Ulagansky district of the Altai Republic in the tourist area of the Chuya river basin, 7 kilometers from the large village of Aktash, near the Mena tourist base, there is a small thermal lake called Secret, Silver or Blue with a surprisingly beautiful turquoise color of water and a bottom of bright blue silt and sand. Against the backdrop of the dark coniferous taiga growing around the Mena tourist resort, the Blue Lake thermal lake looks surreal. At the bottom of this mountain reservoir, thermal springs beat, every minute changing the picture of the bottom and taking out from the ground a beautiful bright blue silt.
Thermal lakes of this kind are found almost everywhere in the territory or in the seismically active zone of the Yellowstone National Park in the USA, the more surprising is the location of such a reservoir in the geologically old Paleozoic Caledonian-Hercynian mountains of Altai. The old Altai name of the reservoir among the Aktash taiga is unknown. It is noteworthy that the old-timers of the Chui steppe, residents of Aktash, Ini and Chibita never suspected the existence of this amazing reservoir. Perhaps the unique Geyser Lake among the taiga Aktash thickets arose quite recently after a powerful earthquake in 2003 in the Altai mountains.
The diameter of the most beautiful mountain lake reservoir near the village of Aktash is about 30 meters, while the depth of the lake basin is about 2 meters. Thermal springs give it a bizarre and very colorful look, changing the picture of the muddy bottom, raising bright blue silt from the depths of the earth. At the bottom of the reservoir there are many fallen trees covered with emerald green moss. Distortion of the picture of the bottom and surface of the water is also observed in the reservoir. Here, as nowhere else, you can observe the unique impressionism of Mother Nature.
The geyser secret lake of the rarest beauty, the only one in the Altai mountains, which has no analogues in these mountains, the "earthly eye", open to the Universe, non-freezing even in severe winters, attracts tourists with its unique beauty both in summer and winter. A narrow taiga path never grows to it. These marvelous places among the Altai black taiga with an amazingly beautiful Secret Pond are becoming more and more popular.
How to get to the Geyser Lake
It is not difficult to get to the Geyser Lake, you have to move along the Chuisky tract towards Mongolia and Kosh-Agach to Aktash. Having overcome the path to this village, where the Gorno-Altai border guard detachment is based, you need to drive a little more about seven kilometers to the border zone to the tourist base "Chuyskaya Valley" located at 795 km of the Chuysky tract or the recreation center "Meny" at 796 km of this legendary road. Connoisseurs of these places claim that the path is farther from the tourist base "Chuyskaya Dolina", but it is drier. From the tourist base "Mena" the path is shorter, but passes through a damp, swampy area.
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The road to the secret Geyser Lake, rare for Altai in its origin, among the taiga thickets at the foot of the Severo-Chuysky ridge from the tourist base "Chuyskaya Dolina" is well equipped. A fairly noticeable and easily passable path up to 2 meters wide leads from the Chuiskaya Dolina to the unique reservoir. The staff of the base removed the windbreak, which was on it, and the path was further widened.
Walk to the Geyser Lake
Young people will be able to walk at a leisurely pace to the Secret Lake and return in 30-40 minutes, tourists of venerable age can cope with a walk in 1.5-2 hours. A wide path from the recreation center with the sonorous name "Chuyskaya Valley" of tourists leads to a solid footbridge over the Mena River, its width here is about three meters. Behind the bridge, the path leads in a southeast direction for 1.5 km through a vast meadow and coniferous forest. To the left of the path is a damp swamp with islands of open water.
The landmarks for the walk from the Chuyskaya Valley will be the power transmission line supports, the experts in these places will immediately say that the supports must be considered. From "Chuyskaya Dolina" and the bridge across the Mena River, where the first pylon of the power line is located, you have to go to the sixth pylon about three hundred meters.
From the base with the sonorous name "Mena", which means "silver", you need to move to the right towards the power line supports. After about 500 meters, the trail runs along an open meadow along the houses of the Mena base. Then the trail crosses the swampy area along logs - "crossings", their camp workers laid in the dampest places. In this, tourists will be helped by "lay down", the usual long sticks found at the beginning of the marsh crossing, which should be supported when overcoming a damp place.
