Altai, Multinsky Lakes: a trip report

This is not a screensaver from your desktop computer and not a wrapper from Swiss chocolate. This is not a wallpaper with views of the Alps. Pictures show us quite domestic beauty. The severe splendor of the mountains seems to contrast with the whiteness of the glaciers and the gentle turquoise water. Get to all this, however, also on the domestic roads. Here and there asphalt, somewhere gravel, and sometimes just a "direction". But the reward for the suffering will be wonderful landscapes, wonderful pictures and a sea of positive mood. And how nice, coming down from the mountain paths, to steam in a real Russian bathhouse. Here you will read a summary report on excursions and many-day hikes to the Multinsky Lakes. Reviews of travelers will give you an idea of how to rest in this enchanting corner of the Altai Territory.

What it is

Let us not dwell on the history of the occurrence of these reservoirs. Suffice it to say that in the last global cooling, the giant tongue of the glacier slipped from the mountains, pushing and rolling around huge boulders along the way, and punctured the bed of the future river of Multa with its weight. When it became warmer, cascading Multinsky Lakes appeared on the place of snow. They are divided moraines - natural dams of stones. Since the lakes are cascaded, waterfalls form between them. The most famous of these rifts is Noises. The name of the waterfall speaks for itself. Moraine lakes are deeper than karst and more of them. In the clear waters, mountain peaks are reflected. The hiking trip will allow you to see all the lakes without exception: Lower, Middle, Upper, Transverse, Kuyguk and Krepkikh group. Part of the way runs through the territory of the reserve. Evening gatherings by the fire, spending the night in a tent on the banks of the river, cedar forests and alpine meadows - all these give the Multinsky Lake (Altai).

How to get there

Tourists usually start their way from Barnaul, but you can choose the starting point and the city of Biysk. From the bus stations of these settlements there are regular buses to the village of Maralnik (Ust-Koksinsky district of the Altai Republic). The name of the village is beautiful - by the name of the flower. And already fifteen kilometers from the village of Maralnik are the Multinsky Lakes. How to get there by own motor transport? On the Chuysk tract, you need to go in the direction of Tuekta and, before reaching it, turn towards Ust-Kan. Arriving in the town, it is necessary to find the way to Ust-Koksy. Having passed the huntsman post of the reserve in the village of Talda and having overcome the Gromotuha Pass, in fifteen kilometers you will reach the Maralnik. In the village there are tolerable hotels, good guest houses, campsites. The car, if it's not an all-wheel drive SUV, is best left in the parking lot in the village.

Excursions

You can visit the lake not only on foot, as part of a multi-day hike. In the villages of Maralnik and Zamult, many enterprising residents earn by organizing interesting excursions. Tour "Multinsky Lakes, Altai" is held at GAZ and UAZ. In one day you can see three main reservoirs, visit Mount Red, see rock carvings of primitive people in the grotto of Kuilu. In the high water period, you can make a canoe tour all over the cascade of the Multinsky Lakes. Or ride along the northern slope of the Katun Range, peacefully swaying in the saddle. Local villages are inhabited by Old Believers, and in the town of Belukha there is a museum of everyday life of people professing this religion.

Where to stay

As already mentioned, you can find accommodation in the village of Maralnik. But it is best to dwell directly near the lakes. On the middle there is a cordon of the reserve. Nearby there are several guest houses, which are given to holidaymakers and in winter. You can recommend "Eternal Traveler". His master is a professional conductor himself, very fond of his land. There is a camping "Multinsky Lakes", where you can rent houses, or you can put your tent. On the territory there is a kitchen, a sauna. There you can book horse and car tours. This camping is located in the Old Believers' village of Zamulta, thirty kilometers from Ust-Koksy, the district center. On the banks of lakes and the river Multa there are many convenient parking places with places for tents and bonfires.

In the hike!

Most people wishing to go to the famous Altaic reservoirs live in tents at the very entrance to the Katunsky Biosphere Reserve. Thus, the Lower Lake, lying at an altitude of 1700 m above sea level, is located from a parking lot two hundred meters away. In it you can swim in the summer. Although this pond and a deep (up to 22 m) the upper layer of water warms up in July-August to +14 ... +15 degrees. Bathing, to put it mildly, invigorates, but the mountain sun warms. The Middle and Lower Multinsky Lakes connect the waterfall of the Noise. A powerful stream, falling from a height, declares its presence throughout the district. After passing the middle lake, the sightseers move up the path among the forests and alpine meadows. To go to the territory of the reserve, you must fill out a questionnaire. And then the most beautiful Upper Lake appears before our eyes . It lies at an altitude of 1860 meters. Oval shape, turquoise, surrounded by glaciers and snowy peaks. Therefore, the water in it is very cold. Even in July its temperature is only +8. Eleven streams overflow their waters into the bowl of the lake. The height of the largest roll is 60 meters.

Other lakes

In the Upper River takes its source the River Multa. But there are many more of its tributaries. They also feed on high-mountain lakes. The transverse one is located on the territory of the reserve. It gives rise to the river of the same name and lies at an altitude of 1885 m. Until the end of June, the small Upper Cross Lake is crammed with ice. After all, it is located at an altitude of more than 2000 meters. Multinsky Lakes include four turquoise pools, united under the same name - "Strong". All of them are located in a mountain circus. From these flows the river Stout. And if you cross the pass of Norilchany (2650 m), you can see Lake Taymene.