Mount Makovytsia (Kryvopillia)

Makovytsia is a 1,161 m summit above the village of Kryvopillia (about 2.3 km) in the Verkhovyna district of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It stands near the Kryvopillia Pass on the divide between the Prut and the Chornyi Cheremosh, crossed by the Vorokhta – Verkhovyna road. Other nearby villages are Volova (5.4 km) and Staishche (5.7 km). Do not confuse it with the mountains of the same name near Yaremche and in Zakarpattia.

South of Makovytsia rises the Kostrycha ridge: its highest peak, Kostrycha (1,586 m), lies about 2.6 km to the south-west, and Kostrych (1,544 m) 3.4 km to the south. Close by are Mahura Velyka (1,147 m, about 2 km to the west) and Mahura Mala (1,066 m, 3 km to the north-west), while Dil Malyi (1,248 m) stands 3.9 km to the north-east.

How to get there

There is no marked path to the top of Makovytsia, but several of our routes from Kryvopillia pass about 330–420 m from it. Closest, at about 330 m, are Voronenko – Mount Kukul – Kryvopillia (26.9 km) and Dzembronia – Pip Ivan (Chornohora) – Shpytsi – Kryvopillia (44 km). From Kryvopillia to Chornohora lead Kryvopillia – Shpytsi – Hoverla – Zaroslyak base (33.3 km) and Kryvopillia – Rebra – Brebeneskul – Dzembronia (34.6 km). The East Carpathian Tourist Trail runs nearby too. From these paths you have to climb to the summit through unmarked forest.

Water, shelter and safety

On our map the nearest springs are about 450–560 m to the north-west (at about 1,065 m) and 650 m to the east; their condition is unknown. Near the pass, about 1.3 km to the north, several weather shelters and a picnic shelter are marked, with another spring about 1.4 km to the north-east. The slopes are wooded, so navigate with a GPS. The nearest summit with our forecast is the weather on Hoverla (about 13 km). In an emergency call 112 or 101 — contacts of the nearest units are on our mountain rescue page.

Interesting facts

• The height of the Kryvopillia Pass is given as 970 m or 1,013 m; its slopes are fairly gentle and easy to reach.
• In Kryvopillia, on the Rosysh Velykyi stream, there is the little-known Kryvopillia waterfall, about 3 m high — it looks best during the snowmelt.

Photos: Robert-Erik, CC BY-SA 4.0; Maksym Popelnyukh, CC BY 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.