Carpathian National Nature Park

Topography

The Carpathian National Nature Park spans 515.7 square kilometers across the Nadvirna and Verkhovyna districts of southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, right on the border with Zakarpattia Oblast. More than 383 square kilometers of this area are completely closed to economic use. The park sits in the highest zone of the Ukrainian Carpathians, covering the eastern slopes where the Prut and Black Cheremosh rivers drain.

The Prut River begins here, and Mount Hoverla, Ukraine’s tallest peak at 2,061 meters, marks the park’s boundary. The lowest point in the park is around 500 meters. A small 4.47-square-kilometer nature reserve was first established in this high region in 1921.

That reserve was folded into the larger Carpathian State Reserve in 1968. The current national park was created in 1980 by a decree from the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, taking over roughly half the land from the state reserve. Today, it operates as an independent body under Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

Did You Know?

• The Huk Waterfall, at 84 m, is the highest single-drop waterfall in the Ukrainian Carpathians.
• The park contains two lakes of glacial origin.
• The area was historically inhabited by hutsuls.