Makovytsia Mountain (Yaremche, Carpathians, Ukraine)

Makovytsia is one of the most popular peaks in the Ukrainian Carpathians. This is due to several factors at once: being right in the resort being visited and the ease of climbing. We traveled here for the first time as a group of three people, one of whom was pregnant and yet managed the trek with ease.

Mount Makovytsia is part of the Gorgany mountain range. The entrance is located in the village of Yaremche, which is visited by tens of thousands of people every year for tourism purposes (and even more so after the Ukrainian authorities stopped letting people out of the country). Its altitude is 984.5 meters above sea level.

My report on the hike to Makovytsia

At that time I was staying with a friend in Ivano-Frankivsk, trying to recover from the death of all my close relatives. A mutual acquaintance came over and we decided to go camping somewhere. The requirements were simple: the ease should allow people without physical training and even a girl in a position to conquer the top without much effort. Having quickly studied the map of Carpathian peaks and evaluated all pros / cons, we opted for Makovytsia. And about 10 am on June 29 we set off towards Yaremche.

The road is good. The city of Ivano-Frankivsk itself is certainly a pit on a pit, as if the asphalt there has not been repaired since the occupation of the Germans in 1942. But if you go outside the settlement, where the road is not handled by the local authorities, you will immediately enjoy a smooth asphalt for your car.

On the way we stopped at ATB to buy water (and you can’t go camping without it!) and food. Although we were going to spend only a few hours on the hike, but we realized that we would spend enough energy and strength, and there would be nowhere to replenish it.

In an hour and a half we arrived at one of the entrances to the reserve. It was located next to the parking lot on one of the roads we used to return from the Probyi waterfall. It is convenient that there is a place to leave the car, but it also has its disadvantages. I will tell you about them at the end of the article.

In the meantime, we drove up to the entrance, started to pack our things, change into comfortable shoes and assess our strength for the ascent. Although the track is considered a “children’s” one, it was a real challenge for us, who had never been to the mountains before.

At the entrance we were asked for payment. It could be transferred to a bank card. Not as convenient as it could be with a terminal, but still better than demanding cash from every tourist. The minus is that such a convenient way of transferring money from card to card is available only to clients of Ukrainian banks, which means that a foreigner will have to look for alternative ways of payment.

When considering the route to climb Makovytsia, we initially chose to climb one trail and descend another in order to cover a maximum of new locations.

The road to Makovytsia starts very steeply. After a couple of minutes, you will encounter a steep ascent, covered with huge stones, mossy moss and a path that wanders among tree roots. Don’t be frightened: the trail will be so “steep” only for the first 100 – 200 meters, after that it will become quite cozy. By the way, the climb differs from Hoverla: there is a gentle slope at the beginning, and then you will have a difficult ascent on huge and sharp boulders.

We found this particular section the most difficult at the beginning, but due to fresh strength we overcame it quite easily, on excitement. Here we realized that we could not do without additional support. But we didn’t have good trekking sticks at that time, so we decided to use ordinary wooden sticks. Tourists pick them up and leave them at the entrance at the end of the descent, so it is not difficult to find them.

The trail is very well maintained. There are often rest areas and several viewpoints along the trail. A great option for renewing your energy combined with a photo shoot for Instagram.

The trail winds through a coniferous forest. Occasionally it passes between rocks and stones, but most of the time you are surrounded by tall evergreen trees that make you want to breathe.

From time to time we would come out to view locations on one side or the other of the mountain, which gave us a chance to look around and get another dose of visual pleasure.

The route is fairly well marked, except for one section. It comes to an area near the TV tower, which is surrounded by a fence. It doesn’t immediately become clear that you have to go around it along the cliff along a narrow path. At first it seems that you are lost and many people try to check the map or stop in confusion.

However, right behind this tower, after 50 meters, we came to the meadow of Mt. Makovytsia. Here it is already less quiet and comfortable. The next time we came here for a walk, we just reached this point and came back.

The thing is, a lot of people start their climb here. That’s why there are so many tourists. Moreover, there are those who decide to pay vandals in jeeps to get closer and not to go on their own to the very foot of the peak. That is why from now on you will be constantly passing by cars, roaring at full volume and releasing diesel waste products, whose ecological standards I will allow to doubt.

All this, of course, destroys the recreational area, hinders tourists and animals, and destroys the road. But the locals don’t give a damn about it. Most of them make money only on tourists in this horrible way. The only question is why the authorities indulge in this.

