Larry Memmott's Blog

Kok-Moinok Gorge is another of the fantastic day trips to the mountains from Bishkek.  It’s the next gorge east of Issyk Ata, and another beauty, with a rushing river flowing down through rough terrain with some forestation and scattered wildflowers.  It’s another one, though, that I did not have time to explore well, so I’ll […]

The trip to Issyk Ata is a nice day trip, with possibilities for hiking or soaking in the hot springs. It’s also another curious relic of Soviet days with lots of old symbols of the Union still scattered about. I won’t go into the route details, since the route, including links to gps information, is […]

Utah must be one of the best places on earth for hiking.  That said, there are not so many good options in the north of the state in the winter.  Looking through the book, “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City: Including Ogden, Provo, and the Uintas,” I saw the recommended winter hike on […]

Sary Chelek lives up to its billing as one of the gems of Kyrgyz natural beauty (a pretty tall order). A large alpine lake set in a deep mountain bowl and surrounded by pines, Sary Chelek reminds me of the rugged beauty of the mountain lakes high in the American Rockies (specifically, since they were […]

Millennial Walnut Tree Arslanbob is a wonderful little village north of Jalalabad. Surrounded by ancient walnut forests, and with a particularly hospitable population, it is a great place to just relax. Arslanbob lies some 30 miles off the main Bishkek-Jalalabad road. The road is good, and it’s a pleasant drive through the countryside. Attached you […]

One of the easiest places to go from Bishkek to get away from it all is Alamedin. And though it is a nice trip any time of year, there are reasons why it is an especially good place to go in the winter. Alamedin Canyon has many advantages. Only about 40 minutes from downtown Bishkek, […]

Osh, Jalalabad, Batken, Sary Chelek, Arslanbob. Whereever in the south you are going to, the most direct route is down M41 south from Kara Balta. Down, though, might not be the right word, since you first have to climb to 10,000 feet of altitude — twice! Even leaving out the destination, and there are several […]

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Bordunskiy/Krasnyy Most area near Boom Canyon on the road to Issyk Kul Lake. I’d been told to expect a Grand Canyon-type experience. Well, that’s a bit of an exageration, but the area is gorgeous, anyway, and pretty unspoilt. Definitely worth a day trip, and I’d love to […]

We had a great week visiting Lake Issyk Kul. Issyk Kul is the centerpiece of the biosphere reserve of the same name, and one of the most famous sites in Kyrgyzstan. At more than 5,000 feet above sea level, 113 miles long, up to 37 miles wide, and more than 2,000 feet deep, it is […]

The Adigene Valley Loop Trail is one of the closest hikes to Bishkek, and yet is an opportunity to get away from it all.  I’m sure it gets traffic on a summer Sunday afternoon, yet the three times I have been up there I haven’t seen a soul.  It runs through woods and meadows, and […]