The Dry Lake is located in Rila, within the territory of Rila Monastery Nature Park. It is situated between the peaks Popova Kapa and Vodni Chal, at approximately 1890 m above sea level and is one of the lowest-lying lakes in the mountain. It is fed by melting snow and several small streams descending from the Kobylino Branishte saddle and the surrounding slopes. It drains underground through the moraine ridge on its western end. The lake is most full during snowmelt, but often dries out by late summer and autumn, which is how it got its name.
Here is what Zahari Stoyanov writes about the Dry Lake in his book "The Journey of His Royal Highness Ferdinand I to the Rila Monastery and the Mountains of Rila and the Rhodopes," published in the distant year of 1889: "The road to Samokov from the monastery first follows the valley of the Rila River, then winds leftward up the mountain in dense zig-zags and reaches a plain at the Dry Lake, near the watershed. This lake rightly bears its name because it occasionally disappears suddenly, that is, it dries up. The brothers of the monastery claim it has an underground outlet that passes through one mountain and flows into another river. Indeed, it does not outflow anywhere, but rather, two or three small streams flow into it. Now it was receding and might have been at most ten meters deep (it lacked the dark greenery typical of other lakes of Iskar, Maritsa, and Bistritsa), but its surroundings testified that it had once reached over 40 meters. Its length is up to 400 meters, and its width 300."
A description of the Dry Lake can also be found in the book on Rila Monastery, compiled by Bishop Varlaam and published in 1926. - "The place is picturesque, even enchanting! The sweet Balkan fish - trout, is abundant in this lake - with some weighing up to one and a half kilograms. The fish is grayish with blue-red spots arranged along its body... Remarkably, the lake sometimes dries up, and sometimes it doesn't. When it does, the fish disappear along with the water. To the north of the lake, beneath the rocks, there are holes through which the water flows out and later reemerges in the courtyards, flowing into the Rila River. However, where it disappears underground, it resembles a lake again because when one leans close to the holes, the sound of water can be heard."
In his story "A Fisherman's Luck," Asen Hristoforov also tells about the Dry Lake: "Stretching up to four hundred steps long and not more than two hundred wide, it nestled between the steep northern slope of Vodni Chal and the screes of the opposite peak. Young spruce forests descended on both sides toward the upper eastern end of the lake, where another saddle opened up. A small peninsula with a few old pines jutted into the waters at the lower end, where Spiridon’s cabin was located. It was small, barely fitting two people, and covered with long-dried sods. The Vlachs had built this cabin years ago, but now they grazed their flocks beyond the saddle toward Kobylino Branishte, and no one contested Spiridon’s right to stay in it."
The starting point for the Dry Lake is Kirilova Polyana, accessible by an asphalt road from the Rila Monastery. From the meadow, hike along the green trail toward Kobylino Branishte Shelter. The trail starts at its northwestern edge, in the forest near the fountain. The ascent takes about an hour and a half to two hours, covering approximately 500 meters of elevation. Along the way, beautiful views of the steep slopes of Mount Dvuglav can be seen to the left.
Important: Please note that within the territory of Rila Monastery Nature Park, camping and lighting fires outside designated areas is prohibited. Treat the environment with respect so that it can be preserved in its natural state for future generations, including your own children.