The Uch-Kosh Gorge is one of the most interesting routes in the Yalta Nature Reserve, not far from Massandra. This gorge is a tectonic fault in the Crimean Mountains. Pine forest grows on the slopes of the gorge on both sides, creating a very beautiful landscape. A small river Bala flows along the bottom of the gorge.
There are no panoramic views in the Uch-Kosh Gorge of the Yalta Nature Reserve, as on the Shtangeyev trail or the Botkin Trail, since the trail goes inside a deep gorge. Some pine trees grow directly from the stones on the vertical slopes of the gorge, which makes it very picturesque. To see all the most beautiful places of the Uch-Kosh Gorge, you have to go along the upper slope of the gorge, and return along its bottom, close to the bed of the Bala River.
Translated from the Turkic language, "Uch-Kosh" means "Three Mountains". In the Yalta-ayla area, three mountains rise above the upper part of the gorge: Damir-Kapu (1539), Kemal-Egerek (1529m) and Aunda (1449m). These three mountains are among the five highest mountains of Crimea. Balan-Kaya Mountain (832m) rises above the lower part of the Uch-Kosh gorge.
The hike along the Uch-Kosh Gorge can be started from two points. A longer route starts near Lake Ai-Vasil in the village of Vasilevka. Here you will enter the Uch-Kosh Gorge from the lowest point. The length of the route in this case will be 3 kilometers. Approximately 1.5 kilometers you will walk along a large iron pipe, where the water of the Bala River is collected for its supply to Yalta. The climb along this route is very significant, more than 370 meters.
The second option of the route begins near the bus stop of the Dolossa sanatorium, in the village of Sovetskoye. It is located on a mountain slope much higher than Vasilevka. The road to the sanatorium goes along the Romanov highway. The car can be left near the bus stop and then the trail goes to the upper part of the Uch-Kosh Gorge with almost no height difference (the climb is 60 meters). Through the pine forest you will enter the most beautiful part of the gorge. There is no a huge iron pipe here (the water intake is located below), but the length of the route along the upper part of the gorge will be 1.5 kilometers only.
The Uch-Kosh Gorge is the longest gorge in the Crimean Mountains. If you decide to go from Vasilevka to the upper part of the gorge, then the route length will be more than 6 kilometers. The gorge rises to the top of the Crimean Mountains plateau.
Most tourists finish their walk near the confluence of the Bala and Mesteriz rivers. At this point, a sheer cliff blocks the way along the bottom of the Uch-Kosh Gorge. To go further, the rock can be bypassed along the right slope of the gorge, but this climb is already difficult for untrained people. The route along the river bottom is difficult in some places due to scree and large boulders.
