Hiking Tours
Magadan region provides excellent opportunities for hiking in any season of the year. The northern nature is amazingly beautiful. You will certainly appreciate it during a one day hike or spending the night somewhere on the route. We offer a variety of hiking tours over Marchekanskaya Hill to Svetlaya or Berezovaya Bay, walking tour to Khasyn Crown, walking tour to the Batareinaya Day or to Stone Crown … any of these tours will remain in your heart for a lifetime.
Hiking Tour to Beresovyi Creek (Tikhaya Bay)
One of the most popular hiking tours on the Staritskogo Peninsula is hiking to Tikhaya Bay (Beresovyi creek area). The tour begins in the fishing port of Magadan (Marchekan), and then the route goes along the dirt road to Kholodnyi Creek (1.5-2 km) where the road leads to the former Kholodnyi settlement. Here you can see a small waterfall. On the way you can observe dilapidated buildings of the unfinished submarine base. The road ends at the pier which basement is presented by old frames of submarines. Two of them can be seen on one side of the pier. Then we turn off the road and start climbing the trail to an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level.
The trail runs along the plateau where you can see the Red Book golden rhododendron. Here there is abundance of it. The trail goes along the rocky and periodically marshy terrain. Periodically there are piles of stone towers and on one of the hill slopes there is a stone cross (~ 15 meters long). If you climb one of the nearest peaks you can watch the Ostrovnoy Cape, Nedorozumeniya Island, Chirikov Cape, Berezovyi Creek and Svetlaya Bay at the same time! It is a great place for shooting panoramas. There are amazing views from each top. Coming down to Tikhaya Bay will be on a steep path using ropes tied to trees. The round trip is about 14 km along the across country. The difference in elevation is about 500 m. Degree of complexity - medium. The tour can be carried out in one day or you can also overnight on the route (depending on the wishes of travelers). It is also possible to arrange a transfer from Tikhaya Bay to Magadan by power boat or motorboat.
Hiking to Khasynskiy Crown
A start point of this hiking tour lies behind Karamken settlement (in the beginning of the pass of the same name), it is almost 100 km from Magadan. During the hiking tour you can admire the unusual color and shape of the rocks, the distant horizon. If you are lucky you can see the mountain sheep. The height of Khasynskiy Crown is 800 meters above sea level. The round trip is 15-22 km (including radial route). The degree of complexity is simple, sometimes medium (rocky slope, loose rock). The tour can be carried out in one day or in 2 days including the overnight (depending on wishes of travelers).
Hiking to Ostrovnoy Cape (Ptichyi Cape)
There are several variations of this route. One of the most colorful trips starts at the sea commercial port. From here tourists climb about 100 meters up a narrow steep path, then the path winds its way down the hill slope above the sea. The trail runs along the sunny side of the picturesque Nagaev bay through a beautiful birch alley. After a few kilometers the trail descends into the valley of Koreisky creek where in 1970-90-ies. buildings of petroleum storage were located. You can still observe the dilapidated buildings here. You walk along a dirt road and after a couple of kilometers turn from it to the path leading to a picturesque waterfall. The trail goes near the waterfall, crosses marshy place and comes to a dirt road leading to Ostrovnoy Cape. The goal of this hiking trip is to pass a narrow natural spit to Ostrovnoy Cape, to listen to the cries of numerous sea birds, to climb the cliffs of the cape and to see the ruins of watch tower or accommodation for security guards. Tour duration can be one day (if tourists are in an excellent physical shape), but it is better to schedule it for two days with an overnight stay in a tent camp. A return trip goes along a dirt road. It passes the turn to the waterfall, goes along a valley of Kamenushka creek and ends in the area of the old poultry farm, ~7 kilometers from Magadan.
The round trip is 36-40 km. Degree of complexity is simple, medium (long track).
Hiking to Battery Bay
The trail runs along the top of the Staritskogo Peninsula in the area of Gertner Bay. You have to climb the hill to a height of about 400 m. above sea level. On the top you can admire panoramic views of the Sea of Okhotsk, Zavyalova Island and the Koni Peninsula. Then you go down to a quiet bay with a sandy beach. There are also ruins of watch tower or accommodation for security guards in a distance of about 4 km. The round trip is about 20 km. The tour can be done in one day or you can plan it for two days with the overnight in a tent camp on the beach. You can go back to Magadan on the second day during the morning low tide along the coastline passing Tree Brothers Islands and a Lighthouse cape.
