Stone Town Kamennyi Gorod

Kamennyi Gorod sits on the Rudyansky Spoy ridge and is a block of Carboniferous quartz sandstone that has weathered along its joints - a rectangular fracture pattern, widened over millions of years by frost and water into corridors between standing blocks up to twelve metres high. The effect from inside is of walking through a ruined settlement: straight passages that meet at right angles, wider openings that read as squares, and isolated towers, which is why the local names are Big Town, Little Town, the Turtle and the Rat. It is entirely natural, and the recurring claim that it is built is not supported by anything. A trail runs in about a kilometre and a half from the forest road, boarded in the wet sections, and the site has become popular enough that erosion from feet is a visible problem on the soft sandstone.

What you actually see

• The joint pattern - rectangular fractures weathered into corridors and openings.
• The blocks - sandstone towers up to twelve metres between the passages.
• The named formations - the Turtle, the Rat and the two Towns.
• The natural origin - weathering, not construction, whatever the stories claim.

When to go

June to September; the forest track is poor in spring and autumn mud. Two to four hours. Weekends are busy.

Honest expectations

The access track is rough and often needs walking the last stretch. Sandstone is soft and being worn down by visitors - keep off the tops of blocks. Mosquitoes and ticks in summer. No facilities at the site.

Nearby

Gubakha and the Usva Pillars are south; Perm is further south-west.