Zyuratkul National Park
Zyuratkul is a national park of Russia, located in the Chelyabinsk region, occupying an area of 882 km2. The park was created in 1993 to preserve the unique natural complex of these places, cultural, historical, archaeological sites, as well as for environmental education of the population. In the park, at an altitude of 724 m, there is the only alpine lake on the western slope of the Southern Urals. The park has a rich flora and fauna, due to its location on the border of the taiga and forest-steppe zones.
The park's lands are home to the largest ridge in the Chelyabinsk Region, Nurgush, with a maximum height of 1,406 meters and stretching for more than 50 km. The national park has a large number of natural monuments such as Lake Zyuratkul, the Kalagaza and Beryozyak rivers, the Elm Grove, and the Zyuratkul Pillars rocks. The main tourist attractions are 5 ridges (Urenga, Nurgush, Lukasha, Moskal), one of them is Zyuratkul, and an "ecotrope" has been conducted. For parking, you can stay at the recreation center "Zyuratkul Ecopark", in it you can also visit a small zoo, which contains animals of the Urals: Himalayan bears, spotted deer, camels, reindeer.
Over 650 plant species grow on the park's lands, 70 of them are listed in the Red Book. Approximately 90% of the park's territory is occupied by dark coniferous forests, with birch forests in places. There are many representatives of the animal world - over two hundred. Among them are bears, foxes, martens, gostostai, moose, roe deer, hares. Approximately 20 species of fish live in the rivers and reservoirs of the national park. Bream, perch, and roach can be caught in the rivers, and trout with grayling are found in the clear and cold waters.
The first people settled here about 17,000 years ago. There are 12 sites of ancient people near Lake Zyuratkul. Some of the buildings and tools remained. In the Satka Museum of Local Lore there are some objects found during excavations.
The national park has a well-developed tourist infrastructure. You can hunt game, go fishing, rent a boat, or go on an excursion. 13 routes have been developed for visitors, in addition to the park, some routes affect the nearby Iremel and Zigalga mountain ranges. The routes are mostly hiking, and in winter they are skiing, There is also cycling and during high water you can swim along mountain rivers.
