Kadıralak Tabiat Parkı

Kadıralak Nature Park is a protected forest and highland area in Tonya, one of Trabzon's districts with no coastline, named after the Kadıralak Plateau right next to it. The 12th Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry places the park about two kilometres east of the Tonya district centre. You enter the park from the Kadıralak Plateau junction on the road between Tonya and Vakfıkebir, about six hundred metres north of the district centre. Wikipedia gives the park's altitude as 1480 metres and its distance from the city of Trabzon as 68 kilometres, and names the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks as its operator. According to Wikipedia, Tonya lies in a transition zone between the Black Sea and continental climates; moisture from the sea condenses in the forests on the hills and turns into mist. Its protected status is recent. According to an announcement by the Trabzon Governorate, the Kadıralak Plateau was declared Turkey's 223rd nature park with the signature of the then Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs. Wikipedia lists the park among the protected areas established in 2017. According to the Regional Directorate's current information, the registered area covers 363.80 hectares, and to the east of the park lie a Qualified Protection Zone and a Sustainable Protection Zone. Since different sources give different sizes, it is right to take the Regional Directorate's figure as the official one. The park is above all a forest. The Regional Directorate describes it as an intact example of the mixed broadleaf forest of the eastern Black Sea; spruce dominates among the conifers, beech and alder among the broadleaves. Hornbeam, oak, maple, chestnut, linden, rhododendron, cherry laurel, hawthorn and rowan also form mixed stands among them. Rocky sections appear here and there along the northern, southern and eastern edges of the area. Development plan surveys recorded 311 seed plant taxa and 111 vertebrate species, including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. What sets Kadıralak apart from other Black Sea plateaus is its spring flower. According to the Regional Directorate, Scilla bifolia, which locals call the blue star or forest hyacinth, grows in the forest clearings and the plateau meadows above. A CNN Türk report notes that this slender-leaved flower is among the rare plants protected under the Bern Convention and that it blooms every April. When the flowers open the meadows turn purple, which is why the plateau is also known locally as the Purple Plateau. According to the same report, the flowers can be seen for about two weeks and in some years open before April arrives. This short flowering season sets the park's visiting calendar. In April and early May the meadows are in colour, while in summer the park is favoured for walking, picnics and cool air. In winter snow can make the road difficult; before setting out, ask local sources whether the road is open. The best way to see it is to walk along the plateau road. In the meadows where the plateau houses stand, stay on clear paths and do not step on the flowers; in the only weeks when a protected species blooms, trampling does the most harm. For photographs, the soft afternoon light and the moments when the mist lifts are best. Tonya is often misty in summer, so keep your plan flexible to catch a clear day. Picking flowers is not right in this area; the plant should stay where it is. Access is by road via the centre of Tonya, and the park is close enough to reach on a short ride from there. The Küre Encyclopedia notes that public transport does not go as far as the plateau, so a private car or a local guide is needed. According to the Regional Directorate, the nearest airport is Trabzon Airport, about 71 kilometres away. For visiting conditions and any events, check the announcements of the 12th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. Combined on the same day with Çal Cave in Düzköy to the east, it completes the mountain road of western Trabzon.