Hiking to the lighthouse at Chirikov Cape on the Staritskogo Peninsula
Chirikov Cape is located at the entrance to Nagaev Bay. This is the very western part of the Staritskogo Peninsula. The beginning of the route is the same like the route to Tikhaya Bay, but at the fork in the road the trail goes straight ahead. The length of the route is about 40 km. You can have one day tour (with appropriate physical condition of tourists), but we recommend you planning this campaign for two days with an overnight stay in a tent camp on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. Degree of complexity is high (broken terrain, lack of paths, bushes, no sources of water, elevation changes). The total climb is about 300 meters above sea level. The aim of the hiking tour is to admire beautiful views of Nagaev Bay and Tikhaya Bay, Zavyalov Island and Nedorozumeniya Island and distant nature reserve – the Koni Peninsula. You can visit the lighthouse; look at its old buildings which were built in 1956. You can walk on foot back to Magadan or we can organize a motor or power boat transfer to Nagaev Bay.
Hiking to Kamenny Venets (a Stone Crown)
You can see the Stone Crown in Magadan when you look at Nagaev Bay from its left side. It is a group of relics resembling a crown on the top of the hill. This top was known by mariners for a long time ago. It was for them like a mark to the stream where they could take fresh water for their ships. On the slope of the Stone Crown a platform for testing the ship's chronometers was located. The Stone Crown is a natural monument. For ethnographers the rocks are interesting with their inscriptions left by sailors. Now there are only few of them left and not all of them are readable. If you climb the Stone Crown from the sea you can read the earliest inscriptions. On a separate flat rock you can see large letters "Kishinev" (name of the Russian city), and a little bit below, in a rectangular niche - "1919 27/IX». The easiest way to the Stone Crown is along the south coastline of Nagaev Bay at its low tide. The route starts in the fising port (Marchekan). Sandy beaches alternate with short sections of rock piles. On the way you will see cozy coves with streams flowing into the sea. Here you can rest and admire the silence and sea air. But if you miss the low tide time you have to have a long walk on the rocks or unsafe upper trail. The round trip is about 10 km.
Hiking to the top of Marchekanskaya Hill
Magadan is situated at a foot of Marchekanskaya hill – a hill with a rocky top, the highest point of the Staritskogo Peninsula included in the urban district of Magadan. At the top of the hill there is a former military facility which is popularly called "Dome". Previously it was a complex of three domes different in size - two small and one big. They are made of radio-frequency-transparent material (glass fibre). There was some radar equipment inside of them. The domes protected this equipment from external interferences. Of course, there was also a military unit. Now the two small domes located on the highest point at 705 meters are destroyed, and the third one is in poor condition. When climbing the hill you can see the ancient glacial cirque called “the chalice”. Here under the cover of the slopes there is a wonderful forest presented by a high larch, stone birch, rowan, and alder. The microclimate promotes lush vegetation. There are more than thirty species of trees, shrubs and flowering species. The Chalice is recognized as a rare and noteworthy object. It is a natural monument of Magadan. In winter the sun does not penetrate into the Chalice. But in spring at sunset its slopes become pinkish-lilac. Then Marchekanskaya Hill becomes especially attractive for hiking, snowboarding, snowmobiling and skiing. Here you can see hundreds people in warm spring days. Downhill ski tracks start almost from the very top. During winter over the eastern slope of the circus thick snow cornice is formed, which could, of course, collapse (based on Rudolph Sedov). Usually people go uphill along the central glade which continues Gagarin Street or from Marchekan Highway. Last 500 meters to the dome is a particularly steep climb.
A walk to the top of the hill takes an average of 6-7 hours.
Hiking to the top of Nagaevskaya Hill
On the right side of Nagaev Bay there is Nagaevskaya Hill. You can see huge facilities that Magadan citizens call "mattresses" or "dragons". The route runs along a dirt road that goes along slopes of Nagaevskaya Hill. In fact a huge red – white metal construction is a tropospheric radio relay communication line "North" (TRRL "North"), military base 74237, a call sign is "Dragon". It is a former Soviet system of communication lines, designed to provide the remote regions of the country with communication. The station "Dragon" does not operate for more than 10 years. Now long-distance communication channels are operated by satellites, but the question of disposal of these huge antennas is not discussed. So now it is a kind of a unique monument to Soviet engineers who built a wonderful for their (and our) time communication system. A hiking tour to "Dragons" takes about 5-6 hours.
