Ruskeala Mountain Park. Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia
Today I want to talk about how we visited Karelia during a one-day trip by car. During the day we managed to explore the marble canyon of Ruskeala and a small waterfall located nearby.
Distance from the center of St. Petersburg to Ruskeala: about 312 km
Walking distance: about 3 km
Coordinates of the Ruskeala marble canyon: 61°56"40.0"N 30°34"52.6"E
Entrance fee to Ruskeala Mountain Park: 200 rubles per adult (2016).
We left St. Petersburg at 5 am and returned late in the evening. The total mileage was about 650 km. You can get to Karelia by two routes: along the Murmansk highway and along the Novopriozersky highway (Sortavala highway). Depending on where you are going, choose the desired route. This time we moved towards Sortavala, it was more convenient for us to go along Novopriozerka. The Sortavala highway has not yet been completely rebuilt, and there are some unpleasant parts - very dusty gravel. There may be unexpected holes, even though a grader sometimes passes through there. I recommend keeping your distance, because due to the dust (when it’s dry) you can’t see anything from the car in front.
Ahvenkoski Waterfall
So, 300 kilometers of travel is behind us, and we finally reached the village of Ruskeala. The beautiful Tokhmajoki River flows here, which is divided into several branches and falls down with picturesque waterfalls. This landscape is complemented by a coniferous forest. It’s not for nothing that the films “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” and “The Dark World” were filmed in this place. Many tourists stop here, as the waterfall is very accessible and visible from the highway. Some swim directly in the waterfall. There are souvenir shops nearby, you can also have a snack in a cafe or relax in the gazebo.
Ruskeala Mountain Park
We get into the car again and drive a little to the Ruskeala mountain park. This is the most beautiful place in the vicinity of Sortavala. Since the park is landscaped, you have to walk strictly along a route specially laid out for tourists: along the paths. But here it is clean and tidy.
Ruskeala (Finnish “brown” - a former quarry, a marble quarry, which arose during the reign of Catherine II, in 1765. Marble of four colors was mined here! Marble from these quarries was used in the construction of the main attractions of St. Petersburg - the floor of the Kazan Cathedral, cladding St. Isaac's Cathedral, window sills of the Hermitage, lining of some St. Petersburg subway stations.Numerous adits of the quarry were flooded after the Great Patriotic War.Now the quarry is almost the most popular tourist attraction in Karelia.
Main attractions of the park:
- Of course, the marble quarry itself is now a beautiful lake;
- The ruins of a marble factory, which we did not go to;
- Ruskeala failure, which deserves a separate article;
- Adits;
- Italian quarry
You can walk around the park on your own or as part of an organized excursion. We did not use the services of a guide.
For clarity, I would like to present a map that I found on the Internet:
I have so many photos of the quarry itself that I can’t choose just a couple for this article. Hang in there, there will be a lot of them!
You can rent a boat and look at the surrounding beauty from the water. Unfortunately, we were not able to take advantage of this opportunity: all boats were booked for the whole day.
Me against the backdrop of a quarry with a bouquet of daisies:
Oh, these rocks! The landscapes are simply amazing. This must be seen live!
The color of the water is simply amazing.
You can try yourself in extreme entertainment:
On the way back, having already covered about half the way back to St. Petersburg, we stopped for a small picnic. We chose a cozy forest clearing surrounded by coniferous trees. After having a snack, we moved on. From the road we noticed a picturesque field:
The main attraction of Karelia is the nature that surrounds you as soon as you enter the republic. North Karelia is beautiful, it has its own special natural landscape. Even an ordinary field looks beautiful here. Or maybe I just love these places and see something unusual in every bush... We took pictures with haystacks:
Nearby we noticed a lake and photogenic mopeds:
Well, now it’s time to go home to St. Petersburg... Never mind, there will be a new trip! 🙂
Karelia is famous not only for its marble quarry, but also for many other attractions. Several years have passed since this photo story was written, during which we became even more familiar with the republic. New stories are waiting for you soon, including a 12-hour hike to Besov Nos. It will be interesting!
