Mount Temnatyk

1 343 m Mount Temnatyk, Volovets

Temnatyk (also Tomnatyk) is a peak on the far north-western spur of the Polonyna Borzhava massif in Zakarpattia Oblast. It is 1343 m high. It is the Borzhava peak closest to Volovets, so hikes along the whole ridge often start here.

The mountain is dome-shaped. Its slopes are steep and covered with beech forest mixed with fir; above 1200–1250 m meadows prevail. To the south-east a treeless ridge links Temnatyk with Velykyi Verkh (1598 m), from where you can continue to Stii (1681 m), the highest peak of the massif. A large cross stands on one of its tops (Voskresenskyi Verkh, or Tsytska, 1219 m), which makes Temnatyk easy to recognise from Volovets.

How to get there

All routes start in Volovets, which you can reach by train. The route Volovets – Temnatyk – Plai – Velykyi Verkh – Hemba – Zhyd-Mahura (20.2 km) crosses the summit. The loop Volovets – Velykyi Verkh – Volovets (22 km) also passes Temnatyk. For a longer Borzhava traverse take Volovets – Plai – Velykyi Verkh – Stii – Hemba – Shypit waterfall (25.1 km). The Transcarpathian Tourist Trail runs over the summit too.

Water, shelter and safety

About 500 m from the summit there is a hut on the Temnatyk meadow, and our map shows a spring 1.8 km away. The treeless Borzhava ridge has hardly any shade or water, so carry enough. The crest is exposed to every wind: in a thunderstorm leave the ridge, in fog follow the waymarks. The best season is from May to October; in winter the slopes can be prone to avalanches. In an emergency call 112 or 101; contacts are on the mountain rescue page.

Interesting facts

In the winter of 1914–1915 a battalion of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen under Colonel Hryts Kossak held a defensive line on Temnatyk; overgrown trenches still recall the fighting.
A street in Volovets is named after one of the fallen riflemen, Lev Koberskyi.
On clear days the domes of the Mukachevo monastery can be seen from the summit.

Photos: Alex Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jiří Komárek, CC BY-SA 4.0; ValeriySh, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.