Suhoto Lake

Route directions

Who it’s for: Medium. Regular walkers comfortable with a steep forest climb.

Suhoto makes you earn the opening view. For the first 30–40 minutes above the hut, the forest path climbs hard; then the slope eases and the walk settles into a quieter rhythm. The lake sits in a broad mountain bowl, an excellent place to unpack lunch and give your legs a holiday.

The way: reach Semkovo Hut, pass the fountain and park information boards, then follow the signed left turn into the forest. A steep gully leads to another signed left. At Lopatitsa clearing, take the left-hand lake branch. Beyond the half-hour sign, look for a small cairn and turn right; the straight continuation grows over. Cross two streams on the final approach to the lake.

For the simplest return, retrace the outward path. Other return lines exist, but do not improvise a circuit at an unsigned fork. Wet roots, the steep gully and the stream crossings deserve care after rain. Keep track of the forks on the way up: they look different when you are coming down.