The Seminsky Pass is the first real mountain test on the Chuysky Trakt, the old highway that runs from the Siberian plain into the heart of the Altai and on to Mongolia. It tops out at about 1,717 metres, a height that does not sound dramatic until you remember you started in the lowlands, and it separates the green valley around Shebalino from the long run toward Onguday. Shebalino, the nearest town of any size, lies on the north side, so fuel is there, not on the summit.
The road itself is good tarmac, rebuilt over the years and regularly maintained. Up from Shebalino, it winds through larch and pine forest in a series of long, steady bends, climbing more gently than the name suggests. At the top the trees thin out and the light opens, and on a clear day you can see ridge after ridge of Altai mountains fading into blue. The descent to the south is a little steeper, with sharper bends and faster trucks, so use your brakes with care, especially in wet weather. Fog and rain can roll in with surprising speed here, and in winter the pass is icy.
The Chuysky Trakt has a long history. It began as a trade route between Siberia and Mongolia, used by merchants carrying tea, cloth and furs, and in the 1920s it was rebuilt for motor traffic largely by hand, with picks, shovels and dynamite. Today it is one of the most famous roads in Russia, and National Geographic once named it among the most beautiful in the world. The pass is a point on that long story.
Around the summit, the landscape is typical of the northern Altai: taiga forest, mossy clearings and slopes covered with ferns, and in summer a thick scatter of wildflowers. Bees buzz in the meadows, and roadside stalls sell honey from the surrounding hills, which is worth stopping for. Larch needles turn golden in late September, and the air smells of resin.
Practically, check the weather before crossing, wear a warm layer even in summer, and be careful of loose gravel on the shoulder. There are small cafes on both sides, but nothing on the very top except a view.