Syniak is a compact but rewarding ridge in the Gorgany range of the Ukrainian Carpathians, reaching 1665 m at its highest point. Wild, steep and scattered with rocky debris, it offers a genuine backcountry experience along with sweeping views across several major Carpathian massifs.
The ridge stretches just 5–6 km from southeast to northwest and consists essentially of two summits: Syniak (1665 m) and Malyi Gorgan (1592 m). The upper sections are covered in characteristic stone scree fields — a hallmark of the Gorgany mountains — while the lower slopes are clothed in dense fir and spruce forests that blaze with colour in autumn and feel hushed and atmospheric under winter snow. From the ridge, on a clear day, you can spot Dovbushanka to the northwest, Khomiak to the east, the Yavіrnyk ridge to the northeast, and the grand profiles of the Chornohora and Svydovets massifs to the south and southwest.
How to reach the summitThe name 'Gorgany' itself comes from the local word for these vast boulder fields, making Syniak a textbook example of what makes this corner of the Carpathians so distinctive and untamed.