Menekşe Yaylası
A high summer meadow at around a thousand metres above the canyon, where İstanbul campers pitch tents on June and July weekends; the climb starts from the canyon.
Hamdigumus — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hamdigumus — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hamdigumus — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hamdigumus — CC BY-SA 4.0
Five tall rocks stand where two streams meet, one locally called the hot stream and the other the cold, and that is the whole name: Beşkayalar, the five rocks. Around them lies a nature park declared in 1998, roughly 1,100 hectares by the ministry's own count (older sources say 1,600), of beech, hornbeam and chestnut forest on the northern slopes of the Samanlı Mountains, about 12 km south of İzmit Bay, so dense it barely leaves a gap for sky. Through the middle runs a narrow canyon of small waterfalls, caves and cliffs, and above it sits the Menekşe Yaylası plateau, a summer camping meadow at around a thousand metres. This is a place for proper walking, not a stroll. Two marked trails start at the canyon and climb towards the plateau, and the last two kilometres from the park entrance sign to the canyon are a narrow dirt forest road that punishes low-slung cars; anyone in an ordinary family saloon parks at the first sensible spot and walks the last half-hour in. Hiking shoes are not optional here and a pushchair has no business on the path. Facilities are thin: picnic tables and tent pitches for a fee, a simple tea stop by the day-use area when it is open, and very little signage, so bring water and food. From Sapanca it is a drive only: west through Maşukiye to Yuvacık, then up past the Yuvacık dam and Kazandere to Aytepe village, with the park sign about 500 m beyond the village; around 40 km in roughly an hour. No dolmuş reaches the gate; a taxi from İzmit will get you there but the return needs arranging in advance. The official 2026 ministry tariff for Kocaeli's first-category nature parks lists 65 TL per person and 195 TL per car, though in practice the gate has tended to charge per vehicle rather than per walker, and the tariff is revised every January. It is at its best from April to October, when the waterfalls are running and the forest shade takes a noticeable edge off August heat compared with the İzmit shore. Summer weekends bring Kocaeli families with their barbecues, so pick a weekday if you want the canyon to yourself. In winter snow covers the mountain road and the mud becomes a real hazard for anything without four-wheel drive: lovely under snow, but not a trip for anyone who does not already know the way.
A high summer meadow at around a thousand metres above the canyon, where İstanbul campers pitch tents on June and July weekends; the climb starts from the canyon.
A narrow canyon where the streams meet beneath the five rocks, with small waterfalls and caves; a real hike, not a stroll.
Dense shade that visibly softens August heat, with tent pitches and a simple tea stop by the day-use area.
Servetiye Cami village, Aytepe road, Başiskele, Kocaeli
With small children and an ordinary hire car, Maşukiye is easier, closer and has streamside restaurants and paved paths. Beşkayalar only pays off if your children will walk half an hour on a dirt track without complaint and you have a high-clearance car; then the canyon and the view from the plateau beat anything in Maşukiye.
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