Zaroslyak — Brebeneskul Lake · out and back
- Distance
- 21.8–27.2 km · out and back
- Elevation gain
- ↑ 1117–1245 m
- By trail
- Via the saddle below Hutyn Tomnatyk21.8 km · ↑ 1117 m
- Via the Brebeniaska meadow27.2 km · ↑ 1245 m
- On the trail
- ≈ 10.5–12 h, estimate
- Highest point
- ~1977–1983 m
- Trailhead elevation
- ~1265 m · Zaroslyak
- Max steepness
- ≈42% over 200 m
- Difficulty
- Medium
ROUTE OVERVIEW
Ukraine's highest lake, on the floor of a glacial cirque between Brebeneskul and Hutyn Tomnatyk.
Lake Brebeneskul (1801 m) is the highest lake in Ukraine. It lies on the floor of a glacial cirque on the south-west slope of the Chornohora ridge, between the summits of Brebeneskul and Hutyn Tomnatyk. The lake is 147 m long and 67 m wide, and up to 3.2 m deep. The Brebeneskul river starts from it. Since 1997 the lake has been part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.
One waymarked line leads from the Zaroslyak base to the ridge. The yellow trail runs through the forest and across the Pozhyzhevska meadow to Lake Nesamovyte. Below the lake there is a steep step and a bog that stays wet all summer (Marian Slabinoha, 2021). From the lake a path meets the red trail — the Transcarpathian Tourist Trail — which runs south along the ridge over the Rebra massif. As Slabinoha describes it (2021), a gentle path leads down from Rebra to the fork below Hutyn Tomnatyk; where it nears the slope of Hutyn, the lake comes into view from the ridge.
From the ridge, two paths lead down to the lake.
Via the saddle below Hutyn Tomnatyk. Just past the fork the path leaves the red trail and drops to the lake: 0.5 km and about 150 m down, unmarked (OpenStreetMap). This way is shorter.
Via the Brebeniaska meadow. The red trail runs on above the lake to the saddle below Brebeneskul and passes the summit 180 m off. Past it, a yellow trail leaves the red down to the lake over the Brebeniaska meadow. This way is 2.7 km longer each way, but waymarked all the way.
The way back is the same.
The lake suffers from too many visitors: tents go up and fires are lit on the south shore, and dwarf mountain pine is cut for firewood. Lighting fires outside the designated places in the reserve is prohibited.
There is no quick way down off the ridge between Nesamovyte and the lake. The green trail leads down from below Rebra to Bystrets. Hikers in 2020–2023 describe the path down the Brebeneskul stream to Luhy as washed out by floods and hard to follow.
Weather on the ridge turns fast: a thunderstorm with hail and squalls can blow in within 20–30 minutes even on a clear day. Carry a rain shell and a warm layer, and turn back in a thunderstorm or fog. In mid-June there can still be snow on the slopes around the lake.
In autumn, daylight at Zaroslyak shrinks from 13.4 hours in early September to 8.7 in late November. From late September it is shorter than the estimated 12 hours over the Brebeniaska meadow, and from late October shorter than the 10.5 hours via the saddle too. So in autumn part of the way will most likely be walked in the dark: carry a headlamp.
The border guards' list of places closed without a permit names «Беребенскул» — the name of both the summit and the lake — so a permit is needed.
- Lake Brebeneskul is 1801 m, the highest lake in Ukraine
- It lies on the floor of a glacial cirque between Brebeneskul and Hutyn Tomnatyk; 147 by 67 m, up to 3.2 m deep
- From Zaroslyak — the yellow trail to Lake Nesamovyte, then the red along the ridge over Rebra
- From the ridge to the lake — a short unmarked path or the longer yellow over the Brebeniaska meadow
Elevation profile
21.8 km · ↑ 1117 m
The red trail along the ridge to the saddle below Hutyn Tomnatyk. Just past the fork the path leaves the red and drops to the lake — 0.5 km and about 150 m down, unmarked (OpenStreetMap).
Route map
All routes on the mapSTAGE BY STAGE · Via the saddle below Hutyn Tomnatyk
- 0 kmZaroslyakTrailhead at the «Start to Hoverla» sign; the «To Lake Nesamovyte» signpost is next to it~1265 m
- 1.8 kmPozhyzhevska meadowThe trail leaves the forest for the meadow; the Pozhyzhevska weather station is nearby
- 4.9 kmDantsezhyk waterfallA waterfall by the trail
- 7 kmLake NesamovyteGlacial lake, 1750 m. The yellow trail ends here; from here the red trail runs south along the ridge1750 m
- 8.8 kmBelow RebraA signpost at 1930 m, the end of the green trail from Bystrets. Per Wikipedia it stands on the red; in OpenStreetMap it is ~170 m off, and 0.35 km of path that OpenStreetMap does not tag as waymarked leads to it from the red at 9.0 km
- 10.2 kmFork below Hutyn TomnatykThe «Below Hutyn Tomnatyk» signpost; Lake Brebeneskul is in view from the ridge. An unmarked path leads from here up Hutyn Tomnatyk
- 10.9 kmLake BrebeneskulGlacial lake, 1801 m. The last 0.5 km down an unmarked path. Back the same way1801 m
BEFORE YOU GO
The permit comes from the 31st Border Guard Detachment: the list of places the State Border Guard Service closed to visitors without one names «Беребенскул» (order of the 31st Border Guard Detachment No. 1663-АГ of 23 May 2024, para. 1.11, checked 26 October 2026) — the name of both the summit and the lake below it, and the order does not say which it means. The lake lies in Zakarpattia, while para. 1.11 covers Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, but the way from Zaroslyak follows the ridge along the oblast border and passes 180 m off the summit, so the route is marked as needing a permit. Apply in advance: an application is decided within 10 working days; carry an ID document and, for men aged 18–60, a military registration document. Zaroslyak lies in the Carpathian National Nature Park: the visitor fee is charged at the park checkpoint on the way in, in Zavoiela. How to apply for the permit
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS
- 101State Emergency Service — mountain emergency call
- 112Single emergency number: goes through any network in range, even without your carrier’s coverage
- Rescue in the MountainsThe rescue service’s app, install in advance — it sends your coordinatesApp StoreGoogle Play
- Zaroslyak postRescue post · at the start of the route