Mount Yamantau
1,640 m
Russia
Also known as Ямантау, Jamantau, +6Also known as
Ямантау · Jamantau · Γιαμαντάου · Yamantau · Mont Iamantaou · Monte Jamantau · იამანთაუ · Iamantau
- Elevation
- 1,640 m
- Prominence
- 1,330 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- —
- Routes
- 1
Not currently accessible
The whole massif lies in the core of a strict nature reserve that issues no permits for it.
south-ural-reserve.ru
Path closedReported 4 Feb 2019
Yamantau lies in the core of the South Ural State Nature Reserve and is closed to visitors; the reserve issues permits only for its eco-trails (Maly Yamantau ridge and Bolshoy Shelom), not for the summit.
south-ural-reserve.ru
Routes
1The best-described historical line, about 90–100 km over three days: from Tirlyan near Beloretsk past the Inzerskie Zubchatki, over Kolokolnaya (Kumardak ridge) and Karaulnaya to the saddle with Maly Yamantau, then up a man-made trench through the boulders to the summit. Almost all of it is inside the South Ural Reserve, where entry without a permit is prohibited.
About 86% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 8 check notes
- 86% approximate geometry
- ascent 2246 m vs net gain 1092 m (+106%)
- low confidence 0.4
- Тирлян → Миселя: dem (snap_failed, 12.1 km)
- Инзерские зубчатки → Колокольная: dem (snap_failed, 7.0 km)
- Колокольная → Караульная: dem (snap_failed, 10.5 km)
- Караульная → Ямантау: dem (snap_failed, 4.2 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Saddle between Yamantau and Maly Yamantau
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 39.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,246 m
- −1,154 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,640 m
- Time Up
- 14h 44m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 14h 01m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
This route is described here for reference only. Yamantau stands in the core of the South Ural State Nature Reserve; entry without the reserve's written permit is an administrative offence (fine of 3,000–4,000 roubles under article 8.39 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences), and the reserve does not issue permits for the summit. Reserve staff patrol the area, and the closed town of Mezhgorye lies 10 km to the west. The usual unofficial line starts at Tirlyan, west of Beloretsk, and follows a forest road past the former Misel cordon to the Inzerskie Zubchatki, a rock cirque popular with off-road drivers (about 17 km of road, often deeply rutted). It then crosses the headwaters of the Terzhenka and Bolshoy Inzer, with small upland bogs and boulder fields, to climb the Kumardak ridge to Kolokolnaya (1,354 m), whose boulders are unusually loose. Day two drops into the upper Yuryuzan valley, crosses bogs and stone rivers, and climbs over Karaulnaya (1,236 m) to the saddle between Yamantau and Maly Yamantau. From the saddle a man-made trench cleared through the boulders, with remains of water pipes, leads to the pre-summit plateau, which is littered with foundations, drilling parts and military scrap; a helipad and barracks stood here until the mid-1990s. The top is a broad, flat summit with a memorial obelisk. One party descended south through forest to the Bykovskie Polyany clearings and over Karatash to the Ufa–Beloretsk highway. Shorter approaches via Kuzyelga and Tatly from the Beloretsk side are reported but not described.
Start
Тирлян548 m
- The Ufa–Inzer–Beloretsk railway and the Ufa–Beloretsk highway serve the area; Tirlyan lies west of Beloretsk.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Тирлян → Колокольная | 24.6 | 1,371 | 579 | 9h 01m |
| 2 | Колокольная → Ямантау | 14.8 | 875 | 578 | 5h 55m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Тирлян548 m
Village of Tirlyansky (Tirlyan) west of Beloretsk
- Feature: Миселя617 m
Former Misel cordon
- Feature: Инзерские зубчатки927 m
Rock cirque; end of the forest road
- Shoulder: Колокольная1,341 m
Kolokolnaya on the Kumardak ridge; loose boulders; usual first camp
- Shoulder: Караульная1,236 m
- Summit: Ямантау1,640 m
Key Passages
- Loose boulders on Kolokolnaya (Kumardak ridge)
- Bogs and stone rivers in the upper Yuryuzan
- Man-made trench from the saddle to the summit plateau
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%No GPX or KML while the mountain is not accessible.
Overview
Yamantau (1,640 m), the 'bad mountain' in Bashkir, is the highest point of the Southern Urals and of Bashkortostan: a broad, boggy, boulder-covered massif at the core of the South Ural State Nature Reserve, next to the closed military town of Mezhgorye. The summit is closed to visitors.
