Arctic Russia - Jade Valley

The valley of the Nyrdvomen-Shor stream, 100 km north of Salekhard, is called the Jade Valley. From the east, the valley is overshadowed by Pour-Keu Mountain, from the south and south-west—by the Nyrdvomen-Iz massif.

A large jade deposit on the banks of the stream was once the target of resource extraction. These minerals can be very light, with a milky colour, or almost black, but here they shimmer with all shades of green.

In the 1970s, the Soyuzkvartsamotsvety organisation mined jade here on an industrial scale: from the banks of the stream and its tributaries nearly 20 tons of jade were removed in whole blocks. Today, jade remains only in places that are difficult for heavy machinery to reach.

Address: Priuralsky Region, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District

Site on the map

The small pebbles that can be found in the valley make perfect souvenirs for tourists. Among them, you'll not only find nephrite jade, but also more valuable gems: jasper and jadeite. Green serpentinite, which many people confuse with jade, is often found on the slopes.

The valley of the Nyrdvomen-Shor stream can be an interesting tourist destination in itself, even disregarding the jade.

The nature is beautiful here: larch, willow and dwarf birch trees grow along the banks while cloudberries and cranberries grow ripe. There is a picturesque three-step waterfall on the stream, also called the Jade Falls. A thin stream of waterfalls from a narrow crevice at an altitude of about 30 m, flowing down the slopes in three steps.

In winter, the waterfall freezes and turns into an icefall on which climbers come to train.

The route to the Jade Valley usually starts in the village of Kharp, Priuralsky district, where the visitor centre of the Polyarno-Uralsky nature park is located. The village can be reached from Salekhard, 100 km away. The 30 km distance from Kharp to the valley can be crossed in a 4x4.