The parallel mountain ranges average about 3,500 feet in height, and drop abruptly to the valley floor of the Kamchatka River that flows between them.

[8] The area is overcast much of the time - Kamchatka has one of the highest levels of cloud cover in the world, with precipitation averaging over 15 days per month.

[1] At the lowest elevations are forests of Daurian larch (L. cajanderi), Yezo spruce (Picea jezoensis) and Japanese white birch (Betula platyphylla).

Other distinctive species include the snow ram, the northern deer, the Black-capped marmot (Marmota kamtschatica), and a subspecies of sable (Martes zibellina) specific to Kamchatka.

The rivers of the region are important spawning grounds for migratory fish - all species of salmon are found on the island.