Holidays in Karelia are unforgettable moments. Northern nature is both beautiful and harsh; these are stunning, slender forests full of berries, mushrooms and game. Cold rivers full of fish, on the banks of which it’s so nice to sit with a fishing rod. The nature of Karelia is very rich in gifts, but before you go here, decide on the time of year that will be most comfortable for you. With the onset of September, these places are already cold like autumn, and from mid-October there is snow. But nevertheless, for many tourists Karelia is unforgettable and alluring. The Marble Canyon is the most favorite place for excursions.
Planning a vacation
If you want to spend your vacation truly unforgettable, then you have chosen the right route. It remains to decide where the Marble Canyon is located in Karelia. This is the Sortavala district, which is located just a few kilometers from the border with Finland. The easiest way to get here is to book a tour from a tour operator. However, if you are not looking for easy ways, you can also get there by private car. To do this, you need to stick to the Sortavala highway to the Sortavala district. After this, turn towards the village of Vyartsilya. Without turning anywhere, you cross the village of Ruskeala, and now all you have to do is cross the Tokhmajoki River and turn left to the marble canyon.
History of these places
In fact, Karelia has become popular among tourists for so long. The Marble Canyon was formed here about 400 years ago. At that time it was still the Swedish coast, but after it went to Russia, Catherine II actively used the stone deposits to rebuild St. Petersburg. This largest quarry operated until 1830, then the pace of construction decreased and the quarry fell into decay. After the war, they again remembered that Russia has a magnificent pearl - Karelia. Marble Canyon began to be mined again, this time in an explosive manner. However, due to the fact that research work was not carried out, the dynamite damaged the aquifer. The gushing spring formed a stunning lake with crystal clear water in the canyon.
Tourism development
Thus ended the history of marble mining, but the interest of tourists, who still did not know how many secrets Karelia conceals, has only just begun to grow. Marble Canyon has now become the park's main attraction. During the extraction of marble, many adits were broken. Now, flooded with water, they have turned into stunningly beautiful marble grottoes. The water temperature here rarely rises above 15 degrees, so the water does not bloom and remains stunningly clear.
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon (Karelia) is a magnificent place, but while staying here it is difficult to realize that this is not a creation of nature, but only the result of an engineering error. The depth of the canyon is about 30 meters, but in the adits it reaches 100 meters or more. For lovers of extreme diving, there is plenty of diving space here.
Mountain Park
Today it is difficult to imagine a holiday in Karelia without visiting it. Marble Canyon is the crown jewel of his collection. Just a dozen years ago this place was absolutely wild, but with the opening of an amazing mountain park it was simply transformed. Visitors will be invited to spend time taking a boat ride on Marmara Lake. This is an amazing adventure, you find yourself either in a snow-white, or in a soft green kingdom, or even in a completely black, strict and perfect one. The water in the lake is so clear that the bottom can be seen for tens of meters. At the same time, there are many grottoes, bizarre shapes and shades around, all this creates the feeling that you are in a magical world. However, it is no less interesting to walk along the shores of the lake, exploring the Marble Canyon “Ruskeala” (Karelia, Russia). We'll talk about where to stay for the night a little later, while let's look at the entertainment that is offered to tourists.
Popular excursions
There are cleared paths through the mountain park, which silently show the routes of tourists. However, in order to see all the beauty of these places, it is better to go with a group and an experienced guide. He will take you into the mines and adits within the quarry walls, most of which are flooded. However, in those that have survived to this day, you can follow the paths of the ancient masters. However, entering dry adits unaccompanied is extremely dangerous. Every tourist notes an interesting feature of these places: the hotter it is outside, the more pronounced the cold is felt inside the adit. In any case, you will simply need warm clothes.
The adits are different from one another, and this is best shown and demonstrated by a guide. One of them is called “Musical Grotto”, due to its unique acoustic features. But nothing beats a winter park. At this time, Karelia is greatly transformed. The Marble Canyon “Ruskeala” is designated “Palace of Santa Claus” on the map. Indeed, the canyon, shrouded in snow and ice, turns into the fairy-tale abode of the Snow Queen or Santa Claus.
Park attractions
First of all, every tourist will be interested in looking at the Ruskeala waterfalls. The local river, Tokhmajoki, is the largest artery of Lake Ladonezh, which reaches almost 40 km in length. A beautiful mountain river forms many rapids and waterfalls. The largest of them is called Akhvenkoski. It is clearly visible from the highway, and therefore it is quite famous among tourists. That is why there is a parking lot next to the waterfalls. There are cozy gazebos and canopies, and a recreation area. Of course, enterprising people organize hot snacks and also sell fishing gear and other useful things for vacation. Akhvenkoski is famous for the fact that it is a whole complex of four waterfalls, each about 4 meters high.
