Cabana Izvorul Muntelui – Curmătura Lutul Roșu – Piatra cu Apă – Detunatele – Cabana Dochia

What the walking is like

The classic way to Dochia from the east, and the shortest: 1,070 m of ascent over 5.6 km. It starts in a small clearing by the hut, enters the forest at once along the left bank of the stream and, in fifteen to twenty minutes, reaches Curmătura Lutul Roșu, at the spot called La Arsuri, where there is a table with two benches. From there it turns left and climbs Culmea Răchitiș, first through beech mixed with conifers, then through spruce. Halfway up, from a stand of larch, the pyramid of Toaca appears on the right, flanked by Stânca Panaghia. The path then skirts the Polița cu Crini scientific reserve, where the larches grow that locals call mountain lilies: the only conifer that sheds its needles in autumn, with mauve-pink cones in spring.

What we'd tell you at the gate

• Trail 1 in the official list of the Ceahlău National Park.
• Waymarking: blue stripe.
• Official time: 3 h 30 min – 4 h up, 2 h 30 min down.
• Elevation gain 1070 m, length 5.6 km, difficulty mediu, figures published by the park authority.
• The shortest way to the Dochia hut, and also the steepest: 1,070 m of climbing over 5.6 km.
• The trail can be walked in winter too, after checking the weather beforehand.
• The waymarking, times, elevation gain and length are those published by the Ceahlău National Park authority. The driving distance from La Cuib is calculated on the OpenStreetMap road network.

Not to miss on the way

• 1

  Piatra cu Apă is a limestone crag with a cave ten metres deep and six high; rain and meltwater seep through a crack in its ceiling. It lies twenty to thirty metres off the path, to the right.

• 2

  At the foot of the Detunatele lie huge conglomerate blocks fallen from two stone towers. The two fangs torn from the wall and the wall facing them are called