One of the largest and most beautiful lakes in the Far East is Jack London Lake in the Magadan region. Its length reaches 10 kilometers!
The lake is located in the mountains. Even in summer it never gets too warm here. Night frosts begin already at the end of August, if not earlier. There are small glaciers in the mountains and on the lake itself.
Jack London Lake is connected by a channel to the Lake of Dancing Graylings. Its name speaks for itself =)) But there are a lot of fish in Jack London Lake, and grayling also jump out of the water - they hunt for midges and mosquitoes, of which there are incredible numbers.
It is very difficult to get there by car. On a regular passenger car - perhaps impossible. A well-prepared jeep-SUV undergoes great difficulty and subsequent repairs. They also drive Kamaz trucks, GAZ-66...
Yes, it is stunningly beautiful, this lake. But, unfortunately, all its beauty is not worth the road that leads to it...
Jack London Lake - located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in the Yagodninsky district of the Magadan region, lies among the mountains, at an altitude of 803 meters, the length of the lake in the northwest direction is 10 kilometers, the depth reaches 50 meters. It is located between the Bolshoi Annagachak and Uaza-Ina ridges, the highest points of which are the Aborigen (2,287 m) and Snezhny (2,293 m) peaks.
The banks are low, often overgrown with larch forest or dwarf cedar. There are sandy beaches along the shores. Several picturesque headlands jut into the lake. The narrow, elongated lake resembles the fjords of Norway. Until the end of July, ice floes float on the lake, but off the coast the water warms up to +10-12 °C. The highest water levels occur in mid to late July. The lake freezes in mid-October. The ice thickness reaches 170-190 cm by the end of May. There are many small lakes around Jack London Lake. The most prominent lakes in size are lakes Mechta, Anemone, Gray Chaika, Nevidimka, Neighboring, and Kudinovskie lakes. The lakes occupy depressions formed by moraines of ancient glaciers. The entire group of lakes is located in a small depression surrounded by mountain ranges.
There are 4 islands on the lake. The central island, the smallest, divides the lake into two parts - Little Jack and Big Jack. There is a weather station on Vera Island, located in the northern part of the lake.
Jack London Lake is one of the most beautiful and exotic lakes in the Far East. Old-timers say that the lake got its name thanks to an unusual find made by the “discoverers”. When the lake was discovered, researchers found Jack London's book "Martin Eden" on the shore.
However, there is another version of the origin of this name for the lake. Many geologists loved the works of Jack London. Yu. A. Bilibin, the leader of the first geological expedition to Kolyma, which discovered gold here, expressed the idea of naming one of the geographical objects in the North-East after London. In 1932, geologist P.I. Skornyakov, who worked in the area of one of the most picturesque lakes in the Northeast, gave it the name Jack London.
Russia / Magadan Region
GROUP COLLECTION AND TRANSFER TO THE VENUE
On July 18, in Magadan, I meet the plane with the arriving participants of the photo tour and take a minibus to the bridge (about 8-10 hours). We spend the night in tents on the river bank.
By that time the products will have already been purchased. The next morning we cross the river in a URAL car and drive to Jack London Lake (5-6 hours).
We stop on the high shore of Jack London Lake. We conduct evening photography, then morning photography. We spend the night in tents. From the high shore, endless distances open beyond Jack London Lake.
Right behind the lake rises the Great Anngachak ridge, to which we will follow our dreams.
The next day we climb to the plateau where the Dream and Anemone lakes and the Gray Gull lake are located. We spend evening and morning photography here and go downstairs. There will be a huge number of rhododendrons. Next we go down to the lake. The road down to the lake is about 700 meters long. You will have to take your things, food, boats, life jackets to the lake. Next we go to one of the bays of Jack London Lake. We conduct evening and especially morning photography.
If we are lucky, there will be fog and a magical sunrise. But on Jack London Lake, luck often happens. We spend two days here.
On the 4th day upon arrival, we go to the upper reaches of the Sibik-Tyellekh stream. This day will be the most difficult, as it will require maximum effort. We will walk for about five hours. Let's go about 5-7 km. We will stand in front of the third lake on the Sibik-Tyellekh stream to take evening, morning and daytime photographs. The lake will still be frozen, but will be actively melting. There will be rhododendrons along the banks. The ice floes will quietly ring, producing the magical music of a mountain lake.
