Black Rocks Lake: Caucasus Views and Lagodekhi Trails

There are several very beautiful glacial lakes in the Lagodekhi Alpine zone. The largest among them is the Black Rocks Lake, which stretches at an altitude of 2,900 m above sea level. The depth of the lake reaches 14 m.

The trail leading to the Black Rocks Lake is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Georgia: it offers a magnificent panorama of the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains. The route starts at the administration building of the Lagodekhi Nature Conservation Area. Along the route, at an altitude of 400-600 m above sea level, stretches a unique grove of hornbeam trees, which rarely take root in the Caucasus. Then, at an altitude of 850 to 1700 m above sea level, mainly beech forests are located. In which hornbeam, Georgian oak, ash, linden, etc. are also found along with beech. above 1800 m above sea level, the beech forest is followed by a zone of subalpine forests.

It should be noted the extraordinary degree of endemism of Lagodekhi's protected areas: 121 species of Lagodekhi flora belong to the endemes of the Caucasus and 9 species belong to the endemes of Georgia. Of these nine species, seven are endemic to Kakheti, more precisely, the most protected area. The tourist route gradually rises to the upper edge of the forest, to the Alpine zone, and continues through alpine meadows, on a relative plain that serves as a pasture for mountain goats.

Spacious islands with rhododendrons and soft grass, swamps and lakes of the Ice Age create a fabulous picture and fascinate tourists. But still, the main attraction is the Lake of Black Rocks, which is unusually large for the local landscape.

Location:
Lagodek municipality, at an altitude of approximately 2,900 m above sea level.
Coordinates:
N41 55'00"; E46 24'42".
How to get:
To get to the natural monument, it is recommended to take a tourist route that starts from the administration building of the Lagodekhi Nature Conservation Areas (distance – 48 km), the distance from Tbilisi to Lagodekhi is 155 km.

Read also

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• The swinging rock of Kvakantsalia
• Black Rock Lake in Lagodekhi: Three-Day Hiking Route