A truly outstanding 4x4 road to Yildiz Lake in Bayburt

Yıldız Gölü is a high mountain lake at an elevation of 2.979m (9,773ft) above the sea level, located in Bayburt province, in the Northeast Anatolia region of Turkey. It’s one of the highest roads of Europe.

Yildiz Lake in Bayburt

Located near the border of Erzurum Province, to the north of Kirklar Tepesi peak, the road to the summit is totally unpaved and partially washed out, running along Harsime Creek. Even in summer, the lake waters are quite cold.

It’s totally impassable in winters. A 4x4 vehicle with high clearance is required. It’s one of the highest roads of the country. The road to the summit is very steep via 14 sharp hairpin turns. Starting at Yoncalı (a village in the Bayburt District of Bayburt Province), the ascent is 8.85km (5,49 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 924 meters. The average gradient is 10.44%.

 

 

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