Mount Hoverla

Hoverla (2061 m) is the highest mountain in Ukraine, in the Chornohora range on the border of the Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions. The shortest ascent, from the Zaroslyak base, is 3.7 km with 795 m of climbing, about 2.5 hours. From the top you see the whole Chornohora ridge, from Petros to Pip Ivan.

Where it is

Hoverla stands in the north-western part of the main Chornohora ridge. Its Ivano-Frankivsk slopes belong to the Carpathian National Nature Park, the Zakarpattia slopes to the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The mountain is cone-shaped: up to about 1500 m the slopes are covered with spruce forest, higher up come dwarf pine, meadows and rocky ground.

What you will see

A metal cross and a trident stand on the summit. The Prut river rises under the eastern slope, and further down is the Prut waterfall, a cascade with a total drop of almost 80 m. To the west you can see Petros, to the south-east the whole ridge as far as Pip Ivan Chornohirskyi.

Where to start

Most hikers climb from the Ivano-Frankivsk side, from the Zaroslyak base, which is reached by road from Vorokhta. From there you can go up and down the same path or walk a loop over Hoverla and Lake Nesamovyte. On the Zakarpattia side the paths start in the Kozmeshchyk area near Lazeshchyna, with the Kozmeshchyk – Hoverla – Kozmeshchyk loop. Along the ridge, the Petros – Hoverla route links Hoverla with Petros.

Hoverla is one of the most visited summits in the Carpathians, so the paths are busy in the warm season. Take all your rubbish with you.