Zaroslyak — Turkul · out and back
- Distance
- 15.4 km · out and back
- Elevation gain
- ↑ 845 m
- On the trail
- 8 h
- Highest point
- 1933 m
- Trailhead elevation
- ~1265 m · Zaroslyak
- Max steepness
- ≈44% over 200 m
- Difficulty
- Medium
ROUTE OVERVIEW
A main-ridge summit above Lake Nesamovyte, with First World War trenches on top.
Turkul (1933 m) is a summit of the Chornohora main ridge between Dantsyzh to the north and Rebra to the south-east. On its eastern slope, in a glacial cirque, lies Lake Nesamovyte.
A yellow waymarked trail leads from the Zaroslyak base to the lake: through the forest, then across the Pozhyzhevska meadow past the Pozhyzhevska weather station and on up to the lake. Below the lake, as Marian Slabinoha describes it (2021), there is a steep step, and in places a bog that stays wet even in summer.
From the lake a path meets the red trail, the Transcarpathian Tourist Trail, which leads to the summit. As Slabinoha describes it, from the saddle below Turkul the climb is short but fairly steep and rocky. Ukrainian Wikipedia and Slabinoha give the waymarks from the lake as red, while Polish Wikipedia calls the path past the lake unmarked; in OpenStreetMap the red trail passes 250 m from the lake. The way back is the same. According to Wikipedia, it is 4.5 hours up and 3.5 down.
First World War trenches survive on the summit. Between the wars the Polish–Czechoslovak border ran over Turkul.
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.
Turkul is on the list of border-zone places closed to visitors without a border-guard permit. The lake is not named on it: a separate route, «Lake Nesamovyte», leads there.
- Turkul is 1933 m, a summit of the Chornohora main ridge between Dantsyzh and Rebra
- Lake Nesamovyte (1750 m) lies in a cirque on Turkul's eastern slope
- A yellow trail leads from Zaroslyak to the lake; from the lake, a short steep climb to the top
- First World War trenches survive on the summit
Elevation profile
15.4 km · ↑ 845 m
Route map
All routes on the mapSTAGE BY STAGE
- 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 here1750 m
- 7.3 kmOnto the red trailThe path from the lake meets the Transcarpathian Tourist Trail; from here a steep, rocky climb to the summit
- 7.7 kmTurkulSummit, 1933 m. Back the same way1933 m
- 15.4 kmZaroslyakBack the same way~1265 m
BEFORE YOU GO
The permit comes from the 31st Border Guard Detachment: Turkul is named outright on the list of places the State Border Guard Service closed to visitors without one (order of the 31st Border Guard Detachment No. 1663-АГ of 23 May 2024, para. 1.11, checked 26 October 2026); Lake Nesamovyte needs no permit and has a route of its own, «Lake Nesamovyte». 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 and the lake lie 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