On the fifth day we will continue moving. You will need to walk about 2 km. We will set up camp near the spectacular blue ice, 3-4 meters thick of blue ice. This is one of the most wonderful places in the vicinity of the Sibik-Tyellekh stream. At the top there is another lake under Challenger Peak. It looks like a rocket taking off. Lake Superior with spectacular views of Challenger and the mountain range. Here for two days.
On the 6th day we will go down to Stoozerka. This will be an average day in terms of severity. We spend one day here. Jack London Lake in this direction is very picturesque. It is adjacent to several very nice small lakes. Then we cross to the Bilog Spit. Overnight.
Filming a crazy sunrise. Then we sail to Purga. We shoot evening, morning and daytime photography.
On the 11th day, that is, June 30, we move along the lake in boats to the descent to the lake, where we started the route.
RETURN
The next day, June 31, we leave for the bridge over the Debin River and on the same day we leave by minibus for Magadan. We arrive in Magadan around 1 am on the 1st. We spend the night in a hotel. 2 flight to Moscow. In Magadan you can see the mask of Sorrow of Ernst the Unknown, visit the spectacular Nagaev Bay, visit the geological museum and in it a golden room with extremely unique nuggets.
Those photographers who are not able to carry a backpack can take photographs on the Lake of Dancing Graylings, on Purga, on the Kudinovskie Lakes, on the Biologists' Spit, on Stoozerka. There is a lot to photograph here.
The cost of the photo tour is 80,000 rubles.
Clothes: warm sweater, warm light jacket, windbreaker, light raincoat, sports cap, trousers, army type, regular socks and warm socks (woolen or Polartek), headlamps, gloves, Chinese type, sneakers, rubber waders. Regarding the swamps - without them you will not be able to move.
There is a lot of water in the tundra near rivers, lakes, and swamps. You will need to cross rivers.
The rest is up to you.
Regarding shoes. Better footwear than waders has not yet been invented in Kolyma. Because you often have to cross rivers, walk along the banks of small lakes where it’s muddy and there’s a lot of water, and walk on wet grass. Your feet will often be damp in boots. Winter shoes are not needed. Daytime temperature during the tour is from +5 to +25°C. Night from +5 to +15°C.
Meals are camping, three times a day. If the day is not busy, then you can make a full lunch, and not just a snack with tea. Accommodation in houses and tents.
AVAILABLE ADDITIONALLY
Not included in the tour price:
- Flight to Magadan and back;
- Hotel in Magadan;
- Medical insurance;
- Alcohol;
THE TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
- All participants in the photo tour help in preparing food, setting up tents, washing dishes, preparing firewood and other tasks.
- Participants are required to comply with all requirements, instructions and recommendations of the instructor on the route, this is due to compliance with safety precautions.
REQUIRED INVENTORY:
- Backpack
- Sleeping bag, comfort temperature - 6 - 10 C
- Mat for sleeping bag
- Headlamp, with spare set of batteries
- Individual first aid kit (be sure to notify the guides about chronic diseases, take care of yourself in advance!)
- Personal hygiene products: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth
- Towel
- Camping utensils (bowl, mug, spoon, knife).
The photo tour will be conducted by myself and one assistant. We will have a gun.
I've been to the lake eight times. I know everything there thoroughly. I know all the best places for photography and the best spots. I will help everyone in choosing a plot and composition.
Everything needs to be bought in Moscow or somewhere else, before the trip.
PHOTO EQUIPMENT
Everyone should have their own photographic equipment. (you can check with me for the list of what you need) Spare batteries, preferably at least 5 pieces. You can recharge at the Dancing Grayling camp site and at the weather station located on the island of Lake D. London. There they start engines for electricity.
If you ask a person the question: “Where is Jack London Lake?”, then the probability of hearing the answer “in Russia” is small. But it is in the vast expanses of our homeland that the unique Jack London Lake is located. The protected area of the natural site attracts many travelers, and the distance from central highways and large populated areas leaves the nature of these places pristine.
Who named the lake that?
Russia is famous for its strange, sometimes comical names of natural objects and settlements. What are the names of the rivers worth: Luxury, Rozhayka, Zveronozhka, Drunken. Jack London Lake still stands apart. After all, such a combination is quite unusual for the Russian ear. There are two versions that explain the reason for such an original choice of name for the lake.
Versions of the appearance of the name
Who is Jack London?
