Ala-Archa National Park - Kyrgyzstan - National Parks of the World on Waymarking.com

The park, which includes the gorge of the Ala-Archa River and the Tien-Shan mountain range surrounding it, is a popular destination point for weekend picnicers, hikers, horse trekkers, skiers as well as mountain climbers looking for challenging ice, rock and mixed routes. The park is open year round, although the most popular season is later summer and early fall.

In Kyrgyz, the "archa", which gives the park its name, is a bright or many-colored juniper which the Kyrgyz people have traditionally held in special esteem, using smoke from its burning wood to chase away evil spirits. However, the archa is not supposed to be planted near the home, because it is believed gradually to sap the energy from human beings living close-by.

The park covers about 200 square kilometers, and its altitude ranges from about 1,500 meters at the entrance to a high of 4,895 meters. There are more than 20 glaciers and some 50 mountain peaks within the park, and two smaller rivers, the Adygene and the Ak-Sai, originate from these glaciers' melting waters. The Adygene gorge is a beautifully wooded valley, with waterfalls, springs and abundant trout. A small reservoir on the Kargay-Bulak river was built to study the Amu Darya trout. Other wildlife includes the very rare snow leopard (in Kyrgyz: "ilbirs"), wild goats, roe deer and marmots.

There is a small fee for entering the park, approximately US$2 per person as well as US$3 per passenger car. Past the main gate, the road continues 12 km to a small collection of buildings, including one newly renovated lodge. Along this road is a trailhead which leads to the Agydene valley where the Alpineist cemetery is located.

TRAILS:
*Ala-Archa River Trail - 1.3km (beginners) nice valley walk along the river

*Waterfall & Racek Hut - 3.75km to waterfall 5.75km to Racek Hut (low to medium) strenuous sections at lower elevations, and some eroded sections leave the trail exposed to extremely steep slopes.

*Adigene Valley Loop Trail - 1km to Alpine Cemetary, 6km for entire loop (more advanced) not suitable for mountain bikes; short but extremely steep sections

There are numerous other unnamed trails with parking and trailheads along the road between park entrence and lodge. Camping is permitted in designated areas.

Park Name: Ala-Archa Natural Park: yes Recreation Area: yes Type of Listing: Entrance Fees in Local Currency: 400.00 (listed in local currency) Dates of Access: From: 01/01/2009 To: 12/31/2009 Hours available: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Hiking: yes Camping: yes Rock Climbing: yes Other Activities: Ice climbing, glacier hiking Historic/Cultural Park: Not Listed Wildlife Refuge: Not Listed Other Park Type not listed above: Not listed Park Website: Not listed Other Type Detail: Not listed Bicycling: Not Listed Horseback Riding: Not Listed Off-Roading: Not Listed Swimming: Not Listed Snorkling/Scuba: Not Listed Boating: Not Listed Fishing: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:

A log will require a recent photograph at the coordinates. Some of these locations will be placed for the scenery, so a gpsr will just ruin the picture.

If you don't have a digital camera post a descriptive log.

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