Piatra Fântânele – Tihuța Pass – Frâu Peak – Siminic Peak – Grădinița Pass – Fața Cucureasa – Șuvărosu Peak – Zâmbroaia Peak

What the walking is like

The main ridge of the Bârgău, starting from the village of Piatra Fântânele and passing by the Tihuța Pass. It follows the crest over the Frâu and Siminic peaks, crosses the Grădinița Pass and ends on Zâmbroaia Peak, at 1,083 m. The annex to the County Statute, from 2009, describes the route only as far as the Grădinița Pass; the 2020 Salvamont table gives it whole, with the same length and the same altitudes.

What we'd tell you at the gate

• Salvamont has recorded the marking as partly missing because of forestry works: go with the map offline.
• The Salvamont post for the range is in Piatra Fântânele, right at the start.

Not to miss on the way

• 1

  The route starts beside the Tihuța Pass, the crossing Bram Stoker called the Borgo Pass in „Dracula”. A bust of him stands in Piatra Fântânele, and the hotel on the pass carries the count's name.

• 2

  In the same pass stands a steel cross 31 m high, raised in 2010 by the Bistrița-Năsăud County Council, the tallest in the country, lit at night with LEDs.

What grows and what moves along the trail

The species above are those documented in the area by the protected-area administration; what you see depends on season, hour and luck.

How long it takes, honestly

The duration is the one in the annex to the Statute of Bistrița-Năsăud County. Linear route: the duration is for the one-way walk.

• 5 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
• 4 hoursback the same way (estimate)
• 9 hoursout and back, with short breaks
• 7 and a half hoursone way, if you stop for photos and eat on the grass
• one way, with children, grandparents or a pack full of “just in case”