Yug River — an ecologically clean, full-flowing river in Chkalovsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
It flows into the Gorky Sea.
The mouth of the Yug River is a widely known spot for water recreation. If you are heading south, be sure to bring a yacht or a jet ski.
Overview
The bay of the Yug River is the last large right-bank bay of the Gorky Reservoir (below it lies only the shallow Vershilovsky Bay). The bay is set apart from the shipping lane and has no navigational aids. Along the right bank of the bay there are several rest houses and pioneer camps; yachts usually moor in Bolshoy or Maly Ravine or near the islands. The right bank of the bay is shallow.
At the point where its waters join the Gorky Sea, the Yug is particularly wide — the distance between the banks reaches 700 meters. The beaches of the Yug Bay are distinguished by their cleanliness and the absence of algal blooms in the water.
Points of Interest
The islands, known to local residents as Love Island (located upstream) and Separation Island, lie opposite the ravines. Firewood is scarce both on the islands and near the ravines.
One of the bay's main camps is the children's pioneer camp named after Valery Chkalov. Water can be obtained at the camp. There is also a football pitch. The camp is currently not in operation. There is nowhere to make a campfire.
Bolshoy Ravine is located on the left bank of the bay approximately 3 km from the entrance. The ravine is deep, and the water near the bank is also deep for a stretch of 50 m below the ravine's mouth. Maly Ravine is 300 m further upstream; it is shallow (vessels with a draft of up to 0.5 m can enter it). On the bank of the bay at this point stands a birch grove, which serves as a landmark when approaching the ravines (further downstream there are other ravines, but they are not as suitable for mooring small vessels). The banks of the lower ravines are open. Strawberries grow abundantly in the clearings; raspberries grow plentifully along the gullies.
Settlements
The nearest villages are Chernitsy (on the left bank of the Yug River, 0.5 km from the mouth) and Zelyevo (above Maly Ravine, 0.5 km from the bank). A shop and a medical post can be found in the village of Vysokaya, reached by a dirt road from Bolshoy Ravine (past the collective farm garage and threshing floor). The distance to the village of Vysokaya is 3 km. From there, bus service runs several times a day to the district center — the town of Chkalovsk. The bus stop is next to the shop.
Navigation
Entering the Bay
When approaching the bay of the Yug River, a hazard is presented by the Lysaya Gora shoal, located opposite the cape that separates the bays of the Trots and Yug rivers. The minimum depth on the shoal is 1.5 m. When leaving the bay during strong northerly winds, vessels encounter steep waves up to 1.5 m high running along the left bank, yet moving toward the right bank is impossible due to the risk of running aground.
The Love Island and Separation Island Area
Love Island has shallow banks.
Yachts are not advised to pass between Love Island and Separation Island and the right bank of the Yug River due to shallow depths. Yachts may approach Separation Island from the Bolshoy Ravine side. The islands are low-lying, covered with deciduous forest, and marshy in places.
The islands have mushrooms, raspberries, and wild rose.