake surrounding Itkul with rings of fire.
How to get there:
On the highway to Yekaterinburg, then turn to Kasli and Vishnevogorsk, landmark – the villages of Itkul or Dautovo. The distance from Chelyabinsk is slightly less than 200 km. The short route through the closed city of Snezhinsk is inaccessible to tourists.
Where to stay:
It’s better at a campsite or in a wild parking lot – this way you can admire not only the beauty of nature, but also the starry sky. We recommend coming on weekdays: due to the proximity to Yekaterinburg, in the hot summer, all convenient places for relaxation closer to the water are occupied on Friday.
Arakul: lake and majestic rocks
A secluded lake is hidden in the forest at the foot of the Arakul Shikhan – a lonely mountain with rocks at the top. Don’t rush to open the swimming season – the lake is fed by underground springs and warms up slowly, so even on the hottest days the water temperature can be below 20°C. Here it’s nice to wander ankle-deep in cool and clear water, admiring the rocky ridge and forests to the horizon. The bottom off the coast is sandy and pebble, with silt appearing closer to the center. The average depth is 3.5 meters. Along the banks there are many fishing camps with fire pits – ruffe, bream, perch, roach, pike, whitefish, crucian carp, muksun, peled are found here.
After splashing around in the shallow waters to your heart’s content, be sure to take a walk to Shikhan, an impressive granite massif at the top of the mountain. The gigantic ridge, reaching a height of 80 meters, stretches two kilometers in length. The shape of the rock slabs resembles pancakes stacked on top of each other; some have preserved stone bowls of regular shape – traces of the presence of ancient people in these places.
Extreme lovers can go rock climbing – there are more than a hundred routes in several sectors, from the simplest beginners to the most difficult, or ride a mountain bike on one, but difficult “red” route with rocks, roots and steep slopes. It’s nice to end a busy day at the top, watching how the last rays of the sun fill the surrounding spaces with warm light.
How to get there:
First focus on the village of Vishnevogorsk, it is about 145 km from Chelyabinsk, then 8 km to Arakul. About a kilometer after the village you will see a forest road on the left. Leave your car in the impromptu parking lot near the highway and hit the road – it takes about twenty minutes to walk to the shore.
Where to stay:
You can pitch your tent at one of the fishing sites on the shore or higher up, at the foot of the cliffs – there is more space for a camp. You can rent a house and take a steam bath in the village.
Uvildy: relax and improve your health
Uvildy is the largest lake of natural origin in the Chelyabinsk region. Its area is almost 70 km², which is larger than the territory of San Marino. The average depth is 14 meters, and water transparency reaches 10 meters. Uvildy is called the “blue pearl” or the Ural Sea. The reservoir is famous for its open spaces, clean water with low mineralization, almost seven dozen small and large islands, gentle banks and, as a result, numerous sanatoriums and resorts. The bottom is mostly rocky, sometimes sandy and pebbly. The lake has good fishing, including underwater: there are pike, ripus, whitefish, crucian carp, perch, ide and even crayfish.
Fishermen and curious tourists are attracted by the various islands and quiet backwaters, which are so interesting to explore on a yacht under snow-white sails or on a rowing boat. Gasoline engines are prohibited here, as in Zyuratkul. The largest island, Berezovy, will delight you with mushrooms and berries, Spruce – with evergreen tall beautiful spruce trees, and there is also Elm, Alder, Beech, Dolgonkiy, Morskoy and many others.
Lake Uvildy is known as a balneological resort: local radon springs and healing sapropel mud are actively used in sanatoriums. You can get to the beaches of recreation centers for 400-500 rubles per person; they also rent out SUPs, kayaks, boats or snorkeling equipment. And fans of sports spectacles will certainly enjoy the sailing competitions that are held in August.
How to get there:
The distance from Chelyabinsk is 80 km, focus first on the village of Argayashskoye, and then on the village of Uvildy.
Where to stay:
On the shores and islands of the lake there are more than a hundred accommodation options, from tourist centers and campsites (prices from 500-1000 rubles for setting up a tent or a room per night) to sanatoriums, apartments and cottages, for example, “Reserve Lake”. We draw the attention of camping enthusiasts that it is better to stay in campsites – wild camping sites are difficult to find.
*Prices valid at time of publication.
Hotel booking will take a few minutes if you do it on the OneTwoTrip website or app.
