Almaty-Alagir Pass Trek (3,655 m) – 2-Day Hike from Prohodnoe Gorge to Big Almaty Lake

A guided 2-day point-to-point trek crossing the Almaty-Alagir Pass (3,655 m) — the high mountain saddle connecting Prohodnoe Gorge to Big Almaty Lake. This is one of the finest multi-day routes in the Almaty mountains: you start in dense spruce forest, climb through alpine meadows and moraine valleys, cross a pass at 3,655 m surrounded by four-thousanders, and descend into the Ozernoe basin to finish at Big Almaty Lake — ending the trek in a completely different landscape from where you began.

What to expect on the Almaty-Alagir pass hike

The Almaty-Alagir pass trek is a through-hike, not an out-and-back. You enter from the Prohodnoe (Alma-Arasan) side and exit at Big Almaty Lake, meaning your pickup and drop-off points are different. This creates a genuine sense of crossing from one valley system to another — a feeling rare on day hikes close to the city.

The pass itself sits on the ridge between Prohodnoe Gorge and the Ozernoe valley. It is non-categorised (n/k) — no ropes or technical climbing required — but at 3,655 m with over 2,300 m of cumulative elevation gain, this is a serious mountain trek requiring good fitness and mountain boots.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Alma-Arasan to overnight camp (Alyoshkin Bridge area)

Drive from Almaty to Prohodnoe Gorge trailhead. The trek starts at the former Alma-Arasan sanatorium in Prohodnoe Gorge, reachable by car from central Almaty in about 30 minutes. From the parking area, the trail begins immediately — the first section passes through a narrow canyon with wooden bridges crossing the Prohodnaya River.

Alma-Arasan hot spring and lower gorge. Within the first 30 minutes you pass the Alma-Arasan thermal spring — a popular local spot with a small bathing pool. The trail here is well-maintained but crowded on weekends. Beyond the spring, the crowds thin out quickly. The canyon deepens, and the Maiden’s Tears waterfall (Девичьи Слёзы) appears on the gorge wall — a thin cascade trickling down moss-covered rock.

Ascent through Prohodnoe Gorge. The trail climbs steadily through dense Tien Shan spruce forest. Expect multiple sets of wooden staircases in the lower section, built to manage the steep terrain. The path alternates between forest trail and river crossings. After roughly 4–5 hours at a comfortable pace, you reach the upper forest boundary.

Terra Meadow (Поляна Терра, ~2,550 m). A wide alpine clearing at the treeline, surrounded by spruce on three sides and open to the high peaks above. Terra Meadow is the major trail junction in Prohodnoe Gorge — routes diverge from here toward Big Almaty Peak (via the Cosmostation), Peak Karniznyi (4,017 m), and the Almaty-Alagir Pass. It is also the standard camping spot for multi-day routes in this area.

Alyoshkin Bridge and overnight camp (~2,700–2,800 m). Beyond Terra Meadow, the trail continues upstream along the Prohodnaya River to Alyoshkin Bridge (Алёшкин Мост) — a river crossing that connects to the routes heading south toward the main ridge. The overnight camp is set on a flat meadow above the bridge, at approximately 2,700–2,800 m. Views from camp: Peak Pila’s serrated ridge to the east, the moraine valleys opening above.

Day 2: Overnight camp to Almaty-Alagir Pass (3,655 m) and descent to Big Almaty Lake

Ascent to the pass. From camp, the route heads south into open moraine terrain. The vegetation zone ends and the landscape shifts to grey rock, glacial debris, and occasional snowfields. At the confluence where the Alagir Western river (Алагир Западный) joins the Prohodnaya, you turn left — following the Alagir drainage upstream toward the pass.

There is no maintained trail above this point. Navigation follows remnants of old moraines on the left (east) side of the riverbed. The terrain is loose scree and occasional boggy patches. The gradient is steady but not steep — the difficulty is sustained altitude gain on unstable ground.

Almaty-Alagir Pass (3,655 m, n/k). The pass is a very wide, marshy saddle — not a narrow notch like most Tien Shan passes. Expect boggy ground; pick your line carefully to avoid sinking into soft patches. Despite its unspectacular shape, the panorama from the pass is outstanding: Peak Almaty-Alagir (4,225 m) rises directly above to the southwest, with Peak Choibolsan, Sovetov, and Molodaya Gvardiya (4,400 m) lining the main ridge. Behind you: the entire Prohodnoe valley stretching back toward Almaty.

The pass connects two gorge systems — Prohodnoe (which you ascended) and Ozernoe (which drains to Big Almaty Lake). Crossing it feels like stepping from one mountain world into another.

Descent into Ozernoe valley. From the pass, you descend south/southeast into the upper Ozernoe (Озёрное) valley — the same basin that feeds Big Almaty Lake. The descent is straightforward on scree and grass, losing altitude quickly. The Kyzylsay valley opens below — a broad glacial trough leading down to the lake.

Big Almaty Lake (2,511 m). The trek finishes at Big Almaty Lake — the iconic turquoise reservoir framed by peaks on all sides. Your vehicle meets you here for the drive back to Almaty via the Big Almaty Gorge road.