Sisdağı (Sis Mountain) Plateau

Sisdağı (Sis Mountain) Plateau is a high Eastern Black Sea yayla set at roughly 1,950 metres, just below the 2,182-metre summit of Sis Dağı — the highest peak of the Aladağ massif — where the borders of Giresun's Görele and Eynesil districts meet Trabzon's Şalpazarı district. It takes its name ("Fog Mountain") from the dense mist that lingers even in high summer: when the moist air rising off the Black Sea condenses along the ridges, a white blanket settles over the plateau, and visitors looking down from the heights are met by a genuine "sea of clouds" rolling beneath their feet.

Landscape & Nature

This striking phenomenon has made Sisdağı one of the most photographed viewpoints in the region. Its gently rounded, saucer-like summit, dense Oriental spruce forests, and meadows carpeted in yellow and purple wildflowers in late spring and early summer give the site a character that is at once serene and grand. Because snow lingers near the peak until early July, flowering pastures and residual snow patches often sit side by side in dramatic contrast.

Protected Status & Highland Festival

The plateau was declared a Tourism Centre in 2011 and is protected as a Class C national park; it has electricity, water and telephone infrastructure along with facilities for day-trippers and overnight guests. Culturally it is the heart of a centuries-old transhumance tradition and of the Sis Dağı Highland Festival, held every fourth Saturday of July, which draws thousands for horon dancing, kemençe music and communal feasting.

Visiting, Access & Best Time

Agencies build Sisdağı into Eastern Black Sea plateau tours as the "panoramic summit," pausing at early morning or sunset when the sea of clouds is at its densest. The average visit lasts 1.5-2 hours, ideal for photography and a short nature walk, and it typically features on multi-stop routes alongside the Kümbet, Kulakkaya and Bektaş plateaus. The best photo spots are the ridgelines toward the peak and the open meadows above the highland houses. Access is via Çavuşlu (from Giresun) or Beşikdüzü (from Trabzon), about a two-hour climb from the coast, with the final 20-25 km on stabilised/dirt road on the Giresun side. The best season runs from late June to September, peaking in the July-August festival months; winter access is difficult because of snow.