Eagle Lake Nature Reserve
The height of Kartal Lake and Nature Reserve is 1903 meters above sea level. Kartal Lake and its surroundings have been declared as a protected area by the Ministry of Forestry, General Directorate of National Parks and Wild Animal Protection. Turkey's oldest larch pine forest is located here. The area around Lake Kartal and the "Memorial Forest" is very rich in flora. It is a center of interest for naturalists. From Ulugöl Tepe (2261 m.), one of the summits of Sandras Mountain, a glacial valley extends 1.5 km in length, 500 - 700 meters in width and descends from 2200 meters towards the north-east. This valley, known as "Kartal Lake Glacial Valley", contains distinctive glacial erosion and deposition patterns. It starts with a crescent-shaped bowl surrounded by steep slopes on 3 sides in the upper part of the profile along the Glacier Valley and shows a gradual descent along the slope. The site is characterized as a rare forest ecosystem with pure stands of larch and the presence of old and tall individuals (average age around 250 - 700 years), which are monumental trees.
