Barskaun Canyon

Barskoun Canyon is one of the large canyons on the northern side of the Teskey Ala-Too. It extends from the water divide of the Teskey Ala-Too to the southern shore of Issyk-Kul for a distance of 60 km. It is at an altitude of 1608–3500 m above sea level. The canyon consists of Proterozoic and Paleozoic crystalline rocks (granite, slate, granite‑diorite, etc., anthropogenic sedimentary rocks), and its lower part is made up of alluvial‑proluvial sediments along the lake shore. Its walls are vertical (up to 60–70°) and high (up to 2 km); the bottom on the western side is narrow (150–300 m).

According to its genesis type, most of it is a hollow erosional canyon, the upper part being a trough type. The canyon formed at the end of the Neogene (mid-Pliocene) and in the Anthropogene (Pleistocene). In terms of relief it consists of three parts. The upper part corresponds to a high mountainous area, characterized by ancient and modern glaciers, troughs, steppe-like valleys, ash, moraine and other morphosculptures; the middle part is in a medium-height and foothill zone; erosional‑denudational morphosculptures (generally up to 1 km deep canyons); alluvial fans etc.; there are beautiful waterfalls; the lower part corresponds to a plain by the lake shore (from the canyon mouth to the lake); it occupies an alluvial‑proluvial fan cone; the riverbed bottom is flat (up to 500–600 m); the banks are steep. The Barskhoon River flows through the canyon. The climate is mild continental; winter is cold, summer is cool, the average temperature in January is –5 to –8 °C, in July +12 to +17 °C. Annual precipitation is 350–600 mm. In the canyon there are small lakes with a total area of 0.48 sq km. On the plain by the lake shore there is dry steppe, on the mountain foot there is meadow steppe, on the medium-height mountains there are conifer‑broadleaf forests, and in the high mountainous part there are sub‑alpine, alpine meadows and high‑mountain tundra landscapes. There are forest stands, summer‑winter pastures. It is used for summer and winter pasturing. A automobile road passing through the canyon leads to the Upper Naryn, Ak‑Shyrak basins and to Kumtor. Tourism and sport are well developed in the area.