The Red Gate Rock in the Altay Mountains is located on a dirt road that leads from the village of Aktash on the Chuya Highway to the Katy-Yaryk Pass and further into the Valley of the Chulyshman River. The gate is a narrow passage between the rocks with a bridge over the Chibitka River.
Some travel companies indicate the Red Gate Rock as a tourist attraction of the Altay Mountains. This is an interesting place, but only for a short stop. The Red Gate Rock rise 50 meters above the road.
The rocks are red in color because they contain cinnabar. This mineral contains mercury compounds. Mercury deposits here were discovered in 1842, but their development was postponed due to inaccessibility.
In 1942, a significant part of the mercury deposits turned out to be in German-occupied territory. Because of this, active development has begun at the Ulagan field in Altay. Cinnabar (mercury) was mined in a mine and processed in small crucible furnaces. The village of Aktash appeared next to the mine, which became a large settlement in the Ulagan district. In the 1980s, mercury deposits were depleted. In 2004, the Ulagan mine was liquidated.
Before the development of the mercury deposit, there was no road in this place. The Chibitka River flowed through the gorge, where only a narrow path passed. These places were considered dangerous because of the criminal situation. By car, the vast territories of the Ulagan Highlands could be reached only through Lake Teletskoye.
In the 1940s, NKVD officers first with the help of explosions, and then manually cut through the passage, which was called the Red Gate. The width of this passage between the rocks does not exceed 10 meters. This is how this landmark appeared, which is one of the Natural Monuments of Altay.
On the right side of the Red Gate Rock, there is an inscription that has become a local landmark. It says here: "S.D. Kuyukov. I`m going back to my homeland with God! May 16, 1946". Previously, there were many similar inscriptions in the style of "I was here...." in different places, but they were all erased. This inscription is special, so it was left and is regularly updated.
