Karagöl Orman Parkı

About Karagöl Orman Parkı

Karagöl Orman Parkı is a forest park around a small mountain lake in the north of Kızılcahamam district. It should not be confused with the better-known Karagöl crater lake and nature park in Çubuk: this Karagöl lies about 35 km from Kızılcahamam town, roughly 3 km south of Işık Dağı (2,034 m), and is reached by the Güvem-Belpınar road. According to Kızılcahamam Municipality, the lake sits on a broad level stretch ringed by pine-covered hills at around 1,600 metres. It formed in a hollow left by a large landslide that moved south from Işık Dağı, and the bumps, hollows, seasonal springs and marshy patches around it are typical of that landslide terrain. The lake is about 80 metres long and 35 metres wide, fed by several springs to the north and draining from its south-western end. The municipality describes its water as fresh, notes that no fish live in it but that there are plenty of leeches, and mentions water turtles and breeding ducks. Its depth is uneven, so it warns that swimming is dangerous. The forest around the lake makes it a popular place for summer picnics, day trips and tent camping, and the municipality counts it among the district's most visited spots and a stop on the Kızılcahamam-Çamlıdere geopark. Işık Dağı, just to the north, is a climbing and viewpoint destination in its own right. Karagöl Orman Parkı is on the Ankara Governor's Office list of forest parks where controlled day picnics are allowed during the summer forest-fire season, when general entry to Ankara forests is restricted. Facilities have historically been minimal, though the municipality has tendered landscaping and timber-structure works at the park, so bring what you need.