Chuysky Trakt Lower Altai

The opening Altai stages, moving from forested foothills to major passes.

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Why this ride

The opening Altai stages, moving from forested foothills to major passes. The road: R256. Distance and riding time are estimates from the checkpoints until the road is measured on this page.

Roadbook

1. Biysk start

   The ride begins in Biysk, a city of just over two hundred thousand on the northern doorstep of the Altai, at the point where the Biya and the Katun rivers join to form the Ob. That fact alone gives the place a certain quiet importance, since the Ob goes on to run for thousands of kilometres across Siberia to the Arctic. Zarya and Pervomayskoye are small settlements just beyond the edge of town.

   As a starting point it could hardly be easier. Biysk has everything: fuel, markets, cafes, hotels, mechanics and tyre shops, so fill up, eat well and check the bike before you leave. The city is flat and a little sleepy, with wooden houses mixed in among Soviet blocks, and the main roads are broad. Heading south, you leave the steppe behind and climb gradually toward the first foothills, with the Chuysky Trakt, the famous highway to Mongolia, taking over as your road. Early morning is a lovely time, with mist over the river fields and the first hint of blue mountains ahead.

   Biysk dates from 1709, when a wooden fort was founded here by order of Peter the Great as a frontier post against nomadic raiders. It grew into a trading town for Altai goods, honey, grain and furs, and its merchant houses still show some of that prosperity. The Chuysky Trakt began as a caravan track to Mongolia and was upgraded into a modern road in the early twentieth century, and Biysk is the traditional start of that journey. There is a museum in town devoted to local history, and the river embankments make a pleasant evening walk.

   The landscape on the way out is gentle at first. Wide fields of wheat, sunflowers and rapeseed, with birch groves between them, give way to the Altai foothills, where pine and larch begin to appear. In July the air smells of hay and warm earth, in late September the birches turn gold, and in winter the road can be very cold and icy.

   A practical point: the first stretch is busy with trucks and holiday traffic, so be patient and keep alert. The real riding starts south of Gorno-Altaysk, where the road starts to curl along the Katun. Make sure you leave with a full tank and a warm layer.

2. Gorno-Altaysk stop

   Gorno-Altaysk lies where the Altai begins. The capital of the Altai Republic is a small city of about fifty-five thousand people in a green valley at the foot of the mountains, close to the confluence of the Mayma and the Katun, and it is the entry point to a region of snowy peaks, turquoise rivers and big skies. The mountains of the Altai, in the heart of Siberia, are on UNESCO's World Heritage list as the Golden Mountains of Altai, and they reach 4,506 metres at Belukha, the highest peak in Siberia.

   From here, the Chuysky Trakt, the M52 highway, runs south-east for hundreds of kilometres, all the way to the Mongolian border. It is often named among the most beautiful roads in the world, and riders will quickly see why. It winds along the Katun River, whose water is a milky turquoise from glacial silt, climbs over passes with long views, and drops into deep valleys with small villages and herds of horses. The surface is good by Russian standards and the bends are smooth, though trucks and tourist buses make some sections busy, and rain, rockfalls or road works can slow the pace.

   The Altai is also a landscape of ancient history. The Pazyryk people, nomadic horsemen, buried their chiefs in frozen tombs here more than two thousand years ago, and the ice preserved tattoos, textiles and horses with astonishing detail. The indigenous Altaians keep shamanic traditions, and sacred sites with ribbons tied to trees can be found along the road. Lake Teletskoye, to the north-east, is the deepest lake in the Altai at about 325 metres, and a rough road runs along part of its shore.

   Gorno-Altaysk has fuel, food and hotels, and Mayma next door has more. Services along the Chuysky Trakt are regular, but thin out in the far south. The best season is June to September, with cool nights, and snow can arrive early at altitude. Foreign riders should check current rules before planning a trip.

3. Manzherok stop

   Manzherok is where the Altai begins to feel like mountains. The village sits on the Katun River, which runs a startling turquoise, colored by glacial silt, through a valley of larch, birch and meadows with snowy peaks beyond. It is the first of a string of resort villages along the Chuysky Trakt, the old highway that runs from Biysk through the Altai Republic to the Mongolian border, and for many riders it is the first moment the road starts to climb in earnest.

   The Chuysky Trakt, M52, has a reputation as one of the most beautiful roads in Russia, even in the world, a claim made by travel writers for decades. It follows an ancient caravan route that Russian engineers turned into a proper road in the 1920s and 1930s, and it passes through steppe, taiga and alpine country in the space of a few hundred kilometers. Here at Manzherok, the surroundings are gentle: a small lake, a ski slope with a chairlift that runs in summer for the view, and holiday camps tucked into the trees. Gorno-Altaysk, the republic's capital, is about eighteen kilometers away.

   The ride beyond is where the character emerges. The road follows the Katun upstream through green gorges, with the river flashing below, and then climbs through the Seminsky Pass before descending toward Onguday. Surfaces are generally good, but trucks and tour buses make passing awkward, and cattle sometimes graze beside the road. Weather changes quickly in the mountains: bright sunshine can give way to sudden rain, and mountain mist can hide the peaks.

   The village has shops, cafes and some fuel along the main road, but Gorno-Altaysk has the bigger stations and supermarkets, so fill the tank there before the climb. In summer, horse flies and gadflies are a nuisance, and in September the nights turn cold. The best months are June and early September, when the air is clear and the larches begin to turn gold. Altai honey, sold at roadside stalls, is a local specialty, and a jar makes a good souvenir. Always check the road conditions after heavy rain, as landslides and washouts can close sections.

4. Onguday finish

   Onguday sits on the Chuysky Trakt in the central Altai, a village of several thousand people stretched along the road with the Katun River nearby, and it is the main service stop between the Seminsky Pass and the high steppe further south. The Altai people, a Turkic-speaking group with their own traditions of shamanism and, more recently, of a local faith called Burkhanism, are the heart of the population here, and the villages show their culture in carved wooden figures, festival grounds and yurt-style cafes.

   The landscape around is a classic Altai mix: forested ridges, wide river valleys and, to the south, snow-capped peaks along the Mongolian frontier. The road runs through open valleys of larch and pine, with cliffs of pale stone. The nearby Seminsky Pass, at about 1,717 meters, is a notable high point of the highway, with a long, gently winding climb through spruce forest and a view from the top. South of Onguday, the road climbs again over Chike-Taman, a pass of about 1,295 meters built in the 1960s that offers sweeping views, before dropping toward Aktash.

   It is an exciting road to ride, though it needs attention. Hairpins and drops, narrow bridges and long grades are common, and the pavement can show frost cracks and patches. Trucks heading to Mongolia use the road, and tourist buses fill it in July and August, so passing demands patience. Cows, sheep and horses wander onto the road without warning, and the weather can change from sun to snow in an hour, even in summer. A warm layer and waterproofs are always wise.

   Onguday has fuel stations, shops, guesthouses and cafes, and it is the last place with a wide choice for a good way south, so fill up here. Local food includes lamb dishes, dumplings, and dairy products, and roadside stands sell honey, nuts and berries. The best time to ride is June to early September, with July the warmest, though the nights are cool. Early autumn brings golden larches, and winter closes many side roads. Always check the forecast, since sudden storms can cause rockfall on mountain sections.

Where this sits

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