- Three routes in the Mendelikha waterfalls park
- Lake traverse
- Health trail
- To the Stone Pillar
- Itinerary for 2-3 days - Lake Goluboe and Turyi mountains
- On a note
The Rosa Khutor resort is located near Sochi on the southern slopes of the mountains and the banks of the Mzymta River. This is a large complex - there are several hotels with a different range of services and a private beach. In fact, the resort occupies the entire slope of the mountain, and even just a walk along its territory can take a day. It was here that freestyle competitions were held during the Olympic Games, and even now winter sports competitions are held regularly.
This resort is considered one of the most environmentally friendly: while it was being built, trees were not cut down, but planted. One of its main directions is ecological tourism. If in winter people come here mainly for skiing, then in summer it is walks that become the main ones. There is an opportunity for cycling, horseback riding, and even Husks can be ridden, but the most interesting thing is long walks or jogging trainings.
The resort is located in the Sochi National Park - this is a huge territory where you can walk endlessly. Rivers and streams flow along the mountain elephants, forming many waterfalls and picturesque gorges, you can find megalithic dolmens or just huge boulders that are so beautiful that they are considered natural monuments.
Three routes in the Mendelikha waterfalls park
The most popular route from Rosa Khutor is a trip to the Mendelikha Waterfalls Park. The Mendelikha River flows along the slope of the Aigba ridge, forming picturesque cascades and waterfalls. Once upon a time, a prosperous family of Mendels lived here - in honor of them the river was named. They had their own lands, fields and a mill on the river. The route includes 7 waterfalls and is divided into three difficulty levels.
- Small ring. The route can be walked with a small child. It leads to the Mendel Falls from the cable car station - you will need to climb with a slight slope upwards of about 100 meters. A legend is connected with the waterfall: in 1920, paramedic Boris Mendel saw how the White Guards were hiding the regimental treasury here, and was killed by them. And some of the gold remained somewhere at the bottom of the waterfall. The length of the route is 900 m.
- Middle ring. This route passes through the next two waterfalls - "Chervonny" and "Chara". "Chervonny" is another place where the White Guards could scatter their gold, they say that the tsar's chervonets came across there not so long ago. This road ends with "Horse ford", where the border checkpoint is located - here is the border of Abkhazia. The length of the route is 1.5 km.
- Big ring. After the bridge, a road is laid to 4 more waterfalls. The first of them is a small but cascading Mishkin Grotto. And the road ends with the highest waterfall in the vicinity of Sochi - the Golden Waterfall. Its height is 77 meters. The length of the route is 3 km.
Lake traverse
A short route through the sites of the 2014 Olympic Games starts from the Olympic Village and passes by the Husky Farm, where you can chat with dogs and go for a walk with them.
"Traverse" is a path without ascents, horizontal in relation to the mountain. However, this particular path has both small descents and ascents, so it will not be boring and not difficult to walk - you do not need to climb high, on the contrary, most of the path goes down smoothly.
A cable car runs almost above the path itself, it ends at two artificial lakes and the lower station of the cable car. The length of the route is 3.5 km.
Health trail
These are as many as three hiking routes - from the simplest to the relatively difficult - along the slope of the Psekhako ridge. All of them climb quite steeply, pass through streams and waterfalls - these are mountain paths and long stairs along the slopes without fences. But you will find wonderful mountain air and a beautiful forest with blooming violets.
- Small circle. The shortest trail accessible to both children and the elderly, a 15-minute walk along the slope. The length of the route is 350 m.
- Middle circle. The trail is longer, along the way you will meet several mountain streams and two springs. The length of the route is 1.5 km.
- Big circle. A full hour and a half walk. On the way, there will be not only a stream and springs, but also a yoga area, a bathing pool in a mountain lake, an observation deck on the mountainside, and two waterfalls - Vysoky and Nadezhda. From the last waterfall there is a trolley track. The length of the route is 2 km.
To the Stone Pillar
A full long walk to one of the nearest mountain peaks - Stone Column. Here you will need to climb 450 meters up on foot, it can be difficult. But from the top of the mountain there are wonderful views of the surroundings. It is so high and so far from the sea that it can only be seen here in good weather.
The road runs from the upper station of the cable car and takes you up steeply. Despite the seeming simplicity, this is an ascent to a real mountain, there is always a danger of collapses and landslides, so the route is open only in summer and in good weather.
If you wish, the path can be facilitated once again - the "Crocus" chairlift goes along the slope to the top. But it works only in one direction, you can only climb along it, and in any case you will need to go down on your own. The length of the route is 5 km.
Itinerary for 2-3 days - Lake Goluboe and Turyi mountains
This route starts just from the Stone Pillar and leads either along the southern slope, or along the ridge itself (this is much more difficult, it is best to use trekking poles and safety ropes, but the views from the top of the ridge are incredible). The first overnight stay on this route is supposed to be at the Zeleny Klin tract - in the same place where the first water source is located.
Further through the top of Mount Zelenaya to the pass through the Turyi Mountains - here, by the way, it is really quite real to see real tours, because this is a biosphere reserve. A rather steep ascent to the pass and then a steep descent from it.
The route can be completed in two days, or in three days you can arrange a second overnight stay at the next pass, which is called Nadezhda. Behind it opens a small, pure Blue Lake, in which you can swim.
This route is not easy for beginners and is only suitable for experienced hikers. The length of the route is 31 km.
On a note
Rosa Khutor is a popular comfortable resort, so all short routes are convenient and safe. There are recreation areas, water, and information posters. But in any case, it is worth taking care of sports non-slip shoes: there are both concrete paths and wooden slippery footbridges or simply trodden paths leading up. Most of the routes run along the upper slopes of the mountain, if you live below, you will first need to climb the cable car or on foot.
These are border areas on the border with Abkhazia, so when going on long walks you need to have a passport with you, border guards can meet.
It should be borne in mind that in these mountains in summer there can be strong fogs and poor visibility - it is better to have a navigator with you. In the mountains, clear weather most often occurs in the morning, and by the afternoon the mountain peaks can sink in the clouds, this should be taken into account if you want to climb any peak for a beautiful photo shoot. There are few mosquitoes and ticks in these places, but they are there.
It is better not to leave the laid routes - they pass through the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, where there are protected areas and wild animals are found. On such routes, by the way, a special permit from the reserve is required - you can take it at the resort, and if you are going with a group, it is usually enough to provide your data to the organizers.
