Taganai National Park, National park in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia
Taganai National Park is a protected area in Chelyabinsk Oblast that covers the northern section of medium-height ranges in the Southern Urals. It stretches roughly 50 kilometers from south to north and includes forested slopes, rocky ridges and many small streams.
The Russian government created the park on March 5, 1991 to preserve the natural environment of these middle mountain ranges. The decision came during a period when many protected areas in the Urals were being formally recognized.
The park's name comes from Bashkir and means "moon stand", a phrase that recalls the way earlier people saw these mountains in relation to the sky. Visitors today encounter this link mostly through place names and the terrain itself.
The park requires free permits for visitors from Zlatoust and nearby towns, which must be requested through an online system beforehand. Pets are not allowed inside, and hikers should plan routes according to the season and their experience level.
A boundary between two major river basins runs through the park, so some streams like Bolshoy Kialim eventually flow toward the Arctic Ocean rather than the Caspian. This watershed remains invisible to most hikers but shapes the flow of water across the entire region.
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