But back to our trip. That time we didn’t stop and went on. There was a gorgeous view on both sides and if it wasn’t for the cars whizzing by, you could have imagined you were in a fairy tale.

Unnoticeably we came to the very top and started climbing it. The ascent is not difficult, children run like goats on it. But we did not hurry and constantly took breaks, so that everyone could comfortably climb at this pace.

And so, after another 10 minutes we reached the top. We did it and conquered Makovytsia!

But time was running out and hunger was making itself felt. Almost all the food, except for a few bananas, had been eaten by then and we set off downhill. On the way we were joined by a couple of dogs who made their way back to the meadows. We turned into the forest and went through another route, the so-called “Dovbush trail”.

The situation here is similar to the ascent. Toward the end we were waiting for rocks and boulders, but they were much more massive, making you feel like a character in a Hobbit movie or a fairy tale from time to time. They were covered in a thick layer of moss, which added to the danger of slipping. At the same time, I remembered my idea to make a mini terrarium with moss and already knew exactly where I would get it.

Tired and satisfied, we reached the exit. Here we were in for a surprise: the road back to the parking lot was… no shoulder. And it was necessary to go just on the highway, and also on the traffic (which is a violation of traffic rules). So I left the girls near the local canteen, or as they are called here – “kolyba”, and myself went to the car. Feelings are disgusting – you go along the mountain and in case of passing by transport you can’t get off the road. And the transport does not see you until the last moment, as the lane wraps around the mountain.

If you will be repeating our route – I strongly recommend you to catch a hitchhiking car and drive those unfortunate 500 meters, rather than risking your life.

When we returned by car to pick up our girls, we ordered lunch in the canteen (we were hungry and ready to eat anything) and drank delicious cold kvass, which helped us to regain our strength. Our legs were shaking at the knees from fatigue, but we were satisfied. We did it and conquered our first ever summit!

But it was time for us to move back to Ivano-Frankivsk, as the next day was my birthday, which we celebrated with a ride on the “Carpathian Tram”, a picnic in the mountains, and then went to the sea in Croatia!

Tourist information about Makovytsia mountain

All in all, I highly recommend the hike to Mt. Makovytsia as one of the easiest day hikes in the Carpathian Mountains. You will not regret going on the road both in summer and in fall.

At a very relaxed pace, stopping for rests and taking pictures of every tree, a very motley group of us walked this route in 6:30 hours, of which the traffic took only 4 hours. In total we covered 11 kilometers and gained 583 meters of altitude.

It’s easy to walk on, even a child can handle it.

It is possible to start from different locations. We used on our route to enter at the coordinates 48°26’21.2 “N 24°32’33.2 “E and exit at the coordinates 48°26’06.0 “N 24°33’09.5 “E. The same route can be followed in the opposite direction. The same route can be followed in the opposite direction. Its part is the route of Stezhok Dovbush, you can read more about it in a separate article.

Other routes may include entrance points at 48°25’52.9 “N 24°34’52.3 “E and 48°25’46.6 “N 24°35’52.2 “E (Yamny village) and others.

How to get to Makovytsia

Yaremche can be reached both by public transportation and by car.

By train

As of 2024, intercity and regional trains run through Yaremche railway station. During winter and summer vacations their number usually increases dramatically. I advise you to familiarize yourself with the ticket options and buy them online exclusively on the official website of Ukrzaliznytsia as described here.

By bus

It is no less easy to get there by bus. They go here both regional from Ivano-Frankivsk and from all over Ukraine, as the resort is quite popular.

By car

There is a good road leading to Yaremche, but it is a two-lane road. Therefore, on weekends and before holidays, traffic jams for dozens of kilometers form here. Be prepared for this. On the rest of the days it is not a problem to get there, although you have to drive slowly – these are mountains after all, and the area desperately neglects roadsides and often people walk along the road in populated areas.

You can leave your car at the free parking lot near the entrance at the coordinates 48.43926490595096, 24.542544871164406. Unfortunately, you should be prepared that when tourists are brought to the waterfall on weekends and there are not enough parking spaces, buses may come here to park. Sometimes they get across the parking lot and get in the way until you ask them to get out of the way or wish to turn around properly so as not to interfere with others.

Conclusion

It’s a great place. Be sure to take a day to hike up Makovytsia Mountain. You can combine it with a visit to the Probij waterfall, which is located across the road from the entrance.

It is not recommended to visit on weekends or national holidays. You will spend more time in traffic and walk among crowds of other tourists on the route.