Young people of the sixties and eighties read the works of Jack London. His stories and novels, filled with the spirit of adventure, could not leave anyone indifferent. Unfortunately, now the widespread interest in the books of this writer has faded somewhat, and some representatives of modern society are not familiar with the name Jack London.
Jack London is an American writer who, in his works, glorified man, namely his fortitude. He could not imagine what could motivate someone to give up in the face of difficulties. Therefore, all the heroes of London's novels and stories are strong and brave people. The writer created an amazing atmosphere of the work, which immersed the reader in the world of gold miners and sailors. The lives of people described in the works of Jack London were as close to reality as possible. After all, the writer knew firsthand about hard labor in the gold mines of Alaska and on the decks of ships sailing to the shores of Japan. Perhaps it was the spirit of the works glorifying courage, boldness, and fortitude that prompted the fearless researchers of the Magadan region to name the lake the name of the famous writer.
Where is the lake?
Jack London Lake is located in the Far North in the Magadan Region. It is surrounded on all sides by spiky snow-capped mountain peaks. The lake itself is at a fairly decent altitude - 803 meters. Next to it there are smaller lakes with sonorous names: Chaika, Invisible, Lake of Dancing Graylings. Jack London is connected to the last lake by a channel. The length of the water body is small - 10 km, maximum depth - 50 m. The water reserves of the lake are replenished only by one river, the Purga, and several dozen different streams and rivulets. The harsh climate and the northern beauty of nature give rise to comparisons with the cold Norwegian landscapes in the minds of travelers. Take a look at Jack London's photo of the lake.
Features of the lake
Living in Russia, we do not know much about our country, about its amazing places that amaze with their beauty and uniqueness. Lake Jack London in the Magadan region is one of these places. It is the pearl of this region. The harsh northern beauty, the blue surface of the lake, the inaccessible mountain peaks create a delightful landscape. Due to the fact that the lake is located at a distance from any populated areas, and the road to it is difficult to pass, the lake and its surroundings have still retained their pristine beauty. The gentle shores of the lakes are strewn with larch trees and dwarf cedar. Those who love to feast on the gifts of nature will be able to eat plenty of forest berries: lingonberries, cloudberries, which grow here in abundance in the summer months. Among the inhabitants of the surrounding areas, bears, lynxes, chipmunks, and hares are often found. One of the main attractions of the lake is grayling, which is found here in large numbers.
The climate of the area is very harsh, northern. Temperatures in winter drop below 30 degrees. The ice on the lake appears already in October, and melts only in May. Even in mid-June you can find ice sheets on the lake. The average temperature in the warm season is +12, but maximum daytime temperatures reach 25 degrees.
The weather here is changeable. This is reflected in the character of the lake. It happens that a strong wind will rise, which will make the waters of the lake boil, making it gray, gloomy, and frightening. But in a few hours, when the storm subsides, the lake will smile with its blue surface again.
The beauty of these places attracts many travelers who value not the comfort and convenience of tourist trips, but getting new unforgettable experiences from the views that nature itself prepares. Many photographers come to Jack London Lake to capture the elusive beauty of this place. Entire photo tours are often organized, where all participants will be able to add unique images to their collection, filled with the life-giving energy of these places. Photos of Jack London's lake in the Magadan region can be found at exhibitions.
The area adjacent to the lake is classified as a specially protected area.
Islands on the lake
There are four islands in total on the lake. They are relatively small in size. The smallest of them, located in the center, divides the lake into 2 parts - small Jack London and large Jack London. Of particular interest is the island of Vera, on which a meteorological station is located. People live on it all year round and send weather information to the central office every day. The weather station employees live far from civilization almost all the time. They have a satellite phone for communication and a motor boat for transportation.
How to get to Jack London Lake?
The road to Lake Jack London is not easy. The nearest settlement to the reservoir is the village of Yagodnoye, from which the lake is about 50 km on foot and 56 km by car. However, not every vehicle will pass along the road leading to the lake. Mostly local residents use KamAZ and Ural vehicles to move around this territory. You can also drive jeeps and other all-terrain vehicles, but the driver must always be on alert, because this road is unsafe. Travelers will also have to cross the river. But all the difficulties that will have to be overcome on the way to Jack London Lake will more than pay off. Crystal clear air, clear water, bright colors of the forest, inaccessible mountain peaks - these are all the surroundings of the amazing Jack London Lake.