There is another waterfall here, it is much smaller, but nevertheless deserves close attention. This is Rymäkoski, the road to which requires a mandatory walk. The fact is that the road here is very swampy and cannot be reached by car. This is also not one, but a whole group of waterfalls. They may not be so tall, but they captivate with their beauty.
To the bowels of the earth
In this park you will have another adventure. The Ruskeala failure is located on the border of a mountain park and a modern marble factory. This ice hole was formed when the roof of the abandoned adits went under water. The result was a hole of about twenty by thirty meters. From here, tourists descend to the center of the mine. Previously, this unflooded zone was connected to the park using adits, but today these passages are under rubble. The ice here does not melt even in summer.
Entertainment
Underwater travel in flooded adits is very interesting and exciting, but quite difficult for beginners. Cave divers spend a lot of time here, swimming into the most remote corners of the quarry. There were three underground marble mining horizons here, and now there is a place for lovers of underwater travel to roam. But overwater trips can also be a real adventure. We are talking about rafting, the Tohmajoki River is simply created for such fun. Bar rapids and waterfalls, dams created by beavers - all this must be overcome by brave travelers.
For history buffs, an educational excursion to the lost village of Kinerma will be very interesting. You will be able to see architectural monuments of the 15th century and get acquainted with the unique culture of the local residents. A trip to Valaam, where a unique monastery built at the beginning of the 14th century will be unforgettable.
Where to stay?
Be sure to plan to visit such a wonderful corner of Russia as Karelia, the Marble Canyon. We have already told you how to get to the mountain park, now all that remains is to add where you can stay for the night. The cost of tourist excursions itself ranges from 1,500 to 4,000 per person; it is better to book them in advance through a travel agency. You can stay overnight at the hotel at the Pappila Lutheran parish. This is a cozy budget place where the cost of a vacation is only 300 rubles per day. Not far from the village there is a recreation center “Black Stones”. It offers twelve cottages and a hotel complex with fifteen rooms. The cost of a holiday here is from 250 to 500 rubles per day. Finally, another popular place to stay is the King of the Mountain guest house. It is located on the outskirts of the city of Ruskeala. The cost of a vacation starts from 300 rubles.
This June I was able to make a short trip around Karelia as part of an organized tour for 5 days (review of the tour). The program was designed in such a way as to show us the most recognizable and photographed places in Karelia that can be visited in such a short vacation. We spent the first part of the tour in the area of the Karelian city of Sortavala, near which there are such famous sights of Karelia as the Ruskeala waterfalls, the island of Valaam with an ancient monastery and the Ruskeala mountain park, which will be discussed today.
A little history
Ruskeala Mountain Park is an area where there are marble canyons with emerald water, adits, mines and paths with observation platforms, organized into routes for tourists. I would call this attraction industrial-natural, and here's why.
Back in the 17th century, the Swedes began mining marble here, which they turned into whitewash with northern severity. Practical Swedes did not need pompous material to decorate buildings and pavements; they always loved brevity and practicality, so their hand did not waver when translating goodness. However, almost a century later, our country began to extract marble for its intended purpose. Few people know, but many famous buildings in St. Petersburg are lined with marble from the Ruskeala quarries, the main ones being Green and White, named after the color of the marble that is extracted from them. For example, white marble from Karelia was used in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, one of the facades of the Mikhailovsky Palace, the pedestal of the monument to Peter I, and it was used to decorate the windows of the Winter Palace. Green Mountain marble was useful in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and other objects in St. Petersburg, Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo.
Marble was mined at different levels, called horizons, which are even located underground. The original horizons have not reached our time; they were replaced by later ones. I will not write about how marble mining took place, because it will be much more interesting for you to hear this story from a qualified guide in the park, who, as part of a selected group, will tell you everything in detail.
It’s worth saying about marble quarries that it’s a kind of unique park, because it was created with private investment. You must agree that this is not a common occurrence for Russia.
