TIAN SHAN MOUNTAINS, KYRGYZSTAN
South of Bishkek are the Tian Shan Mountains, which go as high as 15000-16000 feet above sea level in this part of Kyrgyzstan and as high as over 24000 feet above sea level. Most of these pictures are from the 6500-7500 foot range (except the foothill pictures)...

Here are views in Ala Archa canyon with high mountains behind the canyon...





Other mountain views...





The main stream through Ala Archa...



A small bridge over the stream, but higher up...



Another mountain view, this one with a moderate amount of Schrenk's spruce (Picea schrenkiana), the only spruce native to the region...



A typical view of the forest (which, given the drier habitat, didn't cover much territory). Spruce and birches were found here...



The common birch in these mountains was the Tian Shan birch (Betual tianschanica) which had colorful flaky bark...





There were also some European white birches (Betula pendula), though these may be naturalized versus native...



The word "Archa" means juniper, and they were common (mainly Juniperus semiglobosa). Here is one with lots of exposed roots...



Numerous junipers on a hillside...



A native (and very small) crocus (Crocus alatavicus) in bloom...



There were also these very small asters (or close relative) in bloom...



A pussy willow (not sure of the species)...



There were many rock slides in these mountains...



The parts of the trail closest to the trailhead had a lot of kids, including these...



Here are a couple yurts at the trailhead, though these are specifically for tourists and not actually used as a nomadic dwelling as they are traditionally used in some rural parts of Kyrgyzstan...



Now for some pictures from just below the mountains, including of this village...



Some pictures of the foothills...







The road between Bishkek and Ala-Archa Canyon...



Another mountain view nearby (note the trees on the right are planted, for instance, the Austrian pine is not native here)...



The road, closer to Bishkek, with many poplars (appears to be a variety of the white poplar)...





All of the above pictures on this page were taken in April 2015 by Brandt Maxwell.

Return to the Kyrgyzstan Pics Page