Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Velykyi Bereznyi it runs 496 km to Velykyi Bereznyi; allow about 8 h 34 of riding. It goes by way of Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy, Terebowiec stream valley, Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa and Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek. It crosses from Ukraine into Poland - carry ID and check the toll rules.
Scenic road chapters
Bieszczady Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 17 km this is Bieszczady Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
Length
17 km
Named road
Bieszczady Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Rožok
Rožok is a small patch of very old forest on the eastern edge of Slovakia, close to the borders with Poland and Ukraine, and it is one of the components of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, a World Heritage Site that stretches across many countries. Here, on a steep slope above the Starina reservoir, beech trees have grown undisturbed for centuries, some of them huge, with smooth grey trunks and wide canopies, and fallen trees lie rotting on the forest floor, feeding fungi, insects and birds.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rožok is where the day begins. Next is Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy.
2. Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy
At the very eastern tip of Slovakia, where the borders of Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine meet on the summit of Kremenec, lies a forest that has been left to itself for longer than anyone remembers. Stužica, in the Poloniny National Park, is one of the most valuable fragments of primeval beech forest in Europe, with trees several hundred years old, fallen trunks rotting slowly on the ground, and an extraordinary richness of fungi, insects and birds. It is part of the UNESCO site of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, a transnational listing that started with forests in Slovakia and Ukraine.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Terebowiec stream valley.
3. Terebowiec stream valley
The far south-east corner of Poland is a place where the map runs out of road. The Terebowiec flows through the Bieszczady, the lowest and loneliest range of the Polish Carpathians, a land of wide grassy ridges called poloniny, deep beech forests and a few scattered villages, and the border with Ukraine is never far. The nearest settlements are Lutowiska, a village of a few hundred people, and across the frontier the town of Turka, so this is not a place with services. The nearest town where you can count on fuel and shops is Ustrzyki Dolne, a good half hour back along the valley road.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 127 km into the recorded legs you reach Terebowiec stream valley. Next is Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa.
4. Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
In the Bieszczady mountains of south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine, a wooden church stands on a gentle rise above the San valley at Smolnik. It is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel and built in the style of the Boyko people, with three log sections stepping up from east to west under shingled roofs. Since 2013 it has been part of the World Heritage Site of Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa, about halfway. Next is Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek.
5. Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
In the far southeastern corner of Poland, where the country meets Slovakia and Ukraine, the Bieszczady mountains rise in long, rounded ridges covered with beech forest. Above the tree line, the summits are open meadows called połoniny, and Połonina Wetlińska is one of the most beautiful, a long grassy ridge with views over endless forested hills. Smerek, a peak at its western end, rises to over twelve hundred metres. On the ridge, the Chatka Puchatka, Winnie the Pooh's hut, a small mountain refuge, has been a beloved stop for hikers for decades. The walk up from Wetlina or the Przełęcz Wyżna pass takes a couple of hours, and the view from the top, especially at sunset, is unforgettable.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 496 km.
Leg by leg
Rožok to Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy
Rožok → Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy to Terebowiec stream valley
Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy → Terebowiec stream valley is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Terebowiec stream valley to Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
Terebowiec stream valley → Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa to Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa → Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek to back through Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek → back through Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa to back through Terebowiec stream valley
back through Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa → back through Terebowiec stream valley is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Terebowiec stream valley to back through Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy
back through Terebowiec stream valley → back through Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy to Rožok
back through Stužica - Bukovské Vrchy → Rožok is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.