Karkaraly National Park

The Karkaraly State National Nature Park (Kazakh: Қарқаралы мемлекеттік ұлттық табиғи паркі, romanized: Qarqaraly memlekettık ūlttyq tabiği parkı; Russian: Каркаралинский государственный национальный природный парк) is a protected reserve and national park in the Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan. The park spans 90,323 hectares, and is located in the Karkaraly Range, Karkaraly District.

History and administration

The area first became protected in 1884, as the Karkaralinsk Forest Reserve. In 1889, construction began on many of the parks cordons: Bedaik, Koktube, Ayushat, Tulkebai, Tonkurus and others. In 1913, a wooden cabin meant to serve as the house of the forest warden was constructed. The cabin has since become popular for its location within the park.

Pre-Bolshevik Revolution, all former forest cottages were allotted to army troops, Karkaraly Cossacks, and to local people. The Kent and Karkaralinsk forest cottages were part of the Karkaralinsk forest treasury and were state property. After the October Revolution, the entire forest area became part of the state forest fund.

Having undergone several administrative changes in 1947, the Karkaraly Forestry Department was organized. In the beginning of the 1990s, work began on the creation of the national park. On December 1, 1998, the Kazakhstani national government passed a decree turning the area into Karkaraly National Park. The primary goal of the national park is the protection and restoration of the natural area within the park boundaries.

The administration of the park is broken into four departments:

• Administrative Department

• Department of protection and wildlife management

• Department of science, ecological education and tourism

• Department of finance

The park has 120 employees. 104 of these are state forest inspectors.

Geography

The total area of Karkaraly National Park is 90,323 hectares, of which, 40,341 hectares are forested. The park is divided into three sections: the mountain section, the Karkaraly Range section, and the Kent Range section. The mountain section is 25,576 hectares in size, the Karkaraly section is 23,846 hectares in size, and the Kent section is 40,901 hectares in size.The park has 22,243 hectares where all forms of economic activities are forbidden.

The park has 89,877 hectares where all economic activities under strict control are allowed.

Near the park are two other protected areas:

Bektauata National Preserve – 500 ha

Beldeutac National Preserve - 44,660 ha

In the Paleozoic Age (250-300 million years ago), this area of Kazakhstan was an inland sea. The water retreated 1.2 to 2 million years ago, when the ancient Paleozoic shield was cracked by granite. The area lifted and created the Kent and Karkaraly Mountains. The rocks and cliffs have been here ever since and for many thousands of years the untamable steppe wind and precipitation has sculpted the rocks into unique shapes.

People have lived in the Karkaraly area since ancient times. The earliest archeological finds connected with ancient people dates back to the Paleolithic (or Stone) Age. Archeological sites from the Bronze Age have been investigated more often. There are over 30 archaeological sites (from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age) of burial mounds and ancient settlements within the park boundaries. Some of these are the best discovered sites from these periods in Kazakhstan.

Nature Museum

Karkaraly National Park built a nature museum in 1983. The two-story wooden building consists of exhibition halls of flora and fauna found in the Karkaraly National Nature Park. In one of the halls of the museum is a 3D map of the national park. The building is known for its wooden interior. Adjacent to the nature museum is a large wildlife preserve that houses bison, red deer, fallow deer, yak, wild boar and argali.

Lake Baceen

Lake Baceen is located at 1200m above sea level and 4.5 km (2.8 mi) north-west of the city Karkaraly. You reach the lake on the Eco-Trail “The Stone’s Tale”. Literally translated from Russian, the lake's name is Lake Basin, due to the geological formations surrounding the lake. The lake is small- only.14ha. The lake is only accessible by foot and generally takes 4 hours round-trip.

Lake Shaitankol

Lake Shaitankol is one popular areas in the park. The lake got its name, which translates to "Devil's Lake", allegedly due to a high number of hunters getting lost in the area, sparking rumors that the devil was at work. The lake is located at 1200m above sea level and is 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the city Karkaraly. You reach the lake on the eco-trail “The Legend of Lake Shaitankok”. The lake is accessible by foot and generally takes 5 hours round-trip. The lake is oval in shape and surrounded by rock cliffs up to 10m high. The depth of the lake is unknown. The water level does not decrease throughout the year because it is fed underground water and precipitation.