Climbing the Gorely volcano

Gorely volcano (1829 m) is located 80 km in a straight line south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. For the elongated shape of the cone, it is sometimes called the Burnt Ridge. It is slightly lower than its neighbors - Mutnovsky and Vilyuchinsky volcanoes and outwardly, perhaps, not at all interesting. Its peculiar inner beauty can be felt only by looking into the craters, a chain located on its top.

Burned is a ridge-shaped array rising from the bottom of an ellipsic caldera. It was once a thyroid volcano with a foot diameter of about 30 km. Its central part descended, forming a caldera of 9x14 km, after which eruptions occurred through several craters that appeared at its bottom. Craters overlapped, growing cones merged. As a result, a modern elongated array was formed. The remains of an old volcano surround the caldera with a low ridge. The caldera bottom in the northern and southern parts is flat, covered with sand, slag and debris of lava. Each of the craters at the top of the volcano has its own characteristics, and together they create a unique ensemble.

The most interesting ones are:

• Active - this crater is the main site of activity in our time. It has a funnel of regular shape with a diameter of about 250 m and a depth of about 200 m. In the active crater is an acid lake, at the bottom and on the walls of the crater beat fumaroles (outputs of sulfurous gas). At the southern slope of the volcano lies a flat, covered with slag platform with a width of about 150 m.
• In its eastern part there is a shallow crater of explosive origin. It has a regular cylindrical shape and is called "Cylinder".
• Further to the east is the largest and most beautiful crater – Blue Lake. Its irregular shaped funnel is about half a kilometer across, surrounded by steep walls 150-200 m high. The bottom is occupied by a blue lake, partially soldered ice and floating ice.
• Crater "Cup" occupies the top of a low very regular cone and is surrounded by a narrow ring crest. The diameter of the crater is about 200 m. The inner walls of the crater are steep. Previously, a small lake with purple water was located at the bottom, now the bottom is covered with a mixture of slag, ice and snow.

Caldera Gorely volcano is a geological monument of nature.

PROGRAMME

8:30 Departure by car to the volcanic plateau near the Gorely volcano, 110 km (3-5 hours). The road part of the route passes in the southern direction through the Paratun zone and further up the Paratunki River valley. Having risen along a steep serpentine to a kilometer height, the road goes to the pass, from which a magnificent panorama of the Paratunki River valley, Vilyuchinsky, Mutnovsky, Gorely volcanoes opens. In the distance you can see the peaks of Avachinsky and Koryak volcanoes. The road goes south through a volcanic plateau.

11:00 Tea with sandwiches. Preparation for the climb.

12:00 Climb to the Gorely volcano. The ascent to the volcano is simple, passes through old lava flows, slag fields. Of interest are the "cakurns" - frozen lava remains of various shapes. It takes 3 hours to get up. The height difference is about 900 m. Snack upstairs. Inspection of the main craters of the volcano. Return to camp the same way. The climb takes 6-7 hours.

19:00 Return to the vehicle. Lunch.

20:00 Departure to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The cost of the service includes:

• Transfer, Hotel - Gorely volcano - Hotel.
• Accompanying a qualified guide.
• Meals: (lunch box, tea, fruit).

If desired: swimming in the Upper Paratun thermal springs.