The new trail to Big Almaty Lake, 2026

What is the new 5.3 km trail to Big Almaty Lake?

An organised pedestrian route of at least 5.3 km in the Big Almaty gorge, with stairs, viewing platforms, a bridge and signs, built to take walkers safely up to the lake.

The plan first surfaced on 18 February 2026, when the city budget for 2026 to 2028 was revised and about 665 million tenge was set aside for "a pedestrian trail to Big Almaty Lake" (Kazinform, BES.media). The tender published in April filled in the detail. According to Factcheck.kz, the works cover a route of at least 5.3 km in the national park, at altitudes up to 3,000 m, with 500 m of new path, about 1,000 m of stairs, three viewing platforms, a pedestrian bridge and a "BAO" photo zone.

When the akim visited in July, the city's own description added navigation, information boards, rest areas and crossings on the difficult sections, with the stated aim to "organise the tourist flow" and make the climb safer (NUR.KZ). The exact start point has not been published. The length is close to what walkers already cover from the upper checkpoint, 6 to 7 km.

How much does the trail cost, and who is building it?

About 665 million tenge was budgeted. The works tender was set at 518.5 million, and TOO Ak zhol won it with a bid of 516 million tenge.

The first tender, announced in April, drew complaints about its qualification rules (an Almaty office, certified specialists in sports tourism, geodesy and mountaineering) and was rewritten several times. On the second round eight bids came in, and on 22 May 2026 Informburo reported the winner: TOO Ak zhol at 516 million tenge against a planned 518.5 million. That works out at nearly 98 million tenge a kilometre, a figure the local press seized on.

The trail is one of two contracts. A second tender, worth about 368 million tenge, pays for signs and markings on at least 350 km of existing routes across the park, with 800 signposts, five bridges and 145 benches, also due by 30 November 2026 (Factcheck.kz). Together they come to about 887 million tenge.

When will the new trail to Big Almaty Lake open?

The contract says 30 November 2026. AIR Press, updated on 18 October 2026, says opening is planned for late November to December 2026.

Under the contract terms reported by Informburo, the builder had 30 days after signing to deliver the concept and drawings, and everything has to be made and installed by 30 November 2026. Work was under way by summer: on 23 July the akim walked a section where building had already started (BES.media). On 28 September Kursiv showed residents what the 516 million tenge trail looks like, and on 30 September Noks.kz reported that the city's tourism department had checked the timber mountain steps after a video claimed rubbish was being buried in them. It found no breach; the contractor said the steps are filled with stone and gravel, and that the rubbish had been left by tourists and was removed daily.

Our view: the end of November is tight for high-altitude work, and snow is possible in the gorge from October. Treat December 2026 as the earliest realistic date, and do not plan a trip around a ribbon-cutting.

What changes for walkers going up to the lake?

Better footing on the steep parts, places to rest and signs. The climb itself stays the same: about 800 m of height gain to 2,511 m.

The worst of the current walk is the pipeline path: steep, loose and hard on the knees coming down. A stair line on the difficult sections and a proper bridge should make that safer, and the platforms give walkers somewhere to stop that is not the road verge. Signs will help first-timers who now follow whoever is ahead.

What does not change: the altitude, the border-zone passport rule, the eco-fee (648.75 tenge in 2026) and the ban on going down to the shore. AIR Press notes that the conditions of access to the trail have not been announced, so we cannot yet say whether it will have its own hours or a separate fee. The plan for the lake is still the view from above.

Will the new trail be usable in winter?

Nothing has been announced. Expect snow and ice on the route from November and avalanche warnings in the gorge, whatever the stairs look like.

The lake usually freezes from November, and in winter the gorge gets avalanche warnings from Kazhydromet, as it did from 20 to 23 February 2026 for the Ulken Almaty basin (BES.media). Timber steps under snow are slippery, and nobody has said whether the trail will be cleared or closed in winter.

If you are visiting in December or January, plan as if the new trail does not exist: a guided winter hike or the snow bike tour, both covered in our winter 2026-27 post.

How do you get up to the lake before the trail opens?

Walk the serpentine or the pipeline path from the upper checkpoint, join a guided hike, or take a car tour that uses permit vehicles for the last stretch.

Nothing about the current routes is closed while the trail is built. Walkers still start at the checkpoint after a taxi from the city, about 3,000 to 5,000 tenge. The guided hike from Joinme Asia handles the transport and the eco-fee and gives you about four hours at the lake. If the climb is not for you, the car tour with Alma-Arasan gets you up in a permit car for about an hour at the viewpoints. The getting there guide compares every option.

A guided walk up from the eco-post, 6 to 7 km, with a picnic and about four hours at the lake.

★ 4.2 · 13 hours · from $32

Explore the guided hike → Tour details

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