Zhiguli Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Stavropolsky District, Russia
The Zhiguli Nature Reserve lies along the Samara Bend and covers more than 23,000 hectares of forested hills and mountain slopes, with the highest peaks reaching around 370 meters. Mixed woods of oak, linden, and pine blanket the valleys and ridges, crossed by narrow trails and small streams that wind through the terrain.
The protected territory was founded in 1927 as the Middle Volga Reserve to safeguard the forests and mountains in the river bend from industrial extraction. During the 1960s it was named after naturalist Ivan Sprygin, who devoted his career to studying the flora of the Volga region.
The name derives from the Zhiguli Mountains, which have been woven into local folklore and stories about life along the Volga for centuries. Hikers encounter small Orthodox chapels and memorial stones along the trails today, offering insight into the spiritual tradition of the region.
Visitors can follow two marked routes: the trail to Mount Strelnaya and the path to Kamennaya Chasha, with fees ranging from 50 to 500 rubles depending on length and season. The main season for hiking runs from May through October, when the trails are dry and the vegetation is full.
Botanists have recorded more than 1,000 plant species here, including 30 that grow only in this section of the Volga and 50 relicts from past ice ages. This diversity makes the area a living archive of plant evolution, attracting scientists for decades.
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