Gökpınar Lake: The Turquoise Spring of Gürün

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

What is Gökpınar Lake?

Gökpınar Lake (Gökpınar Gölü) is a spring lake in the far south of Sivas province, near Gürün. Its water is so clear that you can see the bottom and the fish over its whole area, and its colour, blue-turquoise, gives it its name: gök means sky blue, pınar a spring. The inventory compares it to a natural aquarium, and the provincial directorate describes its water as turquoise, clear and rich in oxygen.

It is not large. The inventory gives an area of about 3,000 m² and notes that there are two lakes, one large and one small. Its appeal is the colour and clarity of the water, the trout and the quiet valley around it.

How do you get to Gökpınar Lake?

Gökpınar is about 140 km from Sivas and 10 km from Gürün. The inventory explains the route: the road leaves the Kayseri–Malatya road at the Çayboyu quarter of Gürün and crosses the Tohma river on a bridge onto the Elbistan–Gürün road, which makes the lake easy to reach, and the road is asphalt all the way. You need a car; there is no regular public transport to the lake.

Gürün is also a stop on the way between Sivas and Malatya or Kayseri, so the lake can be visited on a longer road trip.

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When is the best time to visit Gökpınar Lake?

Late spring to early autumn, on a sunny day, when the colour of the water is at its strongest. Summer weekends bring day trippers from the surrounding towns, so go on a weekday if you can. The inventory lists a trout festival in Gürün in early June. The spring water stays very cold all year.

What is the history of Gökpınar Lake?

Gökpınar is a natural spring lake, fed by water rising from the ground into its basin. Because the water is very cold and clear, trout are farmed here, and the inventory notes that the state also set up trout farms. It became a popular picnic and day-trip spot, with a restaurant serving trout by the water.

Gürün itself is an old town on the Tohma river. The inventory notes that the Şuğul Valley near Gürün holds Hittite inscribed rock monuments, and that the Gürün shawl was once one of the province’s distinctive weavings.

What is Gökpınar Lake famous for?

• Colour and clarity. Turquoise water clear enough to see the bottom.
• Trout. Farms around the lake supply restaurants where you can eat freshly caught trout.
• Diving. The clear water has made it a spot for underwater photography and diving.

What can you do at Gökpınar Lake?

Walk round the lake. The lakes are small enough to walk around in a few minutes, looking down into the water from the shore.

Eat trout. The provincial directorate notes that visitors can eat trout at the lake, and lists the Gökpınar and Şuğul trout facilities among Gürün’s sights.

Dive. The provincial directorate shows underwater diving at the lake; arrange it through a licensed dive operator.

Walk the Şuğul Valley. The directorate describes the Şuğul Valley near Gürün as a canyon with walking trails, with fish restaurants at the entrance and a country café. It is the natural partner to the lake on the same day.

See Gürün. The town has old mansions, a church, rock caves and a mosque that the directorate recommends.

Practical tips

Bring a warm layer even in summer: at about 1,400 m the evenings are cool and the spring water is cold. Combine the lake, the Şuğul Valley and lunch on trout into one day; if you are driving on, Gürün sits between Sivas and Malatya, so the lake makes a natural break on that road.

The inventory notes that all the rivers of Sivas, and the Tödürge, Hafik Lota and Gürün Gökpınar lakes, are freshwaters where plenty of fish are caught.

Other lakes in Sivas

Tödürge Lake in Zara, about 75 km from Sivas, offers boat trips, diving and birdwatching; Hafik Lake, about 45 km away, is a protected natural and archaeological site with boating, walking paths and fish cooked in güveç.

Frequently asked questions about Gökpınar Lake

What do the official records say about Gökpınar Lake?

It is 147 km from Sivas and 10 km from Gürün district. The area of Gökpınar Lake is 3,000 m². It looks like a natural aquarium. Its water is very sweet and cold. Because the colour of the lake is sky blue, it took the name Gökpınar. There are two lakes, one large and one small. It lies 1,350–1,400 metres above sea level. Because the water of Gökpınar Lake is very cold and clear, trout are raised there, and the state has also set up artificial trout farms. There is a hotel and restaurant at Gökpınar Lake, a wonderful picnic place visited mostly by day trippers. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Sivas Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)