Sukko Cypress Lake

Sukko Cypress Lake ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)

In the middle of this lake grows a group of 32 cypress trees that reach nearly 98 feet (30 meters) in height.

The trees in the lake belong to a species of swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, which naturally grows in North America and around the Gulf of Mexico. These trees were introduced to Russia in the 1930s as an experiment. The grove in the lake was planted between 1934 and 1935. They rooted well in the warm climate and somehow managed to survive. Swampy areas are natural habitats for this species in North America. However, the lake where the trees are located was created years after the trees were planted. In 1983, the trees were declared a natural monument.

People come to the lake for walks and to take boat rides on the lake. but sailing between the trees is forbidden. The area is beautiful year-round, green in the summer and very colorful in the autumn when the cypress trees turn red.

Occasionally, the lake dries up during the summer. The trees have luckily survived these changes.

Know Before You Go

You can arrange a trip to the lake from the nearby popular resort city Anapa. There is a minibus line, #109, that runs this way. The bus doesn’t go all the way to the lake but has a stop along the highway on a crossroad. From there, you can either walk five kilometers or take a taxi.