Artabel Lakes: High Mountain Lakes of Torul

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1. What is Artabel Lakes Nature Park?
2. How do you get to Artabel Lakes Nature Park?
3. When is the best time to visit Artabel Lakes Nature Park?
4. What is the history of Artabel Lakes Nature Park?
5. What is Artabel Lakes Nature Park famous for?
6. What can you do at Artabel Lakes Nature Park?
7. Frequently asked questions about Artabel Lakes Nature Park
8. What do the official records say about Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

What is Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

Artabel Lakes Nature Park (Artabel Gölleri Tabiat Parkı) protects a cluster of lakes high in the mountains of Torul district, in north-western Gümüşhane. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s provincial directorate describes 18 lakes of different sizes, which it calls crater lakes, within a protected area of 5,859 hectares around the source of the Artabel stream.

Locally the lakes go by several names: the 2002 inventory records Yıldız Gölleri (Star Lakes), Beş Göller (Five Lakes) and Karanlık Göller (Dark Lakes). They sit in bare, rocky mountain country above the tree line, with snowfields that last into summer, and they are one of the best trekking destinations in the eastern Black Sea mountains.

How do you get to Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

The approach is through Gülaçar village in Torul district, about 60 km from Gümüşhane city. From Torul, local roads climb up the Artabel valley; the upper sections are rough and unsurfaced, and the last part to the lakes is on foot. Most visitors hike from the end of the drivable track, and a round trip to the main lakes takes a full day. Many go with a local guide or trekking group, which is sensible given the altitude and fast-changing weather.

The nearest airport is Trabzon. Since 2023 the drive from Trabzon has been much quicker: the new Zigana Tunnel, 14.5 km long, runs from Maçka in Trabzon straight through the mountains to Torul district, so Torul town, the starting point for the Artabel valley, is now the first stop south of the tunnel. Torul has shops and fuel; stock up there before heading into the mountains.

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When is the best time to visit Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

July to early September. Before July, snow often blocks the higher ground and some lakes are still frozen; after September the weather can turn wintry at any time. Even in high summer, mornings are the clearest, and fog and storms can build in the afternoon.

What is the history of Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

The Artabel lakes were for centuries part of the summer pastures of the Torul villages, known to shepherds and yayla families but rarely visited by outsiders. The 2002 provincial inventory listed them under nature parks, describing the lakes at the source of the Artabel stream, reached via Gülaçar, about 60 km from the provincial centre.

Since then the area has been protected as a nature park covering 5,859 hectares of “Artabel Lakes and Surroundings”, and it has become better known among Turkish trekkers and photographers. The lakes lie on the mountain known as Gavurdağı; Karanlık Göl, Beş Göller and Artabel Gölü are among the names used for individual lakes or groups. Gümüşhane now has several nature parks, including Limni Lake, Örümcek Forests, Çağlayandibi Waterfall and Tomara Waterfall.

What is Artabel Lakes Nature Park famous for?

• Eighteen lakes of different sizes in a high, open mountain landscape.
• Trekking, with routes from Gülaçar and the surrounding yaylas.
• Remoteness. Few roads, no buildings at the lakes, and silence.

What can you do at Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

Hike to the lakes. The main reason to come. Routes climb from the Artabel valley through pastures to the lake basins; take a map or GPS track, or a guide.

Camp. Wild camping near the lakes is popular with trekkers in summer. Bring everything you need, including warm sleeping gear: nights at this altitude are cold, and there are no facilities.

Photograph the lakes. Morning light on still water is the classic shot, with snowfields and rock walls reflected in the lakes.

Visit the yaylas. On the way up, the summer pastures of the Torul villages give a glimpse of yayla life.

Explore Torul. In Torul town, the Ardesa bridge, built of cut stone in 1890, still carries traffic, and Karaca Cave is a short drive towards Gümüşhane. In the mosque of Çit village, also in Torul district, is a finely carved wooden pulpit originally made for a church.

Try other trekking areas. The 2002 inventory names Zigana, Taşköprü, Kazıkbeli, Kadırga and Erikbeli, as well as Artabel, as yaylas with camping and caravan possibilities and routes suited to trekking. Zigana is the easiest to reach, at the top of the old pass on the Trabzon road.

Safety. Tell someone your route, carry water, food, rain gear and warm layers, and turn back if fog closes in. Mobile coverage is patchy.

Frequently asked questions about Artabel Lakes Nature Park

What do the official records say about Artabel Lakes Nature Park?

The crater lakes at the head of the Artabel stream, which passes through Gülaçar village in Torul district of Gümüşhane province, and which are known locally by names such as the Star Lakes, the Five Lakes and the Dark Lakes, are about 60 km from the centre of Gümüşhane province.

Gümüşhane has abundant oxygen, dense forests and mysterious yaylas hidden among these forests. Many of these yaylas offer camping and caravan facilities. The Zigana, Taşköprü, Kazıkbeli, Kadırga, Artabel and Erikbeli yaylas are ready to offer every facility in this respect. These yaylas have routes suitable for trekking. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Gümüşhane Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)