A gabbro-diorite crest on the Veselye Gory ridge (755 m) — the Volga/Ob watershed with views over Nizhny Tagil and the surrounding ranges.
Starik-Kamen Rock
Starik-Kamen is one of the highest summits of the Veselye Gory ridge: 755.4 metres above sea level, a rock crest about 300 metres long made of gabbro-diorites with a 50-metre eastern cliff. The mountain stands eleven kilometres west of the settlement of Karpushikha, on the border of Nizhny Tagil and Kirovgrad. The conditional Volga–Ob watershed — the Europe–Asia line — passes through the summit: waters from one slope flow to the Chusovaya and Kama, from the other to the Tagil and Tobol. Since 1983 the rock has been protected as a landscape reserve of 1,657 hectares. It is a popular weekend point for Nizhny Tagil: the climb along a forest road from Chernoistochnsk takes a couple of hours, and from the top you can see Nizhny Tagil, Nevyansk, Verkhny Tagil and a chain of ridges to the horizon. Mountain tourists train here in summer, winter-ascent enthusiasts in the cold season.
How to get there
From Nizhny Tagil to Chernoistochnsk (~20 km), then along the forest road towards Karpushikha to the start of the summit trail; a track helps — there are several forks.
Best season
May to October; on clear winter days the panoramas are at their widest.
Travel tips & stories
The forest-road forks are not obvious — download a track in advance.
The summit is open to all winds: in bad weather there are no panoramas, plan for a clear day.
It combines well with a visit to Visim and the reserve — neighbouring directions.
To sync favorites and plans across devices,
Local guides
- TR
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