Ilgaz Mountain National Park

The Ilgaz range runs east to west between Kastamonu and Çankırı, rising to around two and a half thousand metres, and the national park protects a large block of Uludağ fir, black pine and beech on its northern slopes - dense, tall forest of a kind that has largely gone elsewhere in Anatolia. In summer it is walking and picnic country, with marked trails, wild flowers on the upper meadows, deer and boar in the woods, and roads that climb to viewpoints over both provinces. In winter it becomes one of Turkey's smaller ski areas: a few lifts and runs on the Çankırı side around Yıldıztepe and Kadınçayırı, with hotels at the base, popular with visitors from Ankara three hours away. Snow is reliable from December through March at this altitude. The pass road can close in storms. It is a modest area by alpine standards and it is not trying to be otherwise.

What you actually see

• The fir forest - dense stands of Uludağ fir and black pine.
• The summer meadows - flowers on the upper slopes.
• The ski runs - the small lift network in winter.
• The pass road - the climb over the range between provinces.

When to go

December to March for snow; June to September for walking and cool air. The pass can close in winter storms.

Honest expectations

The ski area is small and suits beginners and intermediates. Summer trails are lightly marked. Accommodation is a handful of base hotels, which fill at weekends in season.

Nearby

Kastamonu's old town is 40 km north; the Küre mountains and the Pınarbaşı canyons are beyond it.