Walk around the Ruskeala quarry
Our excursion group arrived at the Ruskeala mountain park around 8 pm. In summer, entry is possible until 24-00. In June, the Russian north already has almost white nights, and in other seasons the lighting works in Ruskeala.
You can walk around Ruskeala on your own by purchasing an entrance ticket, or you can be part of an excursion group led around the park by a local guide. For some reason, our travel agency could not organize a tour for us earlier than 20-30, so by agreement with all the tour participants, we went to the territory ourselves. Why didn't you wait an extra half an hour? This was the first day of our trip, many got off the train at 6 in the morning, then we visited the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery in the Leningrad region, drove almost 5 hours to the recreation center in the Sortavala area. We had a choice - to sit for an extra hour at the base and then go, which meant coming back later, or to leave the base earlier, take a walk in the park ourselves and go to rest after a crazy day.
In front of the entrance to the park there is a square with a long row of souvenir stalls and an administration building where tickets are sold. There is also an observation deck at the largest quarry of Ruskeala.
Since we arrived in the evening, we didn’t really see the emerald blue water, because the sun apparently fell at the wrong angle. But all the same, the marble mountains, water, and floating boats looked very nice, I couldn’t wait to get into the park.
There is a walking route around the quarry, along which there are always observation platforms that allow you to approach the edge of the quarry without extreme sports. For the especially gifted, there are signs everywhere saying not to throw stones down, not to approach the edge and not to dive down...apparently, there were such people.
I noticed quite large grottoes on the opposite side of the mountain; for some reason they seemed familiar to me, although I had never been to Ruskeala.
And then Zhenya told me that this was the first 3D Russian film “The Dark World”, namely the scene with the lake witches, they filmed it here. Here is a video for the song “Witch”, you can see the landscapes of Ruskeala.
Filming location "Dark World" in Karelia
In addition to the boats that can be rented at a special station, I noticed divers in the quarry. As the guide said, they really like this place, and the park allows professionals to conduct training. It turns out that the water in the quarry is very clean, and at the bottom lies the equipment that was sunk by the Finns and used to extract marble. And since the Karelian lakes are not rich in strange seabeds or tales of sunken ships with treasures, exploring the bottom of Ruskeala is extremely interesting for divers. The cost of using the pier for diving is 200 rubles.
As soon as we passed one side of the quarry, we saw a sign to a tunnel into which you can freely go down without special permission. To put it in your own words, an adit is a depression in the ground, a kind of corridor, a quarry. We decided to go down into an adit that had been preserved for a long time, which goes 200 meters deep. It was created to deliver trolleys of marble from the mine via a narrow-gauge railway. When entering the adit you can see what an old trolley looks like.
To be honest, it was a little scary to go down, and I generally don’t like all kinds of caves and grottoes, but I decided to go into the adit because I had never seen anything like it.
We walked around the quarry and quietly envied the independent tourists who were sailing on boats and swimming up to the grottoes, as if in scenes from a movie.
We were told that research is now being carried out in the quarry to open a passage into the mountains for tourists. In a couple of years, they promise to organize excursions to grottoes, caves and other hidden wonders of nature.
Routes around Ruskeala
Routes around Ruskeala can be found at the entrance to the park - there is a large poster.
Download a map with routes
Route around the Marble Quarry
You can limit yourself to a walk around the Big Marble Quarry, like we did, or you can visit the factory and the neighboring lake. In general, if you are lovers of industrial tourism, then Ruskeala is simply an ideal object. In any case, this place is very unusual, so I recommend setting aside at least 3 hours for it, and then, as they say, as they say.
What else can you do in Ruskeala?
As you already understand, it is interesting, first of all, to walk around Ruskeala, depending on the degree of interest, take a look at the quarry with one eye or take a real journey into the industrial past of our country.
For entertainment, Rusleala offers boating. Immediately upon entering you will see a descent down to the boat station. There you will be put on life jackets, and you can go swimming. I think it's very cool to swim under the huge marble rocks, look into the clear water and just enjoy nature. In addition, you will be able to swim up to the grottoes, which we only saw from above. Boat rental is open from May 20 to September 30, costs 400 rubles per boat (no more than 4 people, we are not in China).
If you like to tickle your nerves, then you will definitely want to ride the torso on a bungee along a short path or cross the entire quarry. The bungee rope is located at the exit from the Marble Quarry.
