Mountain trails · Călimani Mountains

Călimani mine – Șaua Nicovala

Waymarkingblue triangle
EffortModerate
TechnicalModerate
TypeTraverse A → B
Duration2 hours
Ascent+640 m

A linear trail: you start in one place and finish in another. Either walk back the same way, leave a car at the far end or use the train/a transfer; we'll tell you at the gate what works.

Daylight · The former Călimani sulphur mine · today,

  • Sunrise 07:06
  • Sunset 16:58
  • Daylight 9 h 52 min −2 min vs yesterday

The times are for the starting point. Between ridges the light goes earlier than the clock says, so turn back a good hour before sunset.

Weather · The former Călimani sulphur mine · today,

5° min -4° cloudy
  • Precipitation0%
  • Wind6 km/h · gusts 13
  • UV index2,8
  • Elevation1,096 m
  • Fri 5° -3°
  • Sat 2° -5°
  • Sun 6° -4°
  • Mon 7° -3°
  • Tue 7° -3°

The forecast is for where you set off. Up on the ridge, count on a few degrees less and on wind you cannot see from below.

What the walking is like

Short and steep, from the old mine to Șaua Nicovala on the caldera rim: two hours and you're up, with the whole crater in front of you. Good as a first day or as an option in uncertain weather.

Mountain trail

  1. Călimani mine · 1,100 m
  2. Spruce forest
  3. Șaua Nicovala · 1,740 m

What we'd tell you at the gate

  • From the saddle, straight along the ridge (red stripe) towards Rețitiș or Pietrosul.

Elevation profile

1,100 m1,740 m
The former Călimani sulphur mine (Gura Haitii)+640 m of ascent · 2 hours

Worth knowing about the whole range →

What else you can do on the trail

  • Ski touring in winter, on the open ridges (only with experience and avalanche kit).
  • 🐴 Horse riding: tours from Gura Haitii and Poiana Negrii.
  • Mountain biking on the old logging roads from Gura Haitii.

What grows and what moves along the trail

Flora

  • dwarf pine and juniper on the plateaus
  • mountain peony at Iezerul Călimanului (reserve)
  • blueberry and cranberry on the subalpine meadows
  • spruce up to 1,700 m, then alpine zone

Fauna

  • Carpathian red deer and chamois (reintroduced in the Călimani)
  • brown bear, wolf, lynx
  • capercaillie in the spruce stands

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

A linear trail: the time is one way (A → B). If you return the same way, add about two thirds; or leave a car at the far end / take the train. The duration is the one in Suceava County's official guide (Salvamont); the kilometres and driving minutes to the trailhead are from Google Maps.

  • 2 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
  • 1½ hoursback the same way (estimate)
  • 3½ hoursout and back, with short breaks
  • 3–3 hoursone way, if you stop for photos and eat on the grass
  • 3–4 hoursone way, with children, grandparents or a pack full of “just in case”

Sleep at the foot of the mountain

Start from the gate, not from a car park

La Cuib is 68 minutes by car from the start of this trail: a fully equipped kitchen that is yours from first light, a place to dry boots, a garden for the evening. Three nights, the whole house, 1.797 lei.

We checked all of this in .

If you liked this one

A few more in the Munții Călimani

All 9 trails in the Munții Călimani

We checked all of this in .

Once you're back down

Sleep twenty minutes from the trail.

The whole house is yours: wet boots by the door, packs in the hall, a late dinner. Parking in the yard and an early start, without waking anyone.

799 lei a night on Booking 599 lei / night See available dates