Livadia height, popularly known as Pidan, translated from Chinese means "Big rocks", and from the ancient Jurzhen: "Stones piled by God." Not only every Primorets knows about it, but also tourists from all over the world strive to include it in the list of conquered peaks.
The most famous peak of the Livadia ridge, from the foot to the highest point, is shrouded in secrets, myths and legends. Climbing the mountain cannot be called easy, but rather it is intended for experienced tourists. But that is precisely its uniqueness. The mountain attracts completely different people, uniting them with a common goal - to conquer the mystical heights.
The mountain attracts completely different people, uniting them with a common goal - to conquer the mystical hill.. Photo: Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Pidan is deservedly a pearl of mountain tourism in Primorye. The mountain is not the highest, but the ascent is so unusual, the relief changes dozens of times along the way. It is not for nothing that the Livadia height is included in the list of peaks for climbing in the "Primorsky leopard" nomination.
Reference: "Primorsky Bars" is an honorary badge established by the Primorsky Federation of Sports Tourism. It is awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign states and stateless persons who have climbed the tops of ten mountains of the Primorsky Territory, regardless of the time of the ascent. Awarded after confirmation of the fact of ascent by providing photographs of the applicant at the control points at each peak.
Infographics. Photo: IA PrimaMedia. Mountain: Pidan (Livadia). Location: Shkotovsky district of Primorsky Krai near the village of Lukyanovka. Height: 1332 meters. Climb: 1130 meters
How to get there?
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It is better for "horseless" tourists to get up in the morning and catch the first electric train "Vladivostok-Nakhodka". On the way, you can sleep for a legal 2.5 hours or enjoy the beauty of the region in the rays of dawn. Skrebtsov Island, or simply "Kovrizhka" among the people, can be observed from Chaika to Sanatornaya, the snow-covered sea surface - from Sedanka to Vesennyaya, an old military airfield on the Amur Bay. In the midst of summer, the look will be delighted with the blooming of the Red Book pink lotuses under the "Razdolny" and the birch groves on the shore of the lake behind the Sovkhoznaya station. You need to get off at the station 74 kilometers. In the warm season, right at the platform, local drivers are waiting for tourists on the ZILs, who, for a fee, will take them directly to the foot, arrange an excursion and bring them back. In winter, you can get to the foot by prior arrangement with the guides. Particularly hardy travelers can walk this path. From the train station to the foot, the path will take 4-4.5 hours, the village of Lukyanovka, located near the foot of the great mountain, will become the right landmark on the road. There you can take a break and gain strength for the next stage of the journey. On the way to Lukyanovka, two kilometers from the station, there is a ski resort "S-Nezhnaya", where it is so pleasant to slide down the mountain slope in the midst of winter. But if the ascent and descent are planned on the same day, you should hurry. From the village to the beginning of the ascent, you will have to walk about 15 km more. On the way to Lukyanovka, two kilometers from the station, there is the S-Nezhnaya ski base, on which it is so pleasant to slide down the mountain slope in the midst of winter. But if the ascent and descent are planned on the same day, you should hurry. From the village to the beginning of the ascent, you will have to walk about 15 km more. On the way to Lukyanovka, two kilometers from the station, there is the S-Nezhnaya ski base, on which it is so pleasant to slide down the mountain slope in the midst of winter. But if the ascent and descent are planned on the same day, you should hurry. From the village to the beginning of the ascent, you will have to walk about 15 km more.
The view from the top is magnificent. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
It is also better to leave by car at dawn, the ascent to the mountain is not fast, and wandering through the taiga at dusk is not the most tempting prospect. Along the Vladivostok-Nakhodka highway, bypassing the Shkotovsky serpentine, we reach the village of Smolyaninovo, where you need to turn left to Novonezhino. Further along the road, more than once you will come across signs telling you how to get to Lukyanovka. Not every SUV will make it from the village to the foot, the road is broken, the track is very deep, small rivers run across the path. In winter, they do not have time to completely freeze due to the constant flow of tourists. It makes sense to leave the car in the village and walk.
Stone megaliths near the top. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Taiga trail
Right at the foot, in the center of the Ussuri taiga, there is a large glade, touched by civilization. There, at the height of the tourist season, ZILs are waiting for their passengers, local handicraftsmen sell thematic souvenirs and even deploy a field kitchen. This is the starting point of a long climb. It is impossible to get lost, the wide, well-trodden path leads travelers to the goal.
The crystal clear, icy mountain river, which flows directly from under the mountain, will accompany the guests of Pidan to the most difficult part of the ascent. There is an assumption that the river and all the streams running downward come from a large underground lake hidden in the very depths. Even in the coldest winter, the river does not freeze completely. Streams of water persistently flow down the frozen waterfalls and run down. According to the popular legend, the temple of the ancient gods is hidden in the mountain. According to local beliefs, one who has plunged into the sacred waters will at once gain good health. If we move away from the esoteric part, then in practice the water is very tasty. You want to drink on the rise all the time, and every extra gram of luggage seems to an unprepared tourist a heavy burden, therefore, in order not to carry a bottle of water with you,you can simply take a small, empty bottle and fill it with cool, clean water from time to time.
