R504 Kolyma Federal Highway

Understand

Built by prisoners using hand tools in the 1930s, at an immense human toll that earned it the name Road of Bones (Дорога Костей, Doróga Kostéy), the Kolyma Highway represents the unification of two road systems, one stretching east from 1 Yakutsk, the other north and west from the sea port of 2 Magadan. At varying points in history and times of year it has been possible to go from one end to the other, and in 2008 an 'all-seasons' road linking the two ends was completed. This also saw the road realigned north to go via Ust-Nera instead of Tomtor. The previous route, now known as the Southern Road (Южная дорога Yuzhnaya doroga), is still more or less maintained up to the Pole of Cold at Oymyakon, but is completely abandoned between Tomtor and Kadykchan. One of the ultimate adventures in the taiga of Russian Far East, be ready to see lots of mines, people, wilderness, bears, squirrels, abandoned cities, dust.

When to go The road condition is best in winter, when it is made of ice. This begins when the ice bridges on the Lena and Aldan are passable to trucks, around late October. In early April, these ice bridges become unsafe and by May the road is impassable while river crossings are blocked by moving ice. During winter the temperature is rarely warmer than -30 °C. Most vehicles travel in convoys, as if the car breaks down, it's only a matter of days until everything flammable has been burned for warmth. If no other cars come, people swiftly freeze! There are many memorials along the road to people who have perished in this manner. In late May and June (early summer), the road is muddy due to frequent rain, and the taiga is infested with hungry bears and semi-lethal Ixodes ticks. Neither are a problem in the few built-up areas. In July and August, the road is dusty, but in reasonable condition. By September it is Autumn - expect grey days, rain, and cold. During the freeze (in late September), river crossings are again impossible, except by helicopter.

Getting there

There are several airports along the route (at Yakutsk, Tyoply Klyuch, Ust-Nera, Tomtor, Susuman, and Sokol), and river/sea ports at Yakutsk, Khandyga, and Magadan. If you don't have a car, a bike, a motorbike, or a lot of time (the route has been walked several times, taking around 2 months), you will need to hitch-hike with trucks, postal services, car salesmen, families, hunters, etc, or be prepared to pay for perilous overloaded and speeding group taxi services which cover the distance in about 4 days. The distance of 2025 km can be covered in 4 days, however given the trouble it takes to get to either terminus, taking time and seeing the many unique things along the way is worth it.

Go next

If necessary, evacuation or (relatively) speedy exit from the region is possible, either by road or from a regional airport. Helicopters in the area exist and can be hired at enormous expense (around $3000/hour). Possible side-trips while doing the route include: Via the old road, it is possible to visit Tomtor and Oimyakon, the nearest towns to the (northern) Pole of Cold. It is also possible to get from Susuman to Magadan via Ust-Omchug, a large (pop. ~3500) coal mining town. About 70 km by road from Yagodnoye is Jack London Lake, which is rated supreme in the Russian Far East for fishing and scenery.