Mount Menchil

Menchil is a 1,588 m summit (other sources give 1,547 m) on the southern spur of Chornohora, in the Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia Oblast. The spur branches south from the main crest between Petros and Hoverla; Hoverla itself lies about 7 km to the north-east. The nearest village is Luhy (about 5.5 km), followed by Breboia (8.5 km) and Bohdan (11 km), towards which the ridge descends in the south.

To the west the Menchil massif is bounded by the Bohdan valley, to the east by the Hoverla valley; both rivers flow into the Bila Tysa, which separates Chornohora from the Rakhiv Mountains. The summit rises about 800 m above the surrounding valleys. Its top is a small meadow broken by spruce and, in places, dwarf mountain pine, while below 1,300 m the slopes are covered with mixed forest. The mountain lies within the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The nearest summit in OSM is Pereslip (1,155 m), about 2.7 km to the south-west.

How to get there

There is no marked path to Menchil, and none of our routes crosses the summit. The closest, about 2 km away, are the routes from Luhy to Hoverla: Luhy – Mount Hoverla – Zaroslyak base (23.7 km), Luhy – Hutyn Tomnatyk – Lake Brebeneskul – Lake Nesamovyte – Hoverla – Luhy (45.4 km) and Kvasy – Petros – Hoverla – Hoverla village – Luhy (55.8 km). From them you have to continue on unmarked forest roads and paths, so a map, a GPS and good navigation skills are essential.

Water, shelter and safety

Our map shows no springs near the summit. The nearest are on the slopes above Luhy, about 2.3–3 km to the east and north-east, at 800–1,100 m; around 3 km from the summit there is also a weather shelter and a hut. About 2.8 km to the west, in the valley, stands the checkpoint cabin of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. Carry water, follow the reserve rules and allow time for tricky navigation in the forest. The nearest summit with our forecast is the weather on Petros (about 7 km). In an emergency call 112 or 101 — contacts of the nearest units are on our mountain rescue page.

Interesting facts

• Sources disagree on Menchil’s height: OpenStreetMap gives 1,588 m, the Ukrainian Wikipedia 1,547 m; digital elevation models (about 1,575–1,579 m) are closer to the first figure.
• The summit looks out on Petros and Hoverla to the north, Blyznytsia and Apetska in Svydovets to the west, and the Marmarosh range with Pip Ivan and Romania’s Farcău to the south; on a clear day Pietrosul (2,303 m) in the Rodna Mountains shows on the horizon.
• Hikers rarely come here: most head for neighbouring Hoverla.