Because of its proximity to Istanbul, residents from Kocaeli and the surrounding provinces come here with their families and friends to alleviate the stress and exhaustion of the day. With its tough terrain, Ballkayalar Natural Park attracts the interest of adrenaline junkies who wish to go rock climbing. Citizens looking for a cool area to wait for iftar also end up in Ballkayalar Natural Park.

Selin Gök stated that he and his pals travelled from Istanbul to Balllkayalar Natural Park to climb.

“It’s nice to have it for the day. We also come to camp tents sometimes. It’s nice to have a place like this close by. It’s a big valley, especially when you look down. Even if there are so many factories, at least it’s a place where we can get some fresh air. I recommend it to everyone, but I also ask them to leave it clean. Even up there can be a lot of garbage.”

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Abdurrahman Ayhan, who praised the park’s natural beauty, stated:

“Even if there are factories around it, it is still a very beautiful place among these factories. It’s a place to come for some fresh air this weekend. We’re climbing with friends. ‘What shall we do today? How do we get through it?’ When we got tired of the crowds in Istanbul, we jumped in and came here. There are not many places to climb near Istanbul. If you’re going to do rock climbing, you’re going to have to come to the Ballikayas, or you’re going to have to travel a lot longer distances. I don’t know what people would prefer, but there are walking paths here. There are people who know. There’s also a waterfall in the back. I commute, but I don’t know if there’s a route. There are places to visit and see. People are already coming here. Two weeks ago, we ran into someone upstairs, and he came from abroad. I have no idea how they found this place.”

Atalay Gerim, who stated that he and his pals enjoyed Ballkayalar because it was a cool environment, stated:

“We wanted a cool environment with our friends. We wanted to fast, travel, walk, spend time. We’re nature lovers. We took pictures, climbed up. It’s a beautiful setting. Whether it’s a natural environment or a view, it’s enormous. We like it, we love it, we come here often. I recommend it to everyone, but only if you use it clean. Our people don’t pay much attention to nature. They come, they want us to have fun, but they leave their garbage.”