Kalyny - Kalyny Pass - Vodytsya - Tyuvshak Pass - Kozmyn Pass/Chuchok Pass - Kobyletska Polyana - Kobyletskiy Pass/Kamin-Klevka Pass - Kosivska Polyana - Kosivskiy Pass - Rakhiv

Distance: 58 km / 36 mi (about 50 km / 31 mi or more on surfaces that range from very bad pavement to gravel to dirt shown in green to "no road" shown in red). Riding conditions are believed to be the worst on the section that includes the passes Tyuvshak (marked with a red point marker) and Kozmyn (marked with a green pointmarker). Possible detour on roads with decent pavement are shown in purple. However, it does not allow to bypass the section with the most challenging riding conditions. A detour that includes a segment (shown in aqua) of poor pavement mixed with gravel and dirt sections allows to bypass four mountain passes and most of the reportedly very bad roads and off-road sections.

Elevation: n/a at this time

Gradient: n/a at this time

Alternative finish - crossing from Ukraine to Romania at the Solotvyno - Sighetu Marmaţiei border crossing - is shown in yellow. See border crossings for more information.

This route is suitable only for mountain bikes. Even if one decides to bypass the last four passes and take the detour via Verkhnye Vodyane, the stretch down to highway H09, although theoretically passable on a road bike, may turn out to be an exercise in extreme road cycling.

Information about this route is quite scarce. In 2008, a group of Russian mountain bikers from Veloclub 3x9 rode a part of it. They were riding in the opposite direction (east to west) and gave up after the first two passes (marked with yellow and light blue point markers). Their report in Russian can be found here. There is also their video on YouTube. The first four minutes of it kind of give an idea of what the road between Rakhiv and Kobyletska Polyana is like. It should be noted, however, that they rode in early May, and the roads must have been very muddy because of the melting snow. In July-August there should be less mud (unless it rains a lot, of course).

Note: there is some confusion about the correct names of these passes.

Some variants of the geographic names used on this page (read more about these lists here):

  • Kalyny, Kaliny, Alsókálinfalva
  • Vodytsya, Vodytsia, Voditsa
  • Kobyletska Polyana, Kobyletska Poliana, Gyertyánliget, Kabola Polyána, Kobylecká Poľana, Kobyletskaya Polyana, Poiana Cobilei, Polien Kabiltsky
  • Kosivska Polyana, Kosivska Poliana, Kosovská Poľana, Kosovskaya Polyana, Kaszópolyána, Kaszómezö
  • Rakhiv, Rakhov, Rahó, Rachov, Rahău
  • Verkhnye Vodyane, Verkhnie Vodiane, Verkhneye Vodyanoye, Vyšná Apša, Felsőapsa, Ober Apsa
  • Solotvyno, Solotvino, Solotvina, Solotvyna, Faluszlatina, Slatina, Szlátina, Aknaszlatina
  • Sighetu Marmaţiei, Sighetul Marmaţiei, Maramureschsigeth, Siget, Máramarossziget, Sihoť, Sighet

 

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, this is a draft and, as such, may or may not be accurate.
Use at your own risk.