Usva Pillars

The Usva Pillars are a limestone massif standing about a hundred and twenty metres above the Usva river, running for a couple of kilometres as a wall of grey rock with the forest on top and the river directly beneath. On the ridge stands the Chertov Palets, the Devil's Finger, a free-standing pillar of around seventy metres that has separated from the main mass along a joint and is the feature people climb up to. Caves and grottoes are cut into the base of the wall, some with archaeological deposits. It is a classic stop on the Usva rafting route and can also be walked from the village along the old railway alignment and then up a steep path to the crest, taking a few hours. The rock is climbed. In winter the frozen river becomes the approach route, which is how many people reach it in February and March.

What you actually see

• The wall - a limestone massif about a hundred and twenty metres above the river.
• The Devil's Finger - a free-standing pillar of around seventy metres on the crest.
• The grottoes - caves cut into the base, some with archaeological deposits.
• The winter approach - the frozen river used as the route in February and March.

When to go

June to September for walking and rafting; February and March for the frozen-river approach. Four to six hours from the village.

Honest expectations

The climb to the crest is steep and the edge is unprotected with a long drop. Ice on the river is variable and crossing it is a judgement call. Ticks in summer carry encephalitis. No facilities at the site.

Nearby

Kamennyi Gorod is north; Gubakha is south.