Belokurikha can be explored through a range of interests: health trails with varying levels of difficulty, scenic views at Tserkovka, and the city’s history and blacksmithing. When planning your trip, it is worth keeping these highlights separate. The trails differ in length and gradient, and cable car journey times and operations may vary. The museum and workshop offer different subjects from hiking and scenic views.
Health trails with varying levels of difficulty
Belokurikha’s health trails are walking routes for therapeutic walking. Their difficulty varies: the range extends from routes for beginners to trails for hikers trained for challenging mountain climbs. Pavilions make it possible to alternate exertion with rest. Both the route you choose and breaks are therefore part of planning a day’s hike.
The six named trails are Staraia Melnitsa, Sibirskiy trakt, Katun, Gora Tserkovka, Gora Kruglaya and Vekovaya sosna. They differ in length and gradient. So choose a trail based not only on its name, but also on its particular demands; also check local conditions before setting out.
Staraia Melnitsa runs through a gorge along the Cherginsky mountain range and is used, among other activities, for Nordic walking and cycling. At the end of the trail stands a small mill, rebuilt on the site of the ruins of a dam. The route thus combines a gorge landscape with a specific destination at its end.
Tserkovka: Rocks and Views
Tserkovka is a viewpoint overlooking Belokurikha and the mountain ridges. A wide path leads to Tserkovka Rock, whose shape resembles a church dome. The viewpoint and the rock offer two different perspectives on the mountain: one takes in the town and ridges, while the other highlights the rock’s distinctive shape.
The 2.4 km cable car to Mount Tserkovka offers views of the surroundings of Belokurikha and the entire Biysk Plain during the 25-minute ride. Journey times and operations may vary; check both before travelling. This lets you include the cable car ride in your plans without assuming a fixed journey time or that it is currently operating.
City History and Blacksmithing
The Belokurikha City Museum is named after S. P. Gulyaev and displays artefacts and information about the city’s history. It is housed in a former bathhouse, built in 1938 in the Stalinist Neoclassical style as a hydrotherapy facility. The building’s history and the exhibits documenting the city’s past offer different starting points for a cultural visit.
At the Blacksmithing Museum, a workshop gives visitors the opportunity to make their own forged piece under the guidance of Anna Biletskaya. If you would like to plan this activity in advance, check whether the workshop can be booked for the time of your visit.
Altai Krai as a Wider Setting
Altai Krai is a diverse tourism region, with a range of recreation and tourism offerings as well as numerous tourist routes. In Altai Foothills Nature Park, established educational trails lead to rock formations, a former tungsten mine, abandoned mines and factory villages. More than half of the nature park in Smolensk and Altai districts is designated as a recreation and tourism zone. These regional examples represent a broader scale than the trails and sights in Belokurikha.
Discover more destinations: Solonovka, Kamlak, Novosilikatnyy, Bazargino, S. Manzherok, Askat, Barnaul, Rebrikha.
For the broader travel overview: Altai Krai.
