Route · Big Almaty Lake
Upper barrier to Big Almaty Lake
Community reported
Physical: Moderate
Technical: Easy
Surface: road
5,3 km
Distance
+761 m
Ascent
−51 m
Descent
2 600 m
Max elevation
4 h 30 min
Duration
Elevation profile
The path is the road, now that nothing drives on it. From the upper barrier (1,890 m) to the north end of the lake is 5.3 km and 700 m of climb; coming back is much easier. Private cars, motorbikes, e-bikes and scooters are not allowed above the barrier, and in November 2025 the park said lifting the restriction was not under consideration. In February 2026 the city budgeted 665 million tenge to make these 5.3 km into a proper trail — ask what state it is in before you go.
Points of interest
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Trailhead · Upper barrierOpenStreetMap relation 17055124 starts here.0,0 km · 1 890 m
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Viewpoint · North end of the lakeThe end of the path. The lake itself is at 2,510 m to the south; stay out of the water, it is Almaty's drinking supply.5,3 km · 2 600 m