Rock climbing is a kind of physical activity whose aim is to climb natural or artificial relief. Not so long ago it became an Olympic sport and is gradually gaining popularity both worldwide and in Ukraine.
But climbing is not only about training or simply getting to a certain point. It’s about communion with nature and interesting people, about travel and adventure, about the tense dance on the rock and the joy of victory over yourself. For some, it’s a lifestyle, a worldview, and a philosophy.
Most people climb in specially equipped halls — climbing gyms. But to truly understand and feel it, you need to go to real rock.
Fortunately, we have quite a few climbing areas located in the Carpathians and in lowland Ukraine. Below we’ll look at the most popular of them; meanwhile we invite you to climbing adventures across Ukraine and abroad with the Kuluar club.
Lowland Ukraine has plenty to surprise you with: canyons, granite and limestone, and a selection of routes with different characters. This section is about areas that are easy to access, convenient for a quick trip and a relaxed stay, ideal either for your first routes or for catching a challenge. Next — briefly, we’ll head to the places that are convenient starting points for your climbing path.
Kamianets-Podilskyi is one of the largest climbing areas in Ukraine. It lies in the south of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, right in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, in the canyon of the Smotrych River. You can get there by train from Kyiv, by bus from Khmelnytskyi, or by car. It’s convenient to stay in city hotels or hostels. For those who love soulful evenings and sleeping in nature, camping in tents under the cliffs in the canyon is possible. In that case, it’s advisable to bring food and drinking water with you.
Before the bridge that leads into the Old Town there’s an entrance into the Smotrych River canyon. Its walls host 11 sectors and about a hundred and a half routes. The rock is limestone; the climbing is mostly vertical, sometimes with roofs and small overhangs; among holds, crimps predominate. Route grades run from 5a to 8b, lengths from 4 to 14 quickdraws; sometimes you’ll want a 60-m rope.
In your off-time it’s interesting to stroll the streets of the Old Town — the Kamianets National Historical-Architectural Reserve, included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. There really is a lot to see — the number of architectural monuments is about 200 buildings and structures. The main one is the ancient fortress, whose earliest parts date back to the 11th–12th centuries.
This area is located near the village of Denyshi in Zhytomyr Oblast, in the canyon of the Teteriv River. It’s most convenient to drive your own car, since overnights are assumed to be in tents and you need to bring food and drinking water for cooking. You can also get there by public transport, but you’ll have to walk a few kilometers from the highway.
A picturesque and cozy place: the river runs right below the rocks and a beautiful forest surrounds you. You can pitch tents above the cliffs in the woods, or below them near the river.
The total length of the cliff band is about 200 m, height up to 25 m. In all, around 40 routes have been bolted at Denyshi, divided among 5 sectors. The rock is granite; ledges predominate in the texture, with occasional crimps and slopers; the climbing is pleasant and measured. A particular feature of Denyshi is that most routes are in the easier grades, so the place is popular, and in good weekend weather there can be many climbers.
A wonderful climbing area near the settlement of Buky in Cherkasy Oblast. For millions of years the Hirs’kyi Tikych River carved the granite, creating a canyon of incredible beauty. The scenery is picturesque; in hot weather you can cool off in the river; under the cliffs in the Kolodiaz (Well) sector there’s a place for tents.
It’s most convenient to come by your own car. It’s best to bring food and drinking water with you, though there’s a spring by the cliffs and grocery shops in the village. On the downside — on warm-weather weekends there may be many day-trippers.
About 100 routes have been equipped at Buky, divided into 9 sectors. Climbing on granite is pleasant and varied: there are ledges, slopers and cracks. Grades go from 5a to 8b, with the majority in the 6s, though there are enough 5s and 7s. Route height is up to 20 m, with 5–12 bolts, so a 50-m rope is quite sufficient.
A relatively new location near the town of Korostyshiv. From Kyiv you can get here by car in about an hour, with access close to the cliffs; or a little longer by bus, then walk about 500 m from the highway.
Korostyshiv Canyon is a flooded granite quarry in the middle of a forest. The vertical relief is quite interesting; there are overhangs and ledges. In total there are just over 20 short routes with 4–7 quickdraws, and a couple of longer traverses. In terms of grades it’s mostly 5s and 6s, but there are even a few 4s and 7s.
The place is quite scenic, so on nice-weather weekends there can be plenty of visitors.
Near Korostyshiv there are several more nearby areas: Raikhove Lake, Voronoho Quarry, Zhaba (the Frog).
Another place to climb lies in the area near the city of Pivdennoukrainsk, on the rocky banks of the Southern Bug River. It’s best to come by your own car, or by bus and then take a taxi.