Hiking to Cherny Klyuch (Black Key) in Gertner Bay
One of the most popular recreation places of Magadan citizens is a Gornyak settlement area. The area is bounded from the west by the Dukcha River, from the northeast by Ola Highway and from the south – by the Sea of Okhotsk coast. The route starts from the bridge over the Dukcha River and leads to the old road towards the abandoned quarry. The path runs around the quarry and up the rocky hill slope behind it. On the way you can admire beautiful views of Gertner Bay, Ola Cape and the Staritskogo Peninsula. Then the trail goes sharply down, last few tens of meters are dangerous - you have to walk along a narrow path groping the surest way and keeping one hand on the rock and the other on the grass. Tourists go down towards the coast in the area of Black Key recreation center and move in the opposite direction along the coast to the mouth of the Dukcha River. The round trip to Black Key and back is approximately 14 km. If desired you can continue your trip to the Kolchakovsky Klyuch (Kolchakovsky Key) fishing license area or further to the direction of Nyuklya Cape. We can organize this hiking tour such way that you will be transferred back to Magadan from Kolchakovsky Klyuch by car. In any case it is important to get there at low tide. The trail along the coast at high tide is impassable. Even at low tide there are areas with large boulders, and it is not easy to walk on them. On the rocks there are lots of nesting sea birds - cormorants, seagulls - a real rookery. In the sky you can see flying crows. There are clinging grasses on the rocky cliffs. At low tide live crabs, different shells and others can be found in the intertidal zone.
Hiking to the second Arman Pass
It takes you about 30 minutes (35 km) by car from Magadan to get to the starting point of this hiking tour. On the way from the passes you will see beautiful views of the Sea of Okhotsk cost. The route starts at the highest point of the second Arman Pass. The trip is about 7 km long. This tour is magnificent both in summer and in winter by skis or snowshoes. In winter the ice crust is very good. It is a great place to meet the sunrise and sunset. There are several rock pillars where you can hide from the wind. Tourists can admire a magnificent panoramic view of Nagaev Bay, Nedorazumeniya Island, Ostrovnoy Cape, Chirikov Cape, Zavyalov Island and the Koni Peninsula. Many tourists say that this point creates a 3D effect. If desired you can go down to the coast opposite Nedorazumeniya Island and go along the coast towards Solyonoye Lake where we can pick you up and transfer to Magadan by car.
Hiking Tour to Beresovyi Creek (Tikhaya Bay)
One of the most popular hiking tours on the Staritskogo Peninsula is hiking to Tikhaya Bay (Beresovyi creek area). The tour begins in the fishing port of Magadan (Marchekan), and then the route goes along the dirt road to Kholodnyi Creek (1.5-2 km) where the road leads to the former Kholodnyi settlement. Here you can see a small waterfall. On the way you can observe dilapidated buildings of the unfinished submarine base. The road ends at the pier which basement is presented by old frames of submarines. Two of them can be seen on one side of the pier. Then we turn off the road and start climbing the trail to an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level.
The trail runs along the plateau where you can see the Red Book golden rhododendron. Here there is abundance of it. The trail goes along the rocky and periodically marshy terrain. Periodically there are piles of stone towers and on one of the hill slopes there is a stone cross (~ 15 meters long). If you climb one of the nearest peaks you can watch the Ostrovnoy Cape, Nedorozumeniya Island, Chirikov Cape, Berezovyi Creek and Svetlaya Bay at the same time! It is a great place for shooting panoramas. There are amazing views from each top. Coming down to Tikhaya Bay will be on a steep path using ropes tied to trees. The round trip is about 14 km along the across country. The difference in elevation is about 500 m. Degree of complexity - medium. The tour can be carried out in one day or you can also overnight on the route (depending on the wishes of travelers). It is also possible to arrange a transfer from Tikhaya Bay to Magadan by power boat or motorboat.
Hiking to Khasynskiy Crown
A start point of this hiking tour lies behind Karamken settlement (in the beginning of the pass of the same name), it is almost 100 km from Magadan. During the hiking tour you can admire the unusual color and shape of the rocks, the distant horizon. If you are lucky you can see the mountain sheep. The height of Khasynskiy Crown is 800 meters above sea level. The round trip is 15-22 km (including radial route). The degree of complexity is simple, sometimes medium (rocky slope, loose rock). The tour can be carried out in one day or in 2 days including the overnight (depending on wishes of travelers).
