Khomyn Ridge (Kosiv)

The Khomynskyi Ridge, with a height of up to 879 meters, is part of the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians. The mountain range stretches within the villages of Horod, Babyn and Malyi Rozhyn in the Kosiv district of Ivano-Frankivsk region. From the top, you can enjoy magnificent views of the Sokilskyi ridge, which is more famous among tourists.

Although Khomynskyi is located quite close to Kosiv, it is not a popular hiking route. There is a special contrast between summer and winter here - snow completely changes the landscape and often the mountains are much more beautiful, including Khomynski. In winter, it is better to go here because there is no swamp and very clean fresh air! Short routes in winter are an ideal opportunity not to die from the routine at home and keep fit for the spring, when the hiking season begins.

There are many ways to get to the top of Khomynsky. This is not surprising, because the ridge is located at a crossroads. You can climb from Kosiv, Malyi Rizhne, Horod and Babyn.

From Kosiv, you need to move along Druzhby (bypass) and Pidhirska streets. After that, there is a climb up the forest road leading to Mount Mykhalkova. At the first crossroads, you can traverse Mykhalkova and go around it on the road that leads to the left. But it's better to go to the right and reach Mikhalkova. Firstly, the view is much better - you can see the whole of Kosiv and the road itself is not so boring and long, and secondly, you can still go down to the Levady tract on the other side of the mountain, where the "left" road leads.

So, whichever way you choose, we go down to the tract where the pond is located, also in the Levady. The water offers a magnificent view of the Pokuttya Carpathians. This is a great place for a picnic. The pond, which is 2-3 meters deep, is home to fish and wild birds. If we turn down the road to the left, we will find ourselves in the Voliytsi village of Cherhanivka, and we need to go up to the Sokyry village of Horod. It is worth knowing that there is a kolyba near the pond, and a mountain stream with a waterfall with delicious water. There you can relax and replenish your water supply.

You can't get lost along the forest road, because there are markings on the trees, even for bikers from Velokosiv. So, after entering the village, we come to another crossroads, near the chapel, which serves as a landmark. We need to turn left and follow the road up to the Zilovate tract.

Here in the forest you can see an interesting "exhibit" - a lost Zaporozhets car. Going to the ridge, I was always surprised at how many houses and people there were around. Although the height of the ridge is considerable and it is far from civilization, the Hutsuls stubbornly do not get down from the hills, doing their gardening. Next up are the Furatyk and Kvadratove Pole tracts, where there are also several springs, but they can dry up in summer. It's not far from the top - we follow the path to the Khomynskyi ridge.

At the top, on the right side, the Sokilskyi Ridge opens up in all its glory . To get there from Khomynskyi, we just need to go further to the right along the road that will lead you to the lowlands to the village of Babyn. Among the interesting things in Khomynske are the defensive fortifications made of stone from the Second World War.

The total duration of the route will be about 5-6 hours, and it is better to return by another road, because it is more interesting. So, returning from the mountain to the chapel at the crossroads, you will see three roads. To the right to Levady and Kosiv, straight down to the village of Horod, and to the left to Babyn (to the bridge). Take the road to Horod, because it is closer to Kosiv, the road is shorter, but has better views. After about two hours of descending, we will find ourselves near the church in the village of Horod, and from there there is a direct route to Kosiv - you can take a regular bus or hitchhike - there are no problems with transportation here. Or you can get there on foot - it takes about 40 minutes to get to Kosiv.

Passport of the local tourist bicycle route "Khomynskyi Ridge" (Kosiv district)

• Name of the route: "Khomyn Ridge"
• Geographical area of the route: Kosiv district
• Number / color of the marking: No. 3, green
• Appointment: Recreational
• Method of transportation: Bicycle
• Length of the route: 26 km
• Height difference (m): 950 м
• Average travel time: 5 hours.

The medium-length extreme bike route is intended for experienced cyclists and runs through the Kosiv district. The route starts near the bus station in Kosiv on Hvardiyska Street. From the bus station, we start moving southwest along Hvardiyska Street and Nezalezhnosti Street. After crossing the bridge over the Rybnytsia River, head down Ivan Franko Street to the chapel, where you turn left onto Irchana Street. In a hundred meters, turn right onto Pidhirska Street. Crossing Druzhby Street from Pidhirska Street, we start climbing along the forest road towards Mount Mykhalkiv, turn left at the crossroads and follow the road that traverses the southwestern slope of the Holytsia ridge to the Gendzyurechka tract.

After overcoming the long ascents, we will come to a clearing, from which the road takes a steep uphill to the right. After overcoming the ascent, we begin the descent to the Levada tract past the lake of the same name. From the Levady tract, we start climbing along a forest road to the village of Sokyry in the village of Horod. After entering the village from the chapel, we turn left at the crossroads and head to the Zilovate tract. At first the road goes up through the forest, from the top it descends into the tract through the open area to the saddle, from which it climbs again along the slope of the Khomynskyi ridge to the saddle, from which the road goes along the top of the ridge to the Furatyk tract (Square Field).

Leaving the tract behind, the road turns into a trail. We go down to the right, be careful - there is a rather steep descent in the village of Malyi Rozhen. In the village, after reaching a well-traveled road, we turn right and start climbing a small pass between the villages of Malyi Rozhen and Babyn. From the pass, we descend to the village of Babyn and proceed to the village of Horod, where we enter the asphalt road: turn right and follow the markings to the city of Kosova to the point of the route's beginning. The route is only possible in the direction indicated.

Developer: VeloKraina project, Center for Social and Business Initiatives, Yaremche.