There are many places that are mesmerizing in their beauty. One of them is Jack London Lake. Despite the grandeur of nature, crystal clearness and picturesque surroundings, there are not many tourists here. But why don’t people come to these places more often? Where is Jack London Lake located and why does it have such an unusual name?
Where is the lake
This beautiful lake can be found in the upper reaches of the Magadan region, in the Yagodninsky district. It is located at an altitude of 803 meters, occupying the depression of Mount Annachag. These places are part of the mountain ranges. The nearest village of Yagodnoye is located 70 km from the lake.
Description of the lake
The lake changes its external characteristics depending on the weather. So, on a stormy, gloomy day, Jack London Lake (the photo of the reservoir is shown above) becomes gloomy and gray. But if the sun comes out, it turns into a real blue pearl, and it seems that this is the most delightful place in the Far East. Now this area is a natural park, which is supervised
The lake itself stretches for 10 km in the northwest direction. This cold pool has a maximum depth of 50 meters. The majestic lake is fed by the Purga River and several streams, two of them are called Icy and Nevedomy. The latter, flowing for many mountain kilometers, connects the lake with the Kolyma River.
Natural surroundings
Jack London Lake is surrounded by many smaller lakes. Among them there are very remarkable ones. These are lakes Gray Chaika, Mechta, Nevidimka, Anemone, Sosedneye and Kudinovskoye. This entire group of reservoirs is located in a mountain depression, and therefore a bewitching landscape of mountain ranges looms around them.
But still, among this wealth there is another lake, which in beauty and depth resembles a lake. Jack London. These are Dancing Graylings. These two basins are connected by the Variants channel.
In this mountainous region, near Jack London Lake, there is Aborigine Peak. This is the highest point in the area, reaching 2586 m.
The mountain slopes are covered with lichen glades, dwarf cedar forests and sparse larch trees. Such beauty in some places reaches a height of 1100 meters, and mountain tundras have grown above the forest boundaries. Also outside the forested areas are gravelly deserts.
Weather
The area is cold, winters are long and summers are too short. Warm days only come for a couple of weeks. The real winter here begins in October; by January the frosts drop to -33 °C. Heavy snowstorms occur periodically. Precipitation falls unevenly, and huge snow caps appear on the eastern slopes, so an avalanche can occur here at any moment.
Jack London Lake freezes over in October, and the crust can last until the end of June. Winter continues until the days of May, until the snow begins to melt. At the same time, even in summer the air remains cool. In July, the average temperature is only 12 degrees, and the hottest days can show 20 ° C on the thermometer. Sometimes it rains here and there are floods. Already at the end of summer frosts begin and snow falls.
Is it possible to relax on the lake?
Since Jack London Lake in the Magadan region is incredibly beautiful, the Yagodninsky authorities are thinking about how to make these areas more civilized so that tourists can come here. But for now, only the bravest people come here, who want to touch the wild, harsh nature that Jack London wrote about in his books. In winter you can go skiing here, but the rest is rather passive.
On the neighboring Lake of Dancing Graylings there is a camp “Combat”, it is intended for vacationers. The director of the base can light a bathhouse for guests. In addition, on the lake. Jack London has an island called Vera, where a weather station is located. You can also go there for a visit. The employees are very happy to welcome vacationers into their yards, since, apart from the radio, they have no other connection with the world.
Fishing on the lake
Most often, people come to Jack London Lake not to relax, but to fish. As a rule, these are residents of the area and nearby mines. Siberian char and East Siberian grayling are found in these reservoirs. Especially large fish live in the lake. Jack London, ten-year-old individuals gain a kilogram of weight. It is interesting that for spawning these fish choose not only streams, but also the sand and pebble bottom near the shores of the lake.
How did the name of the lake come about?
A lake with an unusual name raises the same question among guests and tourists: “Where did it get such a beautiful name?” The answer will depend on who it is asked to. Old-timers say that the discoverers of this reservoir on the shore found the book “Martin Eden”, written by Jack London.
But geologists tell a completely different version of the appearance of this name. Almost all researchers in these parts loved to read the works of J. London. The first geological expedition to Kolyma thought that they named one of the natural objects after their favorite writer. So, P.I. Skornyakov, who worked in 1932 near this picturesque lake, gave it the name of Jack London.
