Mount Kiziiskyi Gorgan

Kiziiskyi Gorgan (also Kozii Gorgan or Kozy Hora) is a 1,617 m mountain in the Gorgany. It rises in the northern part of the Dovbushanka Ridge, in the Nadvirna district of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, south of the village of Chernyk. South-west of the summit stands neighbouring Mount Polenskyi (1,693 m), and a little further Vedmezhyk and Dovbushanka. The nearest villages in our catalogue are Bystrytsia (about 5 km) and Zelena.

The foot and slopes of the mountain are forested, the summit is bare. The north-western slope is very steep, with stony scree partly overgrown with dwarf mountain pine.

How to get there

Our site has the route Chernyk – Chernyk Waterfall – Mount Kiziiskyi Gorgan, 11.1 km with about 1,250 m of ascent, passing the Chernyk waterfall on the way. The mountain lies in the Gorgany Nature Reserve, so before you go check with the reserve administration which paths are open and what the visiting rules are.

Water, shelter and safety

Our map shows two springs about 600 and 900 m from the summit (at roughly 1,400 m) and several more 2–2.2 km away below Vedmezhyk. Their condition is unknown, so carry enough water. There are no huts nearby, and camping in the reserve is allowed only at designated places. Gorgany scree is unstable and it is easy to lose your bearings in the dwarf pine: walk in daylight, in good visibility and with a GPS track. In an emergency call 112 or 101 — mountain rescue units work around the clock.

Interesting facts

• The mountain's name is often muddled: some maps call it Kozii Gorgan, others Kozy Hora or even Sadky. Locals say Kiziiskyi Gorgan, after the neighbouring Kizia meadow.
• Together with Polenskyi and Vedmezhyk it forms the northern part of the Dovbushanka Ridge.

Photos: Анатолий Галамай, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.