From the swamp further the path goes into the taiga, you need to focus on the designations in the form of bright red ribbons. Having passed through the taiga massif among firs and spruces, thorny high bushes through thickets of soft moss and lingonberry in the Menka river valley at the foot of a high hill, tourists find themselves on a clearing of power lines. Here you already have the opportunity to look around the terrain, orient yourself well enough and determine the direction of further movement. It is important, among the many animal paths, to find the main one on this walk, leading to the Secret Lake.
When walking along the taiga path, you need to be very careful not to get scratched by thorny bushes, not to stumble, slip and twist your foot on the stones, or get stuck in swampy areas. The reference point will be the power line support from the swamp to the left, you must boldly head towards it. Further, travelers move in the direction of the power transmission lines and go to the taiga lake, because it is located in the forest 50 meters from the support. The beauty of the incredibly attractive emerald-turquoise taiga reservoir more than compensates tourists for all their wanderings in the taiga in search of it. You will never hear the expression “well, you shouldn't have come, you shouldn't have looked for it” on the path. Tourists return from the taiga tired, often scratched, bitten by bloodsuckers, with dirty shoes, but unusually satisfied and happy.
More recently, another path has appeared to the Secret Lake, lost in the taiga, from the actively under construction tourist base with the sonorous name "Little Paradise". The path from this recreation center is noticeably shorter and drier, only here and there through humid places, the Menka stream and the Mena river, wide bridges of foliage boards are laid, such a completely ecological path. Tourists and guests of Gorny Altai are more satisfied with the new path than the already known paths in the taiga.
Features of travel to the lake
Before heading to the Secret Lake, you need to think about some of the features of this walk. It will be better to walk in the taiga in closed shoes, trousers and clothes with long sleeves. Repellents will not interfere with such a walk. Although there are practically no mosquitoes and gnats here, hungry gadflies and horseflies, which are quite common for rural areas, can cause serious concern. You have to constantly wave your arms, driving away aggressive taiga bloodsuckers. For this reason, at times, when visiting the most beautiful body of water among the Aktash taiga, it is difficult to concentrate on calm and unhurried photography and get high-quality pictures of the lake and its surroundings.
Tourists who have a polarizing filter on their cameras will be incredibly happy, because after all, the reflection of the coniferous forest and the surrounding mountains will not interfere with photographing the changing pattern of the lake bottom. You need to stay on the pond a little longer in order to personally observe the processes taking place at its bottom.
A large stream Menka flows into the Secret Lake and flows out of it, so that the reservoir is flowing. On the water of the lake among the dark coniferous taiga, dark round streaks are noticeable, which reflect the processes taking place at the bottom. There, in the mysterious depths, underground springs - "geysers" periodically come to life, one large and five small ones, throwing bright blue clay, silt and sand onto the bottom surface. When they are active, dark circles of different shapes are formed at the bottom of the reservoir. Some travelers will be able to see such an "eruption" and reflect the process on photographic film.
Is it possible to swim in the geyser lake
You can swim in the Secret Lake, but there are very few approaches to the water, we can say that there are practically none, the water in it is cold and crystal clear, the bottom of the reservoir is viscous, muddy. On the path, tourists can walk around a small taiga reservoir and find a good perspective. Here you need to choose a convenient elevated place on the shore, from where the reservoir and the picture of its bottom will open, power lines and electrical wires, as well as their reflection, will not be visible in the picture.
A secret lake in the Aktash taiga has such transparent water that when even a small fish swims, it can be seen from afar. Each pine needle is visible at the bottom. Grayling (charagan) has been artificially launched into the Secret Lake. But, many tourists, when checking the depth of the reservoir, understand that it is about two meters. Swimming in the Secret Lake is extremely popular among people who practice cold extreme swimming and winter swimming. You can also swim in the Secret Lake in winter, because the reservoir does not freeze at all even in severe winters.
Many tourists and guests of Altai, having heard for the first time about such an amazing taiga reservoir, try, according to comments on the Internet and the stories of travelers who have visited it, to see the unique natural miracle formed by Mother Nature on a trip to Altai. Taiga around the Secret Lake, soft moss underfoot, hiding steps, lack of wind at the foot of a high hill, bright colors of nature create the impression of a hidden place. The secret Geyser Lake is very beautiful on clear sunny days, in winter snowfalls and in bright golden Altai autumn. It is better to visit this marvelous alpine lake on a clear sunny day, when the colors of nature are the brightest and most vivid.