Overview
Note: Up to the 3400 m camp, the route for Saal Barf is the same as the route for the Shah Alborz Peak. The cliffs that form the western slopes of Shah Alborz make access to Saal Barf via the summit of Shah Alborz difficult. It is therefore recommended that after the 3400 m camp, you veer west to reach the southern slopes of Saal Barf.
Getting There
Directions to Hasan Joon Village:
From the western parts of Tehran, Drive the Tehran-Qazvin Freeway 40 Km west to the town of Karaj, continue roughly another 60 Km to a village called Abyek. A little on the west side of Abyek, take the exit to “Ziyaran-Shahrak”. Drive this road 40 Km north past a 2350 m high point and then down into the Teleghan Valley by the Taleghan Reservoir to reach Shahrak (or Shahrake Taleghan). This town sits at the bottom of the Taleghan (Shah Rood) River Valley. At the main square, you will see a sign for Hasan Joon Village which is only a few Kilometers away.
Route Description
Place…….…Elevation m…..Distance Km
Hasan Joon
Village……...1980…………..Zero
Bridge……….2160………….4.65
Side Valley…..2350………….2.35
2-Way………..2400………….0.7
Stream………..2460………….0.8
Ridgetop……...2600………….0.6
1st Camp……3250………….3.4
2nd Camp……3400………….1.2
Saddle……….3960………….3.0
Saal Barf……..4065………….0.4
Total………………………….17.1 Km (10.6 miles)
………………………………..2085 m vertical (6840 ft)
In the village of Hasan Joon, go all the way up the road to the end of it at an elevation of 1980 m (GPS coordinates: 36 12.199 North, 50 45.289 East). You will find a small cemetery on the east side. Signs for Shah Alborz Peak may also be seen nearby. Follow the trail into the valley of Hasan Joon River. The trail goes up a beautiful tree-filled valley without gaining much elevation. At times, you will be able to see Saal Barf and Shah Alborz Peaks to the north.
Tree-filled Valley
After 4.65 Km, the river splits into two major branches. You will see a bridge crossing the west branch. Right after the bridge, we took the left branch of the trail. This took us up a small hill and then down into the valley of the east branch of the Hasan Joon River. The trail then continued to follow the stream in a tree-filled valley.
After 7 Km, the trail leaves the main river and goes into a small side valley and begins to go up the slopes steeply. At 7.7 Km, you will reach a 2-way. A sign identifies the left trail as the one going to Shah Alborz Peak. Continue up the trail until at an elevation of 2600 m you reach the top of a ridgeline.
Looking down on the ridgetop
Here Shah Alborz and Saal Barf Peaks come into full view. Follow the trails up the slopes until at an elevation of 3250 m you reach a flat spot where you could set up camp. A better option, however, is to continue the trail until at 3400 m of elevation you reach a second camp spot that is know as Goosfand Sara (sheep herding place). Water is brought to this camp by a small pipe from a nearby stream. The GPS coordinates for this camp are: 36 17.697 North, 50 45.107 East.
1st Camp Site
At the 3400 m camp, you are on the southern slopes of the Shah Alborz Peak to the east of its summit. You will need to veer west to reach the southern slopes of the Saal Barf Peak but the slopes that go there are steep and scree covered. As you go higher up the slopes of Shah Alborz, these slopes turn into cliffs that can become major obstacles to the traverse. You will have to find your own way. We ended up going up to an elevation of 3730 m where we ran into cliffs so we descended down a steep scree slope to 3640 m where we could access the southern slopes of Saal Barf (on our way back, we ended up following the same route).
Cliffs on Shah Alborz
You can then go up the southern slopes of Saal Barf to reach the 3960 m saddle with Shah Alborz Peak, then turn west and follow the ridgetop to the summit.
Saal Barf & Shah Alborz from Camp 3400 m Essential Gear
In summer, camping and hiking equipment.
External Links
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