Hiking to Ostrovnoy Cape (Ptichyi Cape)
There are several variations of this route. One of the most colorful trips starts at the sea commercial port. From here tourists climb about 100 meters up a narrow steep path, then the path winds its way down the hill slope above the sea. The trail runs along the sunny side of the picturesque Nagaev bay through a beautiful birch alley. After a few kilometers the trail descends into the valley of Koreisky creek where in 1970-90-ies. buildings of petroleum storage were located. You can still observe the dilapidated buildings here. You walk along a dirt road and after a couple of kilometers turn from it to the path leading to a picturesque waterfall. The trail goes near the waterfall, crosses marshy place and comes to a dirt road leading to Ostrovnoy Cape. The goal of this hiking trip is to pass a narrow natural spit to Ostrovnoy Cape, to listen to the cries of numerous sea birds, to climb the cliffs of the cape and to see the ruins of watch tower or accommodation for security guards. Tour duration can be one day (if tourists are in an excellent physical shape), but it is better to schedule it for two days with an overnight stay in a tent camp. A return trip goes along a dirt road. It passes the turn to the waterfall, goes along a valley of Kamenushka creek and ends in the area of the old poultry farm, ~7 kilometers from Magadan.
The round trip is 36-40 km. Degree of complexity is simple, medium (long track).
Hiking to Battery Bay
The trail runs along the top of the Staritskogo Peninsula in the area of Gertner Bay. You have to climb the hill to a height of about 400 m. above sea level. On the top you can admire panoramic views of the Sea of Okhotsk, Zavyalova Island and the Koni Peninsula. Then you go down to a quiet bay with a sandy beach. There are also ruins of watch tower or accommodation for security guards in a distance of about 4 km. The round trip is about 20 km. The tour can be done in one day or you can plan it for two days with the overnight in a tent camp on the beach. You can go back to Magadan on the second day during the morning low tide along the coastline passing Tree Brothers Islands and a Lighthouse cape.
Hiking to the lighthouse at Chirikov Cape on the Staritskogo Peninsula
Chirikov Cape is located at the entrance to Nagaev Bay. This is the very western part of the Staritskogo Peninsula. The beginning of the route is the same like the route to Tikhaya Bay, but at the fork in the road the trail goes straight ahead. The length of the route is about 40 km. You can have one day tour (with appropriate physical condition of tourists), but we recommend you planning this campaign for two days with an overnight stay in a tent camp on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. Degree of complexity is high (broken terrain, lack of paths, bushes, no sources of water, elevation changes). The total climb is about 300 meters above sea level. The aim of the hiking tour is to admire beautiful views of Nagaev Bay and Tikhaya Bay, Zavyalov Island and Nedorozumeniya Island and distant nature reserve – the Koni Peninsula. You can visit the lighthouse; look at its old buildings which were built in 1956. You can walk on foot back to Magadan or we can organize a motor or power boat transfer to Nagaev Bay.
Hiking to Kamenny Venets (a Stone Crown)
You can see the Stone Crown in Magadan when you look at Nagaev Bay from its left side. It is a group of relics resembling a crown on the top of the hill. This top was known by mariners for a long time ago. It was for them like a mark to the stream where they could take fresh water for their ships. On the slope of the Stone Crown a platform for testing the ship's chronometers was located. The Stone Crown is a natural monument. For ethnographers the rocks are interesting with their inscriptions left by sailors. Now there are only few of them left and not all of them are readable. If you climb the Stone Crown from the sea you can read the earliest inscriptions. On a separate flat rock you can see large letters "Kishinev" (name of the Russian city), and a little bit below, in a rectangular niche - "1919 27/IX». The easiest way to the Stone Crown is along the south coastline of Nagaev Bay at its low tide. The route starts in the fising port (Marchekan). Sandy beaches alternate with short sections of rock piles. On the way you will see cozy coves with streams flowing into the sea. Here you can rest and admire the silence and sea air. But if you miss the low tide time you have to have a long walk on the rocks or unsafe upper trail. The round trip is about 10 km.