I can’t say anything about reliability and safety, but it’s fixed something like this.
There is a trampoline at the exit for children, beer and barbecue for dads, and shops for moms. They also regularly ride husky dogs there, but we arrived too late.
How to get there, opening hours, entrance fee
The opening hours of the mountain park depend on the time of year.
If you walk around Ruskeala on your own, an entrance ticket will cost 150 rubles. for adults, 100 for students, 50 rubles for schoolchildren, and children under 7 years old have free admission.
A tour of the park costs 250 rubles. for a short route lasting 1 hour and 350 rubles. for a walk of 1.5 hours.
And if you decide to get creative and celebrate your wedding not in Thailand, but in Karelia, then the mountain park will give you a boat trip... and let all the guests wait. ?
Get to Ruskeala by car It won't be difficult, here's her address. Free parking is available near the entrance.
On one's own, that is, by public transport, you can also get to the marble quarries.
From St. Petersburg you need to take train No. 350 St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha, buying a ticket to Kaalamo station. Next, take a taxi to the park (the ride is about 5 km).
From Petrozavodsk you can get to Ruskeala by train No. 680-CH Petrozavodsk-Sortavala, get off at Kaalamo station. Travel time from 19-20 to 06-06. You can also get there by bus or minibus (NUMBERS) that go to Sortavala, although the travel time will be from 5 to 8 hours.
The easiest way to get to Reskeala or the city of Sortavala. At the bus station, look at the bus schedule to Vyartsilya, it stops near the park, although it runs very rarely. If you are in Sortavala, then the most convenient way is to take a taxi (about 450 rubles one way), and you can immediately arrange for them to wait for you and bring you back. This option will cost you about 1,000 rubles, but it all depends on the specific taxi driver, your skill in the trade and the time you want to spend in the park.
From Moscow to Ruskeala, as you may have guessed, you can get through St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk.
Perhaps the information on how to get to Ruskeala is scary, but you need to understand that there is no point in going to Karelia specifically to Ruskeala. It is necessary to develop a route that includes the city of Sortavala and its surroundings, visiting Ruskeala, Ruskeala waterfalls, swimming to Valaam, fishing, walking in nature, and many things you can do in this area of Karelia.
Where to stay
In the area where Ruskeala is located, there are several recreation centers where you can stay comfortably. This will allow you to combine outdoor recreation with visiting attractions located nearby.
I lived at the Black Stones recreation center and can confidently recommend it. The base is located about 30 minutes drive to the mountain park.
Recreation center "Black Stones"
At approximately the same distance is the Gardarika Country Club, which can be booked on booking.com .
In close proximity to the marble quarries there is the Ruskeala recreation center. On the Ruskeala website you can read about the route to the base, private bus and transfer. A little further, on the lake, there is the Yanisjärvi base.
If you prefer a city break, I recommend it book one of the hotels in Sortavala. From here it will be extremely convenient for you to travel around this part of Karelia, perhaps you will even meet some taxi driver who will become your driver and pleasant interlocutor.
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"Ruskeala" (see photo below) is a mountain park located in Karelia near the city of Sortavala. It was created in 2005.
Story
The marble canyon "Ruskeala" (Karelia) began to be developed back in the 17th century. The work in those days was carried out by the Swedes. The extracted marble was used to build foundations and to make building lime.
Special attention was paid to the Ruskeala marble canyon in those days when palaces and cathedrals began to be built in St. Petersburg and its environs. The valuable stone mined in these places was highly valued by architects. Montferrand and Rinaldi used marble slabs to decorate their buildings. This magnificent stone was used to cover the Kazan and St. Isaac's Cathedrals, St. Michael's Castle, etc.
Before the start of the Russian-Finnish war, the quarries where the valuable stone was mined were flooded by the Finns. According to one version, this was done in order to harm the Soviet troops.
The Ruskeala marble canyon is still used today. Material was mined here that was used to line the Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya stations of the St. Petersburg metro.
Exploitation of the surrounding deposits continues today. Of course, the former scale is no longer there, but crushed marble stone is constantly being mined and sold.
Attractions
Ruskeala Mountain Park is a marble canyon that is a real mining museum, as well as a natural heritage. These places amaze with their beauty. The former quarries today are delightful. They resemble marble bowls that were filled with bluish-green waters. The adits nearby look like mysterious caves.
