Gold mining in Russia has always been the prerogative of the state. Since 2017, in order to support small businesses, individuals have been allowed to obtain a license to search for precious metal.
There are a number of restrictions in this business - exclusively manual labor, without the use of heavy equipment and bulldozers, restrictions on the amount of metal mined, work only in a small free area where there is no industrial gold mining.
But this does not stop private miners. They know that in Russia gold can be mined not only in places where industrial mining is carried out; a large amount of it remains after the mines are closed in numerous rivers of Siberia, Altai, and the Far East.
Day 2: Holeful Ribs rock
In the village you will be happy to ride on snowmobiles, as you wish - in a sleigh, tubing, whatever you like. We agreed in advance with the locals about the time when they would pick us up (you can check this with Olga) and then set off along the river to the Royal Gate arch in the Perforated Ribs stone .
It is located on the right bank of the Chusovaya River in front of the village.
There is a large oval-shaped arch in the stone - the Royal Gate . It is clearly visible from the river. The arch is located at a height of 24 meters above the level of Chusovaya . It was formed in ancient times due to the collapse of the cave roof, from which only the entrance remained.
Having reached “Dyrovatoye” we went up and made sure to make a wish under the arch!
Returning to the base, we got no less pleasure and adrenaline from the snowmobile ride!
Being in such quiet corners of our earth and communicating with nature, you truly understand that life is so beautiful and amazing, you just have to crawl out of the house! Take the first step towards adventure, seize the moment and go crazy with delight!
And it’s all right under our noses - our native Russian forest, our mountains and our Urals !
I recommend visiting the village of Ust-Koiva and getting to know other interesting places in our area. Next time we plan to take a weekend hike in the summer. See other places and go rafting on a catamaran.
P. S.: Dear travelers, I would like to remind you that when you are visiting Nature, never leave a mess behind!
Crystal Icefall of the Mill Stream
If in summer you can only see a rock canyon, then in winter a so-called “crystal icefall” also forms on an inclined rock on the left side of the valley. Water seeps through cracks in the rock, which freezes in the form of numerous icicles during frosts at the end of autumn. There are hundreds of them here!
Ice stalactites hang here and stalagmites protrude. Some icicles form columns (stalagnates), and in some places even entire walls. The height of the icicles is up to several meters. You can go under the rock overhang. The feeling here is especially unusual...
The crystal icefall looks different from year to year. Sometimes there are more icicles and they are longer, sometimes there are fewer. It all depends on climatic conditions, on the amount of precipitation in summer and autumn, on the first frosts. Sometimes the icicles hardly grow at all. Up-to-date information can be obtained by studying tourists’ reports on social networks. Most tourists come here specifically for photographs, which they then post on their pages.
It happens that icicles are broken by soulless vandals, and some people’s lack of conscience allows them to leave garbage here. Some freeze coins into ice, apparently making wishes.
We were lucky - the crystal waterfall of Melnichny Stream appeared in all its glory! I didn't even want to leave here.
Thanks to its easy accessibility, there are a lot of tourists on Melnichny Ruchey every weekend in winter. Many people come here with their whole families. The peak of tourists occurs during the New Year holidays. We were here on January 1 during the trip of the Uraloved project in the Perm region, but even after the New Year celebrations, hundreds of tourists came to Melnichny. It’s not easy to figure out how to photograph an icy fairy tale without many people.
It gets dangerous here in spring. Melting ice can fall on your head. The fall of such an icicle does not bode well.
The ice waterfall of Melnichny Stream is one of the most interesting winter attractions in the Urals. A place of amazing beauty!
In addition to the Mill Stream, in Ust-Koiva I recommend visiting the Royal Gate arch in the Dyrovatye Ribs stone and the Red stone. If you wish, you can walk to the Miracle Cave (there is not always a path to it). Along the way, it’s worth seeing the man-made Kusya “waterfall” and the former diamond factory in Kusya-Aleksandrovsky.
Why is Melnichny Stream interesting?
The mill stream flows into the Chusovaya River on the left bank opposite the small village of Ust-Koiva in the Gornozavodsky district of the Perm Territory. The length of the stream is small - about 6 km. In the past there was a water mill on it, which is why it got its name.
From the mouth of the stream there is a path upstream. Soon rocks begin to appear on the slopes. About 800 m from the mouth, a beautiful canyon suddenly appears, creating a “wow” effect. At this point the stream made its way through the rocks. On either side of it rise two rocks. Before the canyon itself you need to climb a small ice hill. Judging by the sound and topography, a small waterfall flows here in the summer.
Interesting fact: according to T.V. Kharitonov, during geological exploration, geologists found 5 diamond crystals with a total weight of 150 mg in the sediments of Melnichny Stream.
