Yunom Glacier is located in the Gorge of the Kullumkol River. You can see it if you decide to climb from the Ullu-Tau mountaineering camp to the Living Lake. In the distance, the highest mountain of the Gorge Adyr-Su – Dzhailyk (4424 m) rises above the Yunom Glacier on the left side. The glacier itself lies on the slopes between the mountains of Kichkidarbashi (4269 m) and Yunomkara (4225 m).
Going up to the Living Lake along the Kullumkol riverbed, first you will see on the right side one of the tongues of the Yunom Glacier, which hangs on the almost steep northern slope between Mount Chemist and Mount Ozernaya. At its foot is a Dead Lake.
There is a legend that before swimming in a Living Lake, you need to swim in a Dead Lake. As in Russian fairy tales, dead water washes away all the bad things, and living water gives new strength. Being near the emerald waters of the Living Lake, you really want to swim. The water temperature in it, as in any glacial lake, is quite cold, but in summer it can warm up to 15 degrees. Bathing in the dirty water of a Dead lake is at your discretion. In addition, to approach the Dead Lake, you need to ford the Kullumkol River.
The main part of the Yunom glacier lies on the Kichkidarsky Pass (4139 m) between the Kichkidarbashi and Yunomkara mountains. Even in summer, this pass is only accessible to climbers. You will see the glacier when you climb the moraine at the Living Lake. Now the territory of the Yunom glacier is 2.6 km2, and thirty years ago it reached 3 km2.
