Stolby National Park Changes Access Rules, Limits Climbing
The visiting regime at Stolby National Park is changing radically. Walking is now allowed only on officially permitted routes — those certified by the Ministry of Natural Resources. And there are only a few of these in the park.
Free climbing on the rocks is also prohibited. This includes even the simplest formations that do not require special preparation.
According to the law on specially protected natural areas, which includes the national park, climbing is allowed only to athletes — for training or during competitions. Furthermore, the individual must be a member of the Mountaineering or Rock Climbing Federation.
«This is not an innovation; it»s all related to changes in legislation. Amendments have been introduced to the federal law on specially protected natural areas since 2023. An entire article on tourism appeared then.
It states that all citizens who visit the national park do so only for tourism purposes, unless some additional contracts are concluded. That is, any visit is considered tourism. And all its rules, including safety, are regulated by Government Decree No. 2229,« NGS24.RU was told by Ivan Kirillov, deputy director for territory protection of the national park.
According to this decree, the national park can only be visited along a specific route. And that route must have a certified «passport» with a description of tourist infrastructure, navigation, route length, its features, and everything concerning safety, the park«s directorate says.
«And as soon as the Ministry of Natural Resources approves a route, it becomes available for tourists. As of today, three routes have been approved in the national park. The Laletinsky route — from the checkpoint on Sverdlovskaya Street to the staircase at Pereval.
The second is «Nature the Great Sculptor.» It goes from the staircase along the main central Stolby (Slonik, First Stolb, Babka and Vnuchka, Ded, Lion«s Gate, Feathers, Third and Fourth Stolby).
And the third route at the eastern entrance is «Legends of Takmak.» It passes the rocks: Chinese Wall, Storozhevoy, Borodok, Yermak,« says Ivan Kirillov.
Also, according to him, the park is now applying for a presidential grant to quickly create a passport and upgrade the route along the Kashtakovskaya trail, which runs from Bobrovy Log to the central Stolby.
All other rocks not on this list — for example, the popular Manskaya Wall, Manskaya Baba, Kopievskaya Vidovka, Vorobushki, and others — are now prohibited. They will remain so until routes to them receive certified passports.
«We have received recommendations from the federal authorities that from December 1, 2025, all routes without approved passports must be prohibited,» the national park«s directorate explained to NGS24.RU.
Inspectors are now obligated to monitor and prevent visits to such places.
Individuals violating the rules will first be warned. Then fined: 3,000 rubles (about $35 at current rates) for a first offense, and 4,000 rubles (about $45) for a repeat violation.
«We will consider that now is a transition period. We are starting with the information component, conducting explanatory work. We are putting up warning signs,» Ivan Kirillov told NGS24.RU.
The innovations also affect the buffer zone. The area known as the Wild Stolby is now completely off-limits. Previously, one could get there by paying for a pass as part of a tourist group.
For residents of Krasnoyarsk, such changes may be particularly impactful. The city is the only one in Russia where a unique subculture related to the rocks — «stolbism» — has formed. Entire generations in the city grew up with «stolbism,» one of its main principles being free access to the Stolby.
Recall that earlier we covered the history of the Stolby, including an episode of the so-called «Stolby Wars,» when climbers protested against restrictions introduced by the authorities.