How to get there
Since Jack London Lake (Russia) is located near the village of Yagodnoye, the first thing you need to do is make your way to this settlement. You need to drive along the Kolyma highway. But, unfortunately, it is in a broken state. This road was built by prisoners back in the late 30s. It was necessary to connect two “sleeves” of the Kolyma highway and shorten the path from the mine. Until the 60s, the route was actively used, but as soon as vehicles began to travel along it less often, no one repaired it.
In addition, once you reach the village, you will have to drive another 70 km to the lake. What remains of this road is a broken track. That is why there are not many tourists in these parts, because you can only travel by your own transport. But few people will sacrifice their car, since repairs will definitely be required after the trip. It also happens that in rainy weather cars fall off cliffs. If the weather turns bad outside, you can spend a whole day on the road from Yagodnoye to the lake. Only a four-wheel drive vehicle can cope with such a journey, provided that the street is dry.
Yes, there is such a thing. Do you think it's somewhere in America? In Alaska or Canada?
But they didn’t guess...
Jack London Lake is the most romantic place in the upper reaches of the Kolyma in the Yagodninsky district of the Magadan region. It lies in the middle of a beautiful mountainous country, framed by the jagged saws of a harsh ridge. Its narrow mirror in the palms of larch slopes is reminiscent of the fjords of Norway and the lakes of High Scotland.
Geography. Jack London Lake is located at an altitude of 803 meters above sea level, occupies a deep depression in the Annachag mountains of the Magadan region. The length of the lake in the northwest direction is 10 kilometers, the depth reaches 50 meters.
One of the most beautiful and exotic lakes in the Far East. The most significant mountain peak in the area, Aborigine Peak (2586 meters above sea level), is located in the Jack London Lake area. The Purga River and several streams flow into the lake: Studeny, Nevedomy and small nameless ones. It is connected by the Variants channel to the Lake of Dancing Graylings, from which flows the Kyuel-Sien River, the left tributary of the Kolyma, which flows into the Kolyma Reservoir. There are 4 islands on the lake. The central island, the smallest, divides the lake into two parts - Little Jack and Big Jack. There is a weather station on Vera Island, located in the northern part of the lake.
The banks are low, often overgrown with larch forest or dwarf cedar. There are sandy beaches along the shores. Several picturesque headlands jut into the lake. Until the end of July, ice floes float on the lake, but off the coast the water warms up to +10-12 °C. The highest water levels occur in mid to late July. The lake freezes in mid-October. The ice thickness reaches 170–190 cm by the end of May.
Jack London Lake is located in an area of sparse larch forests. Higher up dwarf cedar grows, above which there is a belt of mountain tundras. Bears and wolverines are common in the taiga. Lots of chipmunks and red-backed voles. Moose live in taiga valleys. Often found are ermine, white hare, and squirrel. A partridge lives in the riverine willows.
There are many small lakes around Jack London Lake. The most prominent lakes in size are lakes Mechta, Anemone, Gray Chaika, Nevidimka, Neighboring, and Kudinovskie lakes. The lakes occupy depressions formed by moraines of ancient glaciers. The entire group of lakes is located in a small depression surrounded by mountain ranges.
The climate of the area is sharply continental and harsh. The average air temperature in January drops to?33 °C. In winter there are strong snowstorms in the mountains. On the leeward, often eastern, slopes and ridges there are powerful snow cornices. During the winter months there is a high risk of avalanches. Summer is relatively warm in the valleys, cool in the mountains. The average air temperature in July is +12 °C. At the beginning and end of summer there are frosts and snow falls in the mountains. It often rains, causing floods on rivers. Night frosts begin already at the end of August, if not earlier.
Here are protected areas, the Jack London Lake National Park. Jack London Lake is a wonderful place for active recreation, where you can spend one or two weeks in the lap of pristine nature, in the atmosphere of a comfortable tent camp or at a tourist base. The lake is surrounded by small, but no less beautiful lakes with islands that will leave you with an unforgettable experience. It’s true that getting to the lake is quite difficult.
History of the origin of the name. Old-timers say that the lake got its name thanks to an unusual find made by the “discoverers”. When the lake was discovered, on the shore the researchers found a volume of Jack London’s “Martin Eden”...But it is well known that the sonorous name was given to the lake by a geologist who explored local reservoirs in 1932 - Pyotr Ivanovich Skornyakov. He was fond of the works of Jack London and the geologist really liked the beautiful northern lake. This is how this name of the lake, unusual for Russian people, appeared.
