Mount Bald in Samarskaya Luka national park

Mount Bald is located close to the Volga hydroelectric dam on the outskirts of the city of Zhigulevsk. This is where the rocky peaks of the Zhiguli mountains begin, and then stretch along the entire Bank of the Volga river in the Samara Luka nature reserve.

To reach the Bald mountain, you should cross the hydroelectric dam from the Tolyatti side, enter Zhigulevsk, and then follow Morkvashinskaya street to the Eastern slope of the Morkvashinsky ravine. Here is the Bald mountain is located. The height of mountain reaches 255 meters.

The slope of the Bald mountain, facing the Volga river, is overgrown with dense forest, and on the opposite slope there is no plant cover at all, so it was called Bald. 

Close to the top, there is a rocky cliff on the mountain, which is called Sokol Rock or Petrov Stone. According to legend, this cliff was personally climbed by Tsar Peter I. From this cliff you can see the most beautiful view of the Volga hydroelectric dam opens.

At the very top of mount Bald, there are traces of a 10th-century Bulgarian settlement. These traces are difficult to distinguish, but in some places the remains of an earthen rampart and ditch are visible. In many places on the mountain there is a grasshopper plant cover.