In the ridges of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too, there are 480 glaciers. The largest of them are located in the central part of the ridge between the upper reaches of the Ala-Archa and Alamedin rivers. This is the so-called Ak-Sai mountain knot. The highest points of the ridge are located on its crest: Semenov Tien-Shan Peak (4874 m), Corona Peak (4860 m), Free Korea Peak (4640 m), Teke-Tor Peak (4441 m), and Ak-Tuu Peak (4620 m). The path to the Ak-Sai peaks lies through the picturesque Ala-Archa gorge, where the Ala-Archa National Park, which is very popular, is located.
Ala-Archa National Park. The state natural park "Ala-Archa" was established in 1976 in the gorge of the same name on the northern slope of the central part of the Kyrgyz ridge. The area of the park is 19.4 thousand hectares, and it is located 30 km from the capital of the republic, Bishkek, along an asphalt highway.
The Ala-Archa River originates from a large glacier. From its upper reaches to the mouth, several large tributaries flow into the river: Tuyuk-Suu, Top-Karagay, Teke-Tor, Ak-Sai, Adygine, Karagay-Bulak, Kadir-Berdy, Beru-Sai, Kashka-Suu, Oruu-Sai. In the spruce forest zone at an altitude of 2100 meters, there is an alpine climbing base "Ala-Archa".
Just above the base, on the right, begins a very beautiful Ak-Sai gorge, the northern slope of which is overgrown with tall Tien Shan spruces. The mouth of the Ak-Sai River, where it flows into the Ala-Archa, forms a large alluvial cone.
The unique landscapes of the Ala-Archa gorge characterize the nature of both the western arid and the eastern, more humid and forested parts of the Northern Tien Shan.
The relief of the park is typical for young mountain systems - peak-shaped summits are adjacent to narrow deep gorges, with steep slopes abundant in scree and rock walls. Here are concentrated the largest glaciers in the Kyrgyz ridge with impressive icefalls and the highest peaks of the ridge: Semenov Tien-Shan Peak (4875 m), Chingiz Aitmatov Peak (4650 m), and the most difficult to climb, the six-toothed peak "Corona".
The features of the relief of the natural park provide opportunities for organizing tourist routes of varying difficulty with a wide range of unique natural objects.
The main of these objects is, of course, the juniper. The name of the Ala-Archa gorge, which translates to Russian as "variegated juniper," is quite justified.
On the northern slopes of the middle mountains, where the sun shines only briefly, tall slender trees grow, resembling spruces in shape. On the drier southern slopes, the juniper with a short trunk and powerful, almost horizontal branches rarely rises above 2-3 meters. Sometimes it takes the form of a shrub.
This amazing natural corner, rich in plant and animal life and diverse landscapes, can be used for tourism year-round, but only with the necessary environmental protection measures in place.