More than 40 routes up to 30 meters high have been bolted on the granite cliffs, grouped into three sectors. Most lines are in the 6th grade, with a few 5s and a couple of 7s. The rock is loose in places. On a hot summer day it can be scorching to climb, so it’s better to choose morning or evening hours.
A whole group of climbing spots on Khortytsia Island in the city of Zaporizhzhia. You can get there by train or bus, and then onto the island by public transport or taxi. Arrival by private car is also possible.
On Khortytsia, among quite pleasant granite crags, more than 80 routes have been bolted, on average 15–20 meters high. Grades go from 5b to 7a; there are routes for both beginners and advanced climbers. In all, 16 sectors.
Right in the city of Vinnytsia, on the bank of the Southern Bug, there’s another granite climbing area. It’s convenient to get to the city by train or bus, then take public transport and walk a little. Because the spot is so accessible, on weekends there are often many visitors besides climbers. You can camp under the cliffs or a bit farther downstream, where it’s cleaner and less crowded. The city has plenty of hostels and hotels.
In total, more than 30 routes have been bolted, with grades from 5b to 8a, but nearly half of them are in the 7s. The walls are vertical, with some overhangs. Some routes have restrictions due to wet rock; there are even cemented sections.
The Carpathians and Prykarpattia give a different mood: sandstone towers, beech forests, and trails to summits where climbing meets legend. In this section we smoothly move to mountain crags — for those who seek views and technical movement. Below are a few places that inspire for extended adventures.
The Dovbush Rocks are a picturesque, soulful, and historic location that leaves no one indifferent. Among ancient beeches and slender spruces, at an elevation of 600–670 m above sea level, rise stone giants of the most amazing shapes. For tens of millions of years, wind, water, sun, and frost have worked on these sandstone blocks, creating unmatched sculptures. But it wasn’t only nature that put a hand to these rocks. There are traces of Stone Age people; in the Middle Ages there was a fortress and a pagan sanctuary; later, according to legend, people’s avengers — the opryshky — hid here. Today several man-made caves remain, created, according to scholars, about two thousand years ago. By the way, they have simply fantastic acoustics.
The Dovbush Rocks lie on the boundary of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts, in the part of the Carpathians called the Skole Beskids. You can drive up from the village of Bubnyshche, or hike in 1–1.5 hours from the village of Trukhaniv.
Nowadays various excursions come here, and climbers hone their skills. In the massif there are several places for tents, and about 1.5 km away is the “Skelia” café-homestead, where you can overnight in more comfortable conditions, take a shower, and satisfy your hunger.
The specifics of climbing at the Dovbush Rocks are linked to the rock type and shapes. The towers are separate; their height is roughly 10 to 50 m; the rock is sandstone which in places is not very strong and can break, especially in wet weather. In terms of features, slopers predominate; in places there are rounded bulges (locally called “syry”), crimps, and cracks. In total there are up to a hundred and a half routes, mostly in the 6a–7c range, and a few multi-pitches of two rope lengths. On smaller boulders, a couple dozen bouldering problems have been cleaned.
A relatively new climbing area, also in the Skole Beskids, on the outskirts of the village of Yamelnytsia in Lviv Oblast. It’s a group of cliffs up to 20 m high, whose shapes and rock resemble the Dovbush Rocks. Overall it’s a scenic and interesting place, with superb views of the surrounding mountains from the tops. It’s most convenient to drive here; you can leave the car in Yamelnytsia and walk about 2 km to the crags. The village has the Hotar campground, with plenty of tent spots and a three-room hostel with a shower and kitchen. The friendly hosts can tell you much that’s interesting about the area and treat you to tasty dishes.
All in all, Kykoshiv Kamin has several dozen routes, mostly short — 5 to 9 bolts — so a 50-m rope is entirely enough. Grades run from 5c to 8c. But harder grades predominate, so this area will be most interesting for experienced climbers.
Another cragging spot in the Skole Beskids, located near the village of Tyshivnytsia, on the bank of the Stryi River. You can get here by car or by bus from Stryi, Lviv, or Skole. Camping is on the riverbank or in the forest above the cliffs. You need to bring drinking water with you, but in summer heat you can cool off right in the river. For comfort-lovers there’s the nearby Viking Karpat hotel.
Overall it’s a nice, compact area consisting of three massifs: Kniazha, Yaroslavna, and Khanska. The rock is fairly strong sandstone, even a bit similar to granite: there are ledges and crimps, but fewer of the “cheese-like” rounded features than at Dovbush. In total, several dozen routes have been bolted, roughly 10 to 30 m high, with 5–17 quickdraws. Unlike other similar sandstone areas, here there are quite a few easier routes in the 5–6 grades.
And these are far from all the places in Ukraine where you can climb on natural rock. So don’t hesitate — travel, climb, and savor life!