Kozyrevsk is a village of about twelve hundred people on the Kamchatka River, set in the broad central valley of the peninsula between two long lines of volcanoes. The river here is wide and brown with glacier silt, flowing north through flat country of poplar, willow and larch, and in clear weather the cones along the horizon look almost unreal, white against a pale sky. This is the heart of one of the most active volcanic regions on the planet, and the ground and the weather both remind you of it.
The road from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Klyuchi passes through here, and it is the main artery of the north of the peninsula. Expect a mix of good asphalt and long sections of gravel or patched surface, with grit and dust in summer and mud after rain. Bends are gentle and the land is flat, so the real challenge is distance and the weather, because fog, wind and sudden rain can arrive from either coast. July to September is the realistic window, with long light and warmer days. Ash from active volcanoes sometimes dusts the road and the air, so carry eye protection and a cloth for your face.
Fuel and food are limited. Kozyrevsk has a shop and a place or two to eat, and it can arrange a bed for the night, but the next proper supplies are at Klyuchi, some fifty kilometres ahead, and the capital is a very long way back. Fill the tank before you come, carry water, and do not count on the last pump being open. In summer, locals sell dried and smoked salmon from tables beside the road, and the fish is better than anything you will find in a supermarket.
The great draw is the line of volcanoes on the eastern horizon, including Kamen, Klyuchevskaya Sopka and Bezymianny. Klyuchevskaya, at around 4,750 metres, is the highest active volcano in Eurasia, and on a calm morning its plume of steam is visible from the village. The cones and the smell of sulphur and cold ash give the place a quiet drama, and the land seems newly formed. Wander down to the river at dusk, watch the light on the snow, and feel how small one rider is in a very big landscape.