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon received a new status in 1998. It was recognized as part of the Russian cultural heritage.
Marble Quarry
The place where valuable construction material was mined in the past is one of the attractions of the Ruskeala mountain park. Today the quarry is filled with crystal clear, emerald-tinged water. The splendor of its patterned shores with steep cliffs pleases the eye. In the former quarry you can find places where marble can be seen directly through the water.
There are a number of observation platforms along the perimeter of the stone mining site. From them you can admire picturesque views. Brick kilns built before the 1917 revolution can be seen from these sites. They were used to produce lime, which was produced by burning marble chips. The pipes of these furnaces are laid out in the shape of a cone and resemble minarets or ancient towers. The old administrative building is also visible from the observation decks. It is notable for being made entirely of marble.
If you want to admire the scenery of the local nature from the water, you can rent a boat at the pier. Then you can swim into grottoes located in steep cliffs. Such a trip will leave a lasting impression, surprising you with the play of light that is observed on the marble ceiling. Even at night, the marble canyon "Ruskeala" will delight you with its bright colors. This happens thanks to the artificial lighting arranged here.
Waterfall
Travelers seeking to get to the marble canyon "Ruskeala" (Karelia, Russia) will have to travel along the banks of the Tokhmajoki River. Here, at the Ahvenkoski waterfall, it’s worth stopping and admiring the views. In order for travelers to rest and gain strength, benches are specially installed on the river bank.
Additionally, you can visit the destroyed Finnish power plant. It is located on the Tohmajoki River, just a little downstream from the waterfall.
Description of the canyon
There is more than one marble quarry in Ruskeala. But the most beautiful of them is located on the territory of the mountain park. After the place was cleared, a security guard began to be on duty at the entrance. A large number of kiosks have been installed on the territory of the mountain park, offering souvenirs to visitors. Here you can walk along neat paths sprinkled with marble chips, near which there are signposts and fences. Such changes cannot but please us. They indicate that the Ruskeala marble canyon (see photo below) is under supervision and will retain its condition for many years.
Excursions
The area of the mountain park is relatively small. Its width is only 100 m, and its length is 450 m. In this regard, excursions conducted in “Ruskeala” (marble canyon) do not take much time.
Several more quarries are located around the park. The interesting thing is that the color of the water they are filled with is different everywhere. So, in the main quarry you can admire the emerald-greenish tint. The water in the adjacent marble bowls is blue or gray with a bluish tint. There is no mystery in this. The shade of the liquid depends on the color of the marble lying there. There are also unflooded adits in the canyon. However, it is worth keeping in mind that in order to get into them, you must use the services of an escort. You should not do this yourself.
Walks outside the park
The so-called Italian quarries are located close to the marble canyon. In them you can clearly see evenly cut layers of amazing stone. This spectacle is not limited to the mountain. Near the quarry there is a large number of abandoned marble blocks that were rejected at one time. The adits got their name due to the fact that the first developments on them were carried out using Italian technologies with the involvement of specialists from this country.
Here you can also admire the marble pool, which is carved directly into the layers.
Diving
Diving enthusiasts who managed to visit the Ruskeala marble canyon are also pleased. This place is a real paradise for divers. They are attracted by flooded quarries, which are connected to each other by adits. The majority of visitors do not see the underground horizons of the numerous tunnels in which marble was once mined.
The bottom of the main canyon is also of interest to divers. Here is abandoned equipment that was used to extract marble. The attractiveness of the place increases the transparency of the water, which is due to its low temperature. The fact is that there are cold springs in the quarry. That is why the water in it is constantly renewed.
Reservoirs
In "Ruskeala" there are flooded boats. The main one, which is located on the territory of the mountain park, offers boats for rent. On the banks of the remaining quarries you can find several places to relax with a tent. However, do not expect privacy, as these places are very popular with tourists.
A river called Tokhmajoki flows not far from the park. On its banks you can also find several places to pitch a tent. However, there is a lot of garbage here.
Visitor impressions
Those tourists who have visited the Ruskeala marble canyon leave reviews of it as a magnificent vacation spot. In this regard, the mountain park is very popular. In summer, it is best to come here on a weekday. Only in this case can pandemonium be avoided. You can visit the mountain park early in the morning, when the bulk of visitors have not yet arrived.
