Putorana Plateau Geological Survey Road

Built by Soviet geologists in the 1960s to access platinum deposits, this 180-kilometer track cuts across the Putorana Plateau’s brutal landscape of table mountains, tundra, and waterfalls that dwarf Niagara. The route starts from Norilsk’s industrial wasteland and climbs through mining camps abandoned when the USSR collapsed, including the ghost town of Talnakh South. You’ll navigate around Lake Ayan — one of hundreds of pristine alpine lakes — and ford streams that run red with iron oxide from exposed ore bodies.

Difficult rating due to soft tundra, creek crossings, and complete remoteness. High-clearance 4WD minimum; tracks disappear in places and you’re following Soviet survey markers. July-September only when the tundra firms up enough to support vehicles. No permits needed but inform authorities in Norilsk of your plans — this is restricted mining territory. Bring everything including fuel; nearest civilization is 200+ miles away. The plateau offers some of Earth’s last untouched wilderness and geological features found nowhere else.