Mount Hoverla

Hoverla reaches 2,061 metres on the Chornohora ridge and is the highest ground in Ukraine, which is why a steady stream of people climb it: the standard route from Zaroslyak is about two hours up on a marked path, steep in places but requiring no equipment in summer. The summit is a broad stony dome with a trig point and a scatter of markers, and the whole Chornohora crest runs away from it in both directions.

What you actually see

• The summit dome - a broad stony top at 2,061 metres with a trig point.
• The Chornohora crest - the ridge running northwest to Petros and southeast to Pip Ivan.
• The tree line - spruce giving way to dwarf pine and open polonyna grassland.
• The crowds - a genuinely busy mountain at summer weekends and on national holidays.

When to go

June to September is the walking season. Snow lies on the upper slopes into May and returns in October. Weather changes fast on the ridge and cloud closes the top on many days.

Honest expectations

It is crowded, and at weekends the path is a queue. The road to Zaroslyak is rough and slow. Cloud and sudden storms on the ridge are the main hazard, and people get caught out in trainers.

Nearby

Lake Nesamovyte is along the ridge, and Dzembronia is on the southeastern approach.