An ecotrope network will be created on the island of Valaam, which is often called Northern Athos. The first walking route is scheduled to open in September 2026. There will be signs, maps, information stands and rest points. In the future, information modules will be supplemented with QR codes for access to audio guides.

The authors of the project are the Synergy Corporation and the Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church for the Development of Pilgrimage and the Bringing of Shrines. During the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery on July 10-12, 2026, Vadim Lobov, President of the Synergy Corporation, presented the route project to the Primate.

To launch the first ecotrope, the working group is restoring the old monastery road, building a new pedestrian bridge, installing a navigation system and setting up rest areas. Ecotropa route No. 1 will pass along the historical roads of Valaam and connect the Central Estate, the chapel of Xenia of St. Petersburg, the Shishkin pine, the All-Holy Monastery, Igumen Lakes and the Monastery Farm. It will also be possible to visit the Smolensk Hermitage.

The length of the main route will be 13 kilometers, with access to Smolensky hermitage — 16 kilometers. Part of the way to Vsekhsvyatsky and Smolensky skeetes can be overcome by bicycle.

When developing routes, the monastic lifestyle, the historical environment and the natural landscape of the archipelago are taken into account. Navigation and landscaping elements will be executed in a single visual style and with minimal interference with the environment.

— It was the walking trip to the shrines that was originally a pilgrimage. This brings us back to our roots, allows us to come into deep contact with the history of Orthodoxy, its shrines, and gives modern people the opportunity to follow the path of strengthening faith," said Metropolitan Matthew of Pskov and Porkhov, Chairman of the Commission.

It is planned to open new routes and expand the navigation system in 2027. In 2028-2029, the project is expected to be extended to remote areas of the archipelago, equipping parking lots for long crossings and introducing audio guides. In the future, the total length of the improved routes on Valaam may exceed 50 kilometers. They will connect historical roads, monasteries, natural sites and monastic farm territories into a single pilgrimage route network.