Lake Teletskoye Northern Road

Forest and lake scenery on the accessible northern approach to Teletskoye.

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Why this ride

Forest and lake scenery on the accessible northern approach to Teletskoye. The road: Regional roads. Distance and riding time are estimates from the checkpoints until the road is measured on this page.

Roadbook

1. Gorno-Altaysk start

   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.

2. Artybash stop

   Artybash is a village at the northern end of Lake Teletskoye, where the lake narrows and drains into the Biya river, and its position gives it one of the best views in the Altai. The lake stretches southward between steep, forested mountains for about eighty kilometres, deep, cold and astonishingly clear. In places it is over three hundred metres deep, and the water is so pure that you can see rocks many metres below the surface. The Altai people call it Altyn-Kol, the golden lake.

   More than seventy rivers and streams flow into Teletskoye, and only one flows out, the Biya, which later joins the Katun to form the great Ob. The mountains rising from the water are covered in cedar, fir and birch, and the wall of the valley is cut by waterfalls that tumble straight into the lake. The best known of them, the Korbu, can be reached by boat from Artybash, with a short walk through the forest at the end. The lake is part of the Altai Nature Reserve and the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage Site.

   Artybash itself is a quiet resort village of wooden houses, small guesthouses and a lakeside promenade. In summer, boats run up the lake, and visitors take excursions to waterfalls and remote beaches. The lakeshore holds small cafés selling smoked fish and berries, and the sunsets are dramatic, with light turning the water to gold. The village is at the head of the lake, so there is no through road down the shore, and the long southern part can only be reached by boat or on foot.

   For riders, the road to Artybash follows the Biya river through the foothills, running along gentle curves with views of forest and distant ridges. The surface is generally decent, though it can be rough in places, and there are livestock and wildlife to watch for. In summer, tourist traffic makes the road busier, and weekends can be crowded.

   The village has a few shops and small stations, but fuel can be limited, and it is wise to fill up in Gorno-Altaysk or Turochak before arriving. The weather changes quickly, with cold mornings and warm afternoons, and thunderstorms in summer. The best months are June to September, and early autumn brings brilliant colour.

3. Iogach finish

   Lake Teletskoye begins here. At its northern tip the lake narrows and spills out into the Biya River, which flows north to join the Katun and form the Ob, one of the great rivers of Siberia. The village of Iogach stands on one bank of the outflow, Artybash on the other, linked by a bridge, and together they form the main gateway to the lake. The Altai name for Teletskoye is Altyn-Kol, the Golden Lake, and legend says a poor man threw a lump of gold into it rather than let it bring more misery.

   The lake is long, narrow and very deep, stretching about eighty kilometres south into the mountains, with steep forested shores that rise straight from the water. The water is clear and cold even in midsummer, and there is no road along most of the shore. Boats carry visitors to waterfalls, cliffs and the remote southern end, where the Chulyshman River flows in. The forests around are dense with Siberian pine, fir and birch, home to bears, maral deer and sable, and much of the eastern shore is protected as part of a nature reserve.

   As the finish of a ride along the northern road, Iogach is a fitting end. The approach from Biysk and Turochak follows the Biya valley through forest and farmland, with gentle bends and occasional climbs, and the final stretch brings the first views of the lake opening out ahead. The surface is generally paved but can be rough and potholed, especially near the end. Summer weekends bring heavy traffic and crowds of holidaymakers, so midweek or early autumn are better times to visit.

   Iogach and Artybash have plenty of guesthouses, campsites and cafes, and the shops sell smoked fish from the lake, including grayling, which is worth trying. Fuel availability can be limited, so fill up in Turochak, about fifty-four kilometres away, before heading up. Take a boat trip if you have time; the lake is best seen from the water, with the mountains rising on both sides. Then find a quiet spot on the shore and watch the evening light on the water, which turns from blue to silver to gold as the sun goes down.

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