Great Canyon of Crimea, Natural canyon in Crimean Mountains, Ukraine

The Great Canyon of Crimea is a natural gorge between two mountain massifs with steep limestone walls. The valley stretches for several kilometers and creates layered views from different vantage points along the walking paths.

A scientist documented and named this gorge in the early 20th century, bringing it scholarly attention. Since then, the site has remained a place of geological interest for researchers and hikers.

Local residents knew the gorge long before scientists did; a gardener at the Yusupov hunting lodge told Professor Puzanov that villagers heard wild cries, shrieks and laughter from the Auzun-Uzen gorge at night, which they explained as shaitans holding their weddings. Puzanov first recorded the names of the Watch, Pine, Fourth and Fifth capes; in the Fourth cape lies Tuar-Koba, the Cow Cave, long used by locals to shelter cattle.

Wear sturdy hiking boots when visiting, as trails can be uneven and sometimes wet from water seeping through stone. The best time to explore is during stable weather when rockslides and loose earth are less likely to occur.

The canyon holds over 150 erosion basins, called baths, cut into the streambed; they reach 2.5 m deep, span the full width of the channel and run up to 10 m long. The largest spring feeding the gorge, Paniya, discharges about 350 litres per second, and the water never rises above 11 °C.