Difficulties
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon is located at a considerable distance from St. Petersburg. This is why a one-day trip is quite tiring, especially for the driver. In addition, starting from Priozersk, the road is very winding and dangerous.
Caution does not hurt when using mobile communications. There is a border not far from the canyon, as a result of which there is a constant connection to uninvited Finnish roaming (SMS messages are received from the mobile operator).
It should also be taken into account that the banks of the quarry are sheer steep cliffs. Climbing is prohibited here. Signs installed everywhere warn about this. If you rent a boat, you should not swim close to the rock. Sometimes rocks fall from the peaks.
Paid services
A small fee is charged for walking through the park. There is a fee for boat rental. In winter, a skating rink is set up in the canyon. Skates can be rented here.
Road
So, you chose the Ruskeala marble canyon as your vacation spot. How to get there? It is possible to do this by public transport, but it is difficult. To do this, you will have to travel from St. Petersburg to the town of Sortovala. Regular buses and trains go to this locality from the Northern capital. The next point on the route is the village of Ruskeala. You can get here by bus, which runs twice a day. Its route runs from Sortovala to Vyartsilya via Ruskeala. The distance of twenty-five kilometers can be covered by taxi.
There is another option. In St. Petersburg you need to take the train to Kostomuksha. From this station to the park the distance is eight kilometers. The train arrives in Kostomuksha at one in the morning and at four in the morning. Having arrived on it, you can become the first visitors to the park.
It is much easier to get to the marble canyon by private car. In this case, the route from St. Petersburg will run along the A-129 highway to Sortovala. Having reached this settlement, you need to turn north to the village of Ruskevala. On the map this is highway A-130. Not far from the village there is a sign in the direction of the mountain park. The car can be left on the side of the road or in the free parking lot of the complex. It is worth keeping in mind that this route is not close. From St. Petersburg to the destination is almost three hundred and thirty kilometers.
Excursion categories
Has "Ruskeala" (marble canyon) official website (base-ruskeala. rf). On it you can find a lot of useful information for tourists. Here you can also get acquainted with the categories of excursions offered in the mountain park. Among them are a weekend hike and a long walk, as well as a weekend route.
Where can I stay?
In the village of Ruskeala there is a recreation center of the same name. It operates year-round and can accommodate ninety visitors. The recreation center has rooms of varying degrees of comfort. There are rooms for newlyweds and married couples with babies.
You can have a picnic with barbecue on site. A sauna built on the shore of the lake is available for guests.
For vacationers, excursions are organized to the marble canyon, to waterfalls or to Lake Valaam. For those who come with their own car, there is a guarded parking lot. There is a rental point at the Ruskeala recreation center that provides sports equipment - football and volleyballs, bicycles, skis and skates. Picnic equipment is also provided here.
Conclusion
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon is popular all year round. There are many interesting places and amazing views. So, when visiting the mountain park and its surroundings, do not forget to take your camera with you. According to reviews of most tourists, the marble canyon is one of the most interesting places in Karelia.
Hello everyone :)
We just arrived from a two-day trip to a marble quarry in Karelia (Ruskeala).
For several years now we have been wanting to go and see it, but somehow it didn’t work out; we even managed to get to the quarry in Carrara (Italy) faster than to the marble quarry in Karelia :)
We wandered, explored and took photographs all day.
I love quarries; for some reason I am drawn to natural rock ledges and outcrops. As far back as I can remember, I always loved to climb some mountain.
In the summer of 2013, we traveled around Europe () and in almost 2 months we traveled more than 14,000 km - we climbed peaks, visited marble quarries where Carrara, Breccia Sardo, Rosso Levante marble is mined, but we never visited our quarries.
Therefore, in order to diversify our next trip to Finland, we decided to take a more interesting route and stop at a marble quarry in Karelia in the village of Ruskeala.
By the way, we went to Finland to get a visa and prepare for a new road trip around Europe.
We’ll be traveling around different countries again for almost 2 months :) We planned to visit the exhibition MARMOMACC in Verona is an international exhibition of natural stone and marble, design and technologies for its processing and use.
