Russia Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
The cut
183 metres, to scale.
A slice through Orlova Schel where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
183m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
990m
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
28°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
11km
Length
Rim to floor
Afternoons, up top and down below.
In August the afternoon reaches 33 °C. The best months to hike are in May and in October. The rim freezes at night from January to February.
- 6°4°Jan
- 7°6°Feb
- 11°10°Mar
- 17°16°Apr
- 23°22°May
- 28°26°Jun
- 32°30°Jul
- 33°31°Aug
- 27°25°Sep
- 20°18°Oct
- 13°11°Nov
- 8°6°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
River in Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Orlova Schel is a ravine in Russia. The relief model measures 183 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 239 m to the higher one. It runs for 11 km. Rim to rim it is 990 m wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Goryachiy Klyuchnearest town · 8.3 km in a straight line
- Видовая точкаnearest viewpoint · 1.3 km from the floor
- Krasnodar Pashkovsky International Airport (KRR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 53 km in a straight line
- In May and in Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The the river runs highest from November to April.
The the river carries about 14 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from November to April. It is lowest in August.
- 23 m³/sJan
- 22 m³/sFeb
- 24 m³/sMar
- 20 m³/sApr
- 15 m³/sMay
- 12 m³/sJun
- 8.8 m³/sJul
- 4.9 m³/sAug
- 9.8 m³/sSep
- 17 m³/sOct
- 20 m³/sNov
- 21 m³/sDec
From about 4.9 m³/s in the lowest month to 24 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 584 km².
The Psekups from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.2 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 5.0 × 5.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 5viewpoints within 5 kmВидовая точка, Вид на Мост и колесо, Лепота! and 2 more
- 2marked hiking routes within 4 kmДантово ущелье - гора Сапун, Вододопады на Мальцевом ручье
- 1named waterfalls within 4 kmПсечиако;Пасть дьявола
- 1caves within 3 km
- 3bus stops within 2 km
- 14campsites within 8 kmСолнечная полянка, КСП, Межгорье and 11 more
- 48hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmЦарина Поляна, Санаторий "Березка", Долина Очарования and 45 more
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- car parks within 3 km
- information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- restaurants and cafés within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Goryachiy Klyuch8.3 km in a straight line
- Saratovskaya18 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Orlova Schel.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Riveryas3 rivers in the canyon
Peakyas7 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 6 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 23 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 8 |
| Afternoon · rim | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 25 | 18 | 11 | 6 |
| Night · rim | -3 | -3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 2 | -2 |
| Rain (mm) | 96 | 78 | 88 | 63 | 78 | 81 | 74 | 45 | 86 | 97 | 93 | 100 |
| Rainy days | 15 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 8.1 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.2 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 14 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 4 | -3 | 96 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 7 | 6 | -3 | 78 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 11 | 10 | 0 | 88 | 4.2 |
| Apr | 17 | 16 | 4 | 63 | 6.7 |
| May | 23 | 22 | 10 | 78 | 8.1 |
| Jun | 28 | 26 | 15 | 81 | 9.3 |
| Jul | 32 | 30 | 18 | 74 | 9.8 |
| Aug | 33 | 31 | 18 | 45 | 9.4 |
| Sep | 27 | 25 | 13 | 86 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 20 | 18 | 7 | 97 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 13 | 11 | 2 | 93 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 8 | 6 | -2 | 100 | 2.2 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (71 m) and the rim (310 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 122% | 142% | 27% | 21% | 108% | 92% | 96% | 77% | 97% | 36% | 72% | 38% |
| 2021 | 111% | 134% | 138% | 151% | 105% | 138% | 172% | 291% | 169% | 80% | 91% | 88% |
| 2022 | 220% | 102% | 97% | 97% | 101% | 88% | 119% | 94% | 100% | 103% | 44% | 107% |
| 2023 | 51% | 239% | 136% | 238% | 100% | 82% | 148% | 23% | 27% | 55% | 238% | 175% |
| 2024 | 187% | 74% | 56% | 17% | 93% | 27% | 35% | 99% | 111% | 62% | 135% | 128% |
| 2025 | 64% | 71% | 54% | 145% | 105% | 127% | 55% | 102% | 81% | 180% | 21% | 153% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Orlova Schel
Russia
- 183 mDepth
- 990 mRim to rim
- 11 kmLength
- 28°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q4336761) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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