Mount Velykyi Kanusiak

Velykyi Kanusiak (Great Kanusiak) is a 1,642 m summit in the Gorgany. It lies in the Kalush district of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast; the nearest settlement is the village of Osmoloda, about 5.7 km from the summit as the crow flies.

The mountain is cone-shaped. Up to about 1,450 m its slopes are covered with spruce forest; higher up there are stone screes and thickets of dwarf mountain pine (zherep). Velykyi Kanusiak stands between the Petros river valley and the Zghonyliv and Kotelets streams. To the north-east a saddle links it with Malyi Kanusiak (1,620 m). It is surrounded by well-known Gorgany summits: Hrofa (1,748 m) to the north-west, Parenky (1,735 m) to the south-west, Studenets to the south and Yalova Klyva (1,562 m) to the south-east.

How to get there

There are no paths up Velykyi Kanusiak, and our site does not have a route to the summit yet. It is a mountain for experienced hikers who can navigate without waymarks: the logical approach is from Osmoloda along the Petros valley, and the last part goes through dwarf pine and scree. There is a good view of both Kanusiaks from the Plistse pasture.

Water, shelter and safety

Our map shows no springs or huts near the summit; fill up from streams in the valley and carry water. The easiest places to stay are Osmoloda or a tent below the tree line. Dwarf pine thickets are very hard going and Gorgany screes are loose and slippery after rain, so allow twice the time the map suggests and never go alone. Carry an offline map with GPS and tell someone your route. In an emergency call 112 or 101; contacts of the nearest units are on our mountain rescue page.

Photos: Rbrechko, CC BY-SA 4.0; Tanya Troyan, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.