The Seaside Range is a mountain system stretching for approximately 350 kilometers along the western coast of Lake Baikal. It serves as a natural barrier between Baikal and the Prilenskaya Plain. For travelers on the road to Olkhon Island, the range is the main landscape landmark, which must be crossed via a gravel road serpentine.
Geography and Geology
The range extends from the valley of the Anga River in the south to Cape Ryty in the north. Its average elevations are 1,000–1,200 meters, and its highest point is Mount Three-Headed Golets (1,746 meters). The range`s relief was formed by the tectonic processes of the Baikal Rift Zone and subsequent erosion. It is composed of ancient crystalline rocks: gneisses, marbles, and crystalline schists. The slopes facing Baikal are often steep and rocky, while the western slopes are more gentle.
Larch Forest on the Pass between Yelantsy and Kuret
The pass over the Seaside Range on the road from the village of Yelantsy to the village of Kuret`ya is an interesting point on the route to Olkhon. This territory is part of the Pribaikalsky National Park, which ensures the preservation of its natural complex.
On the pass, at an altitude of about 700 meters above sea level, there is a sparse larch forest. The trees here have a characteristic shape—many trunks are curved, and the crowns are unevenly developed. This is a direct consequence of exposure to strong Baikal winds, primarily the Sarma wind blowing from the Maloye More (Small Sea). Constant wind loads prevent the trees from growing vertically, forming their stable, squat shape.
The forest is not dense, allowing one to move freely between the trees and observe the flora typical of this area: Ledum, lingonberry, and various types of lichens covering the boulders and tree bases are common here.
From some viewpoints near the pass, vistas of the Tazheran Steppe open up. The site is equipped with a parking lot and is often used by tourists for short stops. A stop here allows one to appreciate the scale of the landscape and the transition from mountain-taiga scenery to the more arid steppe regions of the Tazheran Steppe.
Visiting the forest requires compliance with the rules of the Pribaikalsky National Park: making fires is permitted only in specially equipped areas.
