Black Cheremosh River

The Blach Cheremosh is a wayward, rapid river that starts to the southeast of the village of Burkut (Verkhovyna rayon, Ivano-Frankivsk region) on northern-east slopes of the Chyvchynski mountains, which belong to the Marmarosy Massif of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The river is sung in lots of Hutsul legends and stories.

The Black Cheremosh flows through a scenic Carpathian valley with steep slopes. The river’s bed is narrow and twisty, but there are terraces and even a small floodplain in its lower flow.

According to some versions of local inhabitants, the name of the river comes from dark water being brought by the flow. Ethnographers assume that local inhabitants, called the Hutsuls, used to name all northern river tributaries with the adjective «black» («north – night – black»).

Extreme rafting is available on the Black Cheremosh mainly from April to October. In spring, the water level goes up due to melting snow, running from the mountains. However, there are several favorable periods for rafting after long and heavy rains in summer.