Lake Abant Nature Park

Lake Abant (Turkish: Abant Gölü) is a freshwater lake in Turkey's Bolu Province in northwest Anatolia, formed as a result of a great landslide. The lake lies at an altitude of 1,328 m (4,357 ft) at a distance of 32 km (20 mi) from the provincial seat of Bolu. It is a vacation and excursion spot for both Turkish and foreign travellers due to the natural environment, forests, and accessibility by car. It is served by a 21 km (13 mi) road leaving from the Istanbul-Ankara motorway O.4 (European route E80) or the highway D.100 at the level of Mount Bolu, three hours' drive from these two largest cities in Turkey). Lake Abant is a natural park.[1]

Lake Abant
Bolu Abant Nature Park Aerial View
Lake Abant
Location	Bolu Province, Turkey
Coordinates	40°36′N 31°16′E
Basin countries	Turkey
Surface area	1.28 km2 (0.49 sq mi)
Max. depth	18 m (59 ft)
Surface elevation	1,328 m (4,357 ft)

The lake covers an area of 1.28 km² (0.49 sq mi) and its deepest spot is 18 m (59 ft). The lake area has two large hotels in the immediate vicinity of the shores, as well as other amenities and services for visitors, who sometimes alternatively opt for the family guesthouses available in the nearby town of Mudurnu, 18 km to the south. To the north of the lake, at a distance of 8 km (5.0 mi) from Bolu city, is the main campus of Abant Izzet Baysal University.

European black pine, Scots pine, oaks, ashes, hornbeams, willows, junipers, tamarisks, hazels, common medlar, and strawberry trees are among the tree species that make up the lake's woodlands, and there are wild boars, fallow deer, roe deer, red deer, brown bears, wolves, red foxes, jackals, and rabbits in the surrounding forests, which makes the lake a prized location for hunters during the season. The lake is inhabited by the Abant trout Salmo abanticus, a (sub)species of trout which is strictly endemic to this lake only.[2]