Yedigöller

Yedigöller National Park was declared in 1965 in Bolu province, in north-western Anatolia, and at some 16 km² it is one of the smallest national parks in Turkey.

Its name means "seven lakes" and describes its defining feature: a series of bodies of water strung along a valley, formed by rockfalls and landslides that dammed the watercourse at different points. The lakes are connected to one another by surface and underground channels, and their level varies through the year.

The setting is a dense deciduous forest of beech, oak, hornbeam, maple and lime, with fir and pine at higher altitudes, very representative of the woodlands of northern Anatolia. That composition produces in October and November a spectacular autumn colouring that has made the park one of the most popular photographic destinations in the country, with visitor numbers extremely concentrated into a few weeks. The wildlife includes red deer, roe deer, brown bear and a varied forest birdlife, and the park has a deer breeding station.