Kackar Mountains

The Highest Range Of The Pontic Alps, Rising To 3,937 Metres, With Glacial Lakes, Summer Pastures And A Protected National Park; Crossed On Foot Between The Black Sea And The Coruh Valley · Camlihemsin, Rize

The Kackar range is the high end of the Pontic Alps, running along the Black Sea behind Rize and Artvin and reaching three thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven metres. It is the best trekking country in Turkiye outside the far southeast, and it is unlike the rest of the country: the northern flank catches the sea and is drenched, green to the treeline and thick with rhododendron, while the southern side above the Coruh is dry and bare. Between them are glacial lakes, small remnant glaciers, and summer pastures where families still bring cattle up for a few months and live in wooden houses. The classic route crosses from Ayder in the north over a pass to Yaylalar and Barhal in the south, three to five days with guesthouses at each end. Two things to know: the weather here is the wettest in the country, and Yusufeli's old town has been under a reservoir since 2023, so older accounts of the southern approach are wrong.

Kackar Daglari Milli Parki, Camlihemsin, Rize, Camlihemsin, Rize, Turkiye

Open mountain with no gate hours. The trekking season is roughly late June to mid-September; outside it the high passes hold snow and the yayla roads are closed. Yayla guesthouses at Yaylalar, Olgunlar and Barhal open for the season only. Weather closes routes at any time. Check conditions and hire a local guide rather than relying on a map.

Kackar Mountains on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos