Abr means cloud in Persian, and the name tells you exactly what the forest does. On the northern flank of the Alborz mountains, moist air from the Caspian Sea rolls in and settles over the ridges, and the woods of Abr are often wrapped in a cold, wet mist, a green world that feels a thousand kilometres from the desert plateau of central Iran. It is the same range that shields the plateau from rain, so within a few hours you can pass from sparse, sun-baked hills to dripping forest, a contrast that startles anyone who has crossed it.
The village of Abr lies in the province of Semnan, near the town of Shahroud, which sits on the old Khorasan Road, the great east-west highway that carried silk and spices from China to the Mediterranean. Nearby is Bastam, where the ninth-century mystic Bayazid Bastami is buried, and where Mongol-era builders added a shrine and a mosque. The road between Shahroud and the Caspian provinces climbs through the mountains in a series of long switchbacks, with views over the folds of the range and a feeling of travelling between worlds.
The forest is part of the broader Hyrcanian forests, which UNESCO listed in 2019, a belt of ancient broadleaf woodland that stretches along the Caspian coast. Oak, hornbeam, beech and the Persian ironwood give the forest its character, and in autumn it turns copper and gold. Leopards live in these mountains, though you are very unlikely to see one, and brown bears, wild boar and roe deer are also found.
For a rider, the mountain roads are spectacular but demanding, with tight bends, steep climbs, trucks in the lower sections and heavy fog higher up. Conditions change fast, and in winter snow can close the passes. Late spring and autumn are the best seasons. Always check local conditions, since road surfaces and access may vary.
Azadshahr, thirty-six kilometres away, is the nearest sizeable town, with fuel and food. Qarnabad, a village, has few services. Fill the tank before you climb, and carry warm clothing and water.