I’ll write more soon, if you don’t want to miss it :)
Okay :) It’s time to move on to the main topic - a photo report about the trip to Karelia to the Ruskeala marble quarry.
Travel to a marble quarry in Karelia
Our two-day itinerary looked like this:
Our route through a marble quarry in Karelia
I will not describe the road itself and how to get to the marble quarry in Karelia. There is already plenty of this information on the Internet.
But I will note a few points.
For example, a few kilometers before Karelia, the usual asphalt road ended and the asphalt began immediately in front of the entrance sign “Republic of Karelia” :)
After a few kilometers the asphalt ran out again and this happened several times. If you look at the map, the road is paved with an asphalt dotted line :)
But in fact, I really like the roads in Karelia. They are beautiful:
Beautiful roads of Karelia
About 3 km before reaching the village of Ruskeala, there are waterfalls where the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed.
“The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed here
It’s a beautiful place, but there were a lot of tourists, which made it somehow uncomfortable.
They couldn't stand it here for long.
waterfalls near the quarry
Immediately after the waterfalls we stopped at the local hydroelectric power station, where we saw another waterfall. The place is not popular and there were no tourists here at all, then we went further to the marble quarry itself.
Entrance to Ruskeala village
For normal orientation on the ground, we made a copy of a satellite image of the surroundings of the quarry with the main points that need to be visited:
Map of the quarry from satellite
The quarry has long been closed and flooded. But a few years ago, it was renovated and made accessible to tourists.
The marble quarry in Karelia operates all year round. But time is divided into two seasons (Summer and Winter).
In winter, the lights are turned on here, tourists are given dog sled rides, and boats are rented out in the summer.
There are constant queues for the boats. There are a lot of people willing.
Tourists swim through a marble quarry in Karelia
There are several grottoes at the water level in the marble quarry. This is a system of horizontal adits in which Ruskeala marble was previously mined.
Tourists on boats often hide in them :)
grotto in a marble quarry in Karelia
In this photo you can appreciate the scale of the quarry.
The height of the marble quarry in some places is more than 50 meters.
The height of the Karelia marble quarry
The walking route through the quarry leads to one of the adits. The mining system extends for several kilometers, but many adits are flooded and inaccessible.
One of them is located above the water and our route lay through it:
Horizontal adit in a marble quarry
Vertical rectangular shaft.
The height is 40 meters, 20 of which are flooded with water.
As far as I understand, there used to be an “elevator” here, which was used to lift the marble and to access the horizontal adits.
Vertical shaft of a marble quarry
Now a metal bridge has been made here, from which you can clearly see the adit.
Bridge in the adit of a marble quarry
Inside, traces of the tool used to drill into the marble to break off blocks are visible almost everywhere.
Diameter approximately 2-3 cm.
I can’t even imagine how hard work it was.
tool marks in the quarry
Italian marble quarry in Karelia.
The continuation of the route along the marble quarry passed through an underground lake, but in summer it can only be seen from above.
But the “Italian Quarry” is available
sign to the underground lake
At one time, Italian equipment was brought to this part of the quarry and marble was extracted by rope sawing, and not by the explosive method. By the way, that is why it is called the “Italian Quarry”.
Therefore, here the blocks have more familiar outlines and the pattern of local marble is visible.
Italian quarry in Karelia
Climbing higher we managed to take a photo of the entire marble quarry.
In the middle you can see the “lake”:
Italian marble quarry
The structure and natural pattern of marble on the cut are clearly visible.
By the way, marble from this quarry in Karelia was used for cladding some metro stations, the floors of the Kazan Cathedral, during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, and was even seen several times.
Italian quarry in Ruskeala
Drilling marks are clearly visible. Here they are larger in diameter than in underground adits.
In some places there were cores with a diameter of 120 mm.
this is how marble was mined in a quarry
Characteristic marks from sawing with a rope.
But the edges of the blocks were not very smooth. In some places the “wave” is almost 100 mm.
Stone crushing plant in Karelia
Through the window you can see abandoned equipment:
abandoned factory
In general, I enjoyed the trip to the marble quarry. Interesting place. There's a lot to see.
Karelia marble quarry is a great place
This ended the first day of our two-day trip, the next day we went to Finland to see the ancient fortress in Savonlinna, but more on that a little later 🙂 So as not to miss the next photo report - 🙂