Yamantau rises in the Beloretsk district of Bashkortostan, enclosed by the Nary ridge to the west, Mashak to the north, Kumardak to the east and the Belyatur and Yusha ridges to the south, between the headwaters of the Maly and Bolshoy Inzer. The massif is about 5 km long and 3 km wide; Maly Yamantau (1,513 m) stands 2 km to the south-east. Coniferous forest covers the slopes to about 1,000 m, above which lie bogs and huge boulder fields (kurumnik). Snow lies for 180–205 days a year, and July averages only +9 to +16 °C.
The Bashkir name means 'bad' or 'evil mountain', probably because its boggy, stony slopes were useless for grazing; legends tell of horses dying on the way up and many bears. In the Bashkir epic Ural-Batyr, the massif is the body of a twelve-headed div slain by the hero.
The mountain is in the core of the South Ural Reserve (created 1978), and the reserve does not permit ascents. Military construction since the Soviet era, the closed town of Mezhgorye 10 km to the west and US reports of possible underground facilities have given Yamantau a reputation as Russia's most secretive mountain. The summit plateau is strewn with foundations and military scrap; a helipad and barracks stood there until the mid-1990s. Visitors can legally see the massif from the reserve's eco-trail on the separate Maly Yamantau ridge near Revet.
Climbing Notes
Physically, Yamantau is a long wilderness walk rather than a climb: unofficial routes run 90–100 km over three days through forest, bogs and loose boulder fields, with severe weather possible even in summer. Legally, there is no permitted way to the summit. The whole massif is inside a strict federal nature reserve, where any presence requires a permit (razreshitelny bilet) from the reserve administration, and permits are not issued for Yamantau. Unauthorised visitors are fined 3,000–4,000 roubles and escorted out, and reserve rangers patrol the approaches.
The legal alternatives are the reserve's two eco-trails, both bookable through the central estate at Revet: Maly Yamantau ridge (976 m, about 6 km one way, 600 m of ascent, 4–5 hours), with views of Bolshoy Yamantau, and Bolshoy Shelom (1,427 m) on the Zigalga ridge (about 6 km one way, 800 m of ascent). Excursions are for groups of 8–15 on application at least three days ahead.
History
P. I. Rychkov described 'Yaman Tau, that is the poor or evil mountain' in his Topografiya Orenburgskaya (1762). In the Soviet period two garrisons, Beloretsk-15 and Beloretsk-16, were built near the mountain, merged in 1995 as the closed town of Mezhgorye. In the late 1990s US satellite imagery showed large construction works, and US Strategic Command suggested Yamantau and Kosvinsky Kamen might host nuclear or bunker complexes. A Second World War memorial obelisk stands on the summit.
Season
Best —- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Not advisable
- July: Not advisable
- August: Not advisable
- September: Not advisable
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Summit closed to visitors all year; deep snow
- Feb
- Summit closed to visitors
- Mar
- Summit closed to visitors
- Apr
- Summit closed to visitors; snowmelt
- May
- Summit closed to visitors
- Jun
- Summit closed to visitors; hypothermia reported on the slopes in June
- Jul
- Summit closed to visitors; reserve eco-trails open
- Aug
- Summit closed to visitors; reserve eco-trails open
- Sep
- Summit closed to visitors; reserve eco-trails open
- Oct
- Summit closed to visitors
- Nov
- Summit closed to visitors
- Dec
- Summit closed to visitors
Access & Permits
- Permits
- South Ural State Nature Reserve visitor permit (razreshitelny bilet)Required
Any presence in the reserve requires a permit issued by the reserve administration at Revet. Permits are available for the two eco-trails (Maly Yamantau ridge and Bolshoy Shelom) but not for Yamantau itself.
south-ural-reserve.ru - Mezhgorye closed town (ZATO) entry passOptional
Entry to the closed town of Mezhgorye, 10 km west of the mountain, requires a special pass; routes to the mountain avoid the town.
- Fees
- Reserve eco-trail visit: 300 roubles (older figure; check with the reserve)
- Rules
- Yamantau is in the core of the South Ural State Nature Reserve; visiting it without the reserve's permit is prohibited under the federal law on protected areas, and the reserve does not issue permits for the summit
- Violations are fined 3,000–4,000 roubles for individuals (Code of Administrative Offences, art. 8.39), with possible confiscation of equipment
- Collecting berries, mushrooms and plants is forbidden in the reserve
- The closed town of Mezhgorye and military installations nearby are off limits
- Many governments (including the UK and US) advise against all travel to Russia since 2022
- Getting There
Beloretsk; the reserve's central estate is at Revet
Ufa (UFA); Magnitogorsk (MQF)
- Reserve central estate at Revet: 170 km from Ufa and 90 km from Beloretsk on the Ufa–Beloretsk road; Inzer railway station (Ufa–Inzer–Beloretsk line) is 8 km away and the 128 km halt is next to Revet
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness