Sightseeing of the Chelyabinsk region - Lake Arakul

In the north of the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, near the town of Verkhny Ufaley and the village of Vishnevogorsk is Lake Arakul. The reservoir has a tectonic origin, is located in the north of the Ural Mountains, in a mountain jail. The lake is big enough. The length of Arakul spread over 3 km, in width - almost 2 km. The reservoir is quite solid in depth: the average is about 5 meters, but in the eastern and southern parts of the lake there are indicators more than 10 meters. The maximum mark of Arakul is 12 meters. The catchment area is 21.6 square meters. Km. The water in the lake is chemically mineral, the mineralization is 240 mg / l.

The forests, which are located near the lake, are inhabited by squirrels, hedgehogs, hares, foxes, elk, bears and lynxes. The last of these are rare and are not suitable for the water body itself.

Legends of origin

From the Bashkir language such translation of the name stands out: "ara" means "between", and "kul" is "waters between mountains". The origin of such a reservoir, as Lake Arakul, is shrouded in legends. One of them tells about the love of a young guy and a girl. The evil spirit decided to separate the beloved and take the girl with them. But when he did not succeed, he turned the guy into a stone boulder. The girl cried a lot at the stone, and from her tears formed a clean crystal lake. And when the evil spirit wanted to take the girl, a boulder fell off the boulder and crushed the evil spirit. Then he turned the girl into stone. The young man's father avenged the death of young people. He tied the evil spirit and threw it into Lake Arakul. The fact that it rests on the bottom, resembles a ripple that often appears in the middle of the pond, even if it is quiet and calm.

Springs and flowing rivers

Arakul - the passing lake. It falls into two small rivulets - Olkhovka and Kaganka. Arakulka also receives its source from the lake. It is this river that connects Arakul with the water system of the Chelyabinsk region. The local name of the lakes of this region is Kasli or Kasli. From Tatar "Kasli" - "the blue hollow". Lake Arakul is buried in the greenery of forests and is a favorite holiday destination for residents of the Chelyabinsk region. At the bottom of Arakul beats many small springs, because of this, the water is constantly cold, warms up very slowly. Even in summer it keeps its coolness.

Coastline

Arakul - a lake whose bottom has a silt character, only a little at the coast acquires a stony-sandy relief. Water has a "glass effect": on clear days, the transparency reaches a depth of 5-6 meters. On Arakul there is one small islet. Its dimensions are 125x17 meters, the local population calls it the island of Love. The shores of the lake are mostly flat and flat. Left - suitable for rest. The right is a bit of a rock, sometimes elevations take on a steep character. Because of this, patency is complicated.

Landscapes near the lake

Uniqueness and special beauty of the place is added by the closest landscapes. Among the forests there is an interesting rocky massif - Shihany (Arakul Shihan). Local call it a Chinese wall. He really does look like a miracle of the world. The fact is that at the top of the cliff, it stretches 2 km long by bizarre forms in the form of stone ridges. The height of the ascents is 60 m, and the crests reach a width of 40 m. From afar, Shikhan resembles an impregnable fortress. The only difference is that it was created by nature. This is a popular place among climbers. There are often held training and competitions. However, there are still traces of human activity in this place. At the foot of the rock, archaeologists have found several ancient sites. They date from the Bronze Age (35-11 centuries BC) and early iron (13-4 centuries BC). And in the rocks on the top of Shihan you can see dozens of depressions about 2 meters in size. Scientists suggest that they were used as a place for sacrifices or for performing other ritualistic rites.

Tourists

Lake Arakul (Chelyabinsk region) and its surroundings are very popular among tourists. Every year more and more people go to these parts for recreation. Slowly but surely, the infrastructure develops here, and routes are organized - weekend tours. There is a parking lot for camping. This is now the most common type of recreation. Also on the left bank of the lake was built the "Arakul Village" - a guest complex. You can rent houses, catamarans, boats, braziers, sports grounds. In winter, rent a sledge, skis, snowmobiles and skates.

Fishing

Arakul - a lake, reviews about which are only positive. It is a favorite place for fishermen. In the waters there are such fish as perch, pike, bream, roach, burbot and other species. On the lake's territory, at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the first fish-breeding stations was opened. To this day, they continue to work, breeding fish. And in the vicinity there are moose, squirrels, hedgehogs, hares. Sometimes you can see lynx and even bears. However, they do not live near the coastline.