Hiking to the top of Marchekanskaya Hill
Magadan is situated at a foot of Marchekanskaya hill – a hill with a rocky top, the highest point of the Staritskogo Peninsula included in the urban district of Magadan. At the top of the hill there is a former military facility which is popularly called "Dome". Previously it was a complex of three domes different in size - two small and one big. They are made of radio-frequency-transparent material (glass fibre). There was some radar equipment inside of them. The domes protected this equipment from external interferences. Of course, there was also a military unit. Now the two small domes located on the highest point at 705 meters are destroyed, and the third one is in poor condition. When climbing the hill you can see the ancient glacial cirque called “the chalice”. Here under the cover of the slopes there is a wonderful forest presented by a high larch, stone birch, rowan, and alder. The microclimate promotes lush vegetation. There are more than thirty species of trees, shrubs and flowering species. The Chalice is recognized as a rare and noteworthy object. It is a natural monument of Magadan. In winter the sun does not penetrate into the Chalice. But in spring at sunset its slopes become pinkish-lilac. Then Marchekanskaya Hill becomes especially attractive for hiking, snowboarding, snowmobiling and skiing. Here you can see hundreds people in warm spring days. Downhill ski tracks start almost from the very top. During winter over the eastern slope of the circus thick snow cornice is formed, which could, of course, collapse (based on Rudolph Sedov). Usually people go uphill along the central glade which continues Gagarin Street or from Marchekan Highway. Last 500 meters to the dome is a particularly steep climb.
A walk to the top of the hill takes an average of 6-7 hours.
Hiking to the top of Nagaevskaya Hill
On the right side of Nagaev Bay there is Nagaevskaya Hill. You can see huge facilities that Magadan citizens call "mattresses" or "dragons". The route runs along a dirt road that goes along slopes of Nagaevskaya Hill. In fact a huge red – white metal construction is a tropospheric radio relay communication line "North" (TRRL "North"), military base 74237, a call sign is "Dragon". It is a former Soviet system of communication lines, designed to provide the remote regions of the country with communication. The station "Dragon" does not operate for more than 10 years. Now long-distance communication channels are operated by satellites, but the question of disposal of these huge antennas is not discussed. So now it is a kind of a unique monument to Soviet engineers who built a wonderful for their (and our) time communication system. A hiking tour to "Dragons" takes about 5-6 hours.
Hiking to Cherny Klyuch (Black Key) in Gertner Bay
One of the most popular recreation places of Magadan citizens is a Gornyak settlement area. The area is bounded from the west by the Dukcha River, from the northeast by Ola Highway and from the south – by the Sea of Okhotsk coast. The route starts from the bridge over the Dukcha River and leads to the old road towards the abandoned quarry. The path runs around the quarry and up the rocky hill slope behind it. On the way you can admire beautiful views of Gertner Bay, Ola Cape and the Staritskogo Peninsula. Then the trail goes sharply down, last few tens of meters are dangerous - you have to walk along a narrow path groping the surest way and keeping one hand on the rock and the other on the grass. Tourists go down towards the coast in the area of Black Key recreation center and move in the opposite direction along the coast to the mouth of the Dukcha River. The round trip to Black Key and back is approximately 14 km. If desired you can continue your trip to the Kolchakovsky Klyuch (Kolchakovsky Key) fishing license area or further to the direction of Nyuklya Cape. We can organize this hiking tour such way that you will be transferred back to Magadan from Kolchakovsky Klyuch by car. In any case it is important to get there at low tide. The trail along the coast at high tide is impassable. Even at low tide there are areas with large boulders, and it is not easy to walk on them. On the rocks there are lots of nesting sea birds - cormorants, seagulls - a real rookery. In the sky you can see flying crows. There are clinging grasses on the rocky cliffs. At low tide live crabs, different shells and others can be found in the intertidal zone.
Hiking to the second Arman Pass
It takes you about 30 minutes (35 km) by car from Magadan to get to the starting point of this hiking tour. On the way from the passes you will see beautiful views of the Sea of Okhotsk cost. The route starts at the highest point of the second Arman Pass. The trip is about 7 km long. This tour is magnificent both in summer and in winter by skis or snowshoes. In winter the ice crust is very good. It is a great place to meet the sunrise and sunset. There are several rock pillars where you can hide from the wind. Tourists can admire a magnificent panoramic view of Nagaev Bay, Nedorazumeniya Island, Ostrovnoy Cape, Chirikov Cape, Zavyalov Island and the Koni Peninsula. Many tourists say that this point creates a 3D effect. If desired you can go down to the coast opposite Nedorazumeniya Island and go along the coast towards Solyonoye Lake where we can pick you up and transfer to Magadan by car.