There is a moment on the Chuysky Trakt where two rivers of different colours meet, and this is it. The Chuya, cold, clear and bluish, flows in from the southeast and joins the Katun, which carries a milky green from glacial silt, and for a short distance the two run side by side before blending.
The road runs along the Chuya's valley, cut into the cliffs above the river, with sheer rock walls on one side and a drop on the other. The tarmac is generally good but narrow in places, with blind bends, and the rock face means you sometimes ride through patches of shade even at midday. There are viewing points where cars and bikes pull over, and it is wise to use them, rather than stopping on a corner. The steep rock faces are home to nesting birds, and the river below is loud with rapids. Spring and early summer bring the highest, muddiest water, while autumn is quieter and the colours of the larch and birch glow on the slopes.
The Chuya valley has been a corridor for thousands of years. Nomads moved through it, caravans carried goods from Mongolia, and rock carvings along the road record herds and hunters from the Bronze Age. When the Chuysky Trakt was built in the twentieth century, workers blasted much of it out of the cliffs, and sections still carry the marks of that work. Rafting groups use the Katun here for its strong rapids, and you will see their buses and rubber boats at launch points on busy days.
The landscape is both wild and open. Steep slopes of grass and rock rise above the road, with patches of larch and pine, and snow peaks glimmer in the distance when the sky is clear. The river's sound follows you, and cold air from the water makes the bends feel cool even on a warm day. Hawks hang in the updraft above the cliffs.
Fuel is not available at the confluence, and Inya has only the basics, so fill your tank in Onguday before heading south. Bring a warm layer, water and snacks, and go slowly, since the road is shared with trucks and livestock.