Ascent of Mount Artanish and a Bonfire on the Shores of Sevan
We had a truly fantastic hike this Sunday.
We climbed Mount Artanish. Even before reaching the starting point, the hiking excitement was palpable.
At the Tsovagyugh food court—the already traditional meeting place for hikers—it turned out that other groups were also climbing Artanish. The mountain was filled with smiles, movement, and greetings. The encouraging words and warm attitude of the senior hikers were especially pleasant.
Nature was simply magical. Below was the azure Sevan, framed by the white-clad Geghama Mountains, and above, the deep blue sky adorned with feathery white clouds.
There was almost no snow on Artanish, which allowed us to reach the summit easily. It was windy at the top, but not so strong that we had to leave quickly, so we enjoyed the peace and views from the summit for about 40 minutes.
We saw the meeting point of Big and Small Sevan.
However, this beautiful day did not end at the summit. We descended to the shore of Sevan, where there was no wind and it was even warm. The children took off their shoes and cooled their feet in the chilly waters of Sevan. At the end of the day, we lit a bonfire, roasted marshmallows, tried to catch fish with a homemade rod, and returned to Yerevan with many warm memories.
- Distance covered: 6.5km
- Elevation gain:533m
- Highest point: 2,461 m
ARTANISH PENINSULA AND MOUNT ARTANISH
The Artanish peninsula and mountain are located in the Gegharkunik region, on the northern shore of Lake Sevan, between the bays of Artanish and Shorzha. They are separated from the Sevan mountain range by an alluvial plain. There are traces of lake terraces on the shores. The climate is moderately cold and humid, the landscape is mountain-steppe, partly forest-shrub. The area is 25 km2, and the maximum height is the summit of Mount Artanish – 2,461 m. The summit of Artanish is the only place from which Lake Sevan is visible in its entirety and from up close.
