Turkey Acar54 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The cut
157 metres, to scale.
A slice through Ballıkayalar Nature Park where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
157m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
1.9km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
23°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
4m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
Afternoons, up top and down below.
In August the afternoon reaches 29 °C. The best months to hike are in May and in October. The wettest months are from December to January.
- 9°8°Jan
- 10°9°Feb
- 12°11°Mar
- 16°15°Apr
- 21°20°May
- 26°25°Jun
- 29°28°Jul
- 29°28°Aug
- 25°24°Sep
- 20°19°Oct
- 15°14°Nov
- 11°10°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Protected area of natural habitats and historically significant structures in Turkey
Ballıkayalar Nature Park is a canyon in Turkey, cut by the Dilderesi river. The relief model measures 157 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 1.9 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Tavşanlınearest town · 2.4 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,770 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 19 km in a straight lineCar hire at SAW airport (Pendik, Istanbul)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In May and in Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Dilderesi runs highest from December to March.
The Dilderesi carries about 1.6 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from December to March. It is lowest from June to August.
- 3.1 m³/sJan
- 3.0 m³/sFeb
- 2.6 m³/sMar
- 1.8 m³/sApr
- 1.2 m³/sMay
- 0.9 m³/sJun
- 0.6 m³/sJul
- 0.5 m³/sAug
- 1.0 m³/sSep
- 1.7 m³/sOct
- 2.1 m³/sNov
- 3.0 m³/sDec
From about 0.51 m³/s in the lowest month to 3.1 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 123 km².
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.2 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 5.0 × 5.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 8climbing crags within 3 kmBirinci Blok, İkinci Blok, Third Block (Kirmizi Kaya) and 5 more
- 1footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 9car parks within 3 km
- 2information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 1campsites within 8 km
- 10hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmAnibal, Atasayan, Holiday Inn and 7 more
- 3restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- marked hiking routes within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- bus stops within 2 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Tavşanlı2.4 km in a straight line
- Diliskelesi7.1 km in a straight line
- Gebze8.5 km in a straight line
- Balçık8.6 km in a straight line
- Tavşancıl8.8 km in a straight line
- Altınova16 km in a straight line
- Göçbeyli16 km in a straight line
- Kaytazdere18 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Ballıkayalar Nature Park.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Peakyas4 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 9 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 11 |
| Afternoon · rim | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Night · rim | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 85 | 69 | 59 | 44 | 39 | 43 | 24 | 28 | 56 | 72 | 65 | 90 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.1 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 10.5 | 11.2 | 9.8 | 7.3 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.0 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 8 | 3 | 85 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 10 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 12 | 11 | 5 | 59 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 16 | 15 | 8 | 44 | 6.7 |
| May | 21 | 20 | 13 | 39 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 26 | 25 | 17 | 43 | 10.5 |
| Jul | 29 | 28 | 20 | 24 | 11.2 |
| Aug | 29 | 28 | 20 | 28 | 9.8 |
| Sep | 25 | 24 | 17 | 56 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 20 | 19 | 13 | 72 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 15 | 14 | 9 | 65 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 11 | 10 | 5 | 90 | 2.0 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (4 m) and the rim (181 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 111% | 103% | 83% | 79% | 184% | 165% | 42% | 22% | 26% | 107% | 61% | 39% |
| 2021 | 184% | 88% | 146% | 121% | 118% | 148% | 147% | 64% | 63% | 59% | 97% | 100% |
| 2022 | 83% | 159% | 92% | 112% | 51% | 157% | 152% | 213% | 57% | 57% | 48% | 46% |
| 2023 | 26% | 103% | 151% | 209% | 108% | 109% | 100% | 55% | 48% | 79% | 321% | 85% |
| 2024 | 136% | 37% | 103% | 69% | 122% | 8% | 157% | 11% | 116% | 32% | 126% | 108% |
| 2025 | 84% | 129% | 37% | 71% | 112% | 10% | 1% | 27% | 49% | 144% | 46% | 93% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Ballıkayalar Nature Park
Turkey
- 157 mDepth
- 1.9 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 23°Steepest wall
Ulubey Canyon Nature Park
Turkey · 277 km
- 178 mDepth
- 2.6 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 20°Steepest wall
Yazılı Canyon Nature Park
Turkey · 398 km
- 745 mDepth
- 18 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 36°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q6027918) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here