Ussuri taiga. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
The mountain path, dotted with soft needles and cones, persistently stretches up through the taiga. In winter, it is very difficult for an unprepared tourist to walk along it. Somewhere the legs fall into loose snow, and somewhere they slide inexorably off the road. From time to time, you can see traces of forest dwellers on the snow. In summer, century-old pines are braided with lemongrass and actinidia lianas. The road is periodically blocked by huge boulders and tree roots covered with thick moss. A slight rustle and squeak is heard everywhere; life is in full swing in the thickets along the path. Chipmunks, foxes, hedgehogs, squirrels scurry about in the dense grass. However, apart from these harmless beasts, Pidan is also home to snakes. Mouthworms, vipers and snakes occasionally crawl over the road.
Taiga forest. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
The first halt of the ascent will be in a small clearing, where you need to collect water for the future, so that there is enough to reach the top and on the way back. The river in this place goes downhill. Further, the trail will go up sharply, a steep incline, slippery roots, trunks of fallen trees will complicate the path. However, this section, although it seems like an eternity, will soon end and the tourist's eyes in an instant will open the last, most mysterious stage of the ascent. It is here that you can stay for the night, the clearing is reliably fenced off from the mountain wind by bushes. There is also a wish tree that stores the innermost dreams of pilgrims. The abundance of colored ribbons on the branches immediately attracts attention. Following the belief, you need to make your most cherished wish, tie your ribbon to a branch and climb to the top.
The ascent is so unusual, the terrain changes dozens of times along the way. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Stone path
Megaliths of different shapes and sizes lie chaotically on top of each other and a narrow mountain path disappears into the stone sea. The stones are so large that they are almost half visible from under the thickness of the snow in winter. In summer, honeysuckle, rare, Red Book plants grow right among the stones, bare trunks of pine trees are scattered everywhere. There are no needles on them, they are dried, dead trees. It is about this site that many myths are formed. How did these boulders get here? According to the most famous legend:
“God was looking at the earth and saw two Bohai warriors throwing stones at each other. The heroes hardly found them in the thick of the forest, and from that their training turned more into a search for stones than into honing martial art. And one soldier exclaimed: “Oh, if there were many stones here, we would become stronger and glorify our gods!” And God heard it. And God created stones, gathered them in the palm and poured them out in a convenient place. And so many stones fit in the hand of God that the height of the piled heap surpassed all the nearest heights and a mountain was formed of stones. The mountain was named Pidan, which means “stones poured by God,” and the place became forbidden for ordinary people to visit. Only priests could climb to the top at a certain time. They made sacrifices to the gods and talked to them …"
View from the top of Pidan. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Looking at the mysterious stone rise, at the bizarre figures made of stone, clearly by no man, you begin to believe in ancient beliefs.
Gradually, the already narrow path completely dissolves into stones, then you have to climb up huge boulders, here you need to be careful not to slip and fall into deep crevices. The path from the beginning of the stone path to the top takes 40-60 minutes. The majestic stone dolmens are visible from any ascent point, the most famous of them is the Maori stone guardian, the Devil's Finger dolmen. In this place, travelers often change their mood, technology stops working, they are visited by severe fatigue or, on the contrary, a surge of joy. But the maximum happiness befalls the tourists who finally set foot on the top. The mountain has been conquered. Landscapes of incredible beauty stretch around. In clear weather, you can clearly see the Sea of Japan in the sun, the seaside taiga from a bird's eye view, the peaks of the Livadia ridge mountains: Falaza and Bald grandfather,to which you can go directly from Pidan.
Stone megaliths. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Also, travelers who have reached the highest point are waiting for another unusual attraction, on the top of the mountain, among massive boulders, there is a real … bicycle. Nobody knows exactly how he got to the mountain to this day, but this two-wheeled vehicle, slightly touched by time, has definitely become an unspoken monument of the mountain.
Climbing the Livadia height at any time of the year will not leave anyone indifferent. The endless space and the feeling of freedom again and again call tourists to conquer the extraordinary peak.
The ascent is so unusual, the terrain changes dozens of times along the way. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Let us remind you that Primorsky Krai is rightfully considered the flagship region in the formation of a new tourist brand for the country - the Eastern Ring of Russia. Due to its geographic location and developed transport infrastructure, Primorye occupies a special place in the Far Eastern Federal District, therefore it is no coincidence that it is assigned the role of a logistics hub in the Eastern Ring. At the same time, our region has something to offer tourists in addition to developed logistics.
It is not in vain that Livadia height is included in the list of peaks for climbing in the nomination “ Primorsky leopard ”.. Photo: IA PrimaMedia
Reference: The Eastern Ring of Russia is a single brand that demonstrates the diverse tourism potential of the regions of the Far East and Transbaikalia. Reflected in the Strategy for the Development of the Far East and the Baikal Region for the period up to 2025, approved in 2009. The "Eastern Ring of Russia" includes the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Buryatia, Transbaikal, Kamchatka, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Amur, Irkutsk, Magadan and Sakhalin Regions, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Chukotka Autonomous District.
The branding of the Primorsky Territory within the framework of the project has a wide range of focus: congress and exhibition tourism with international and national events, cultural and educational tourism based on historical and modern art objects, sports tourism ("Fetisov-Arena" and "Primorsky Ring"), ecological tourism based on 20 specially protected natural areas (SPNA), beach tourism using about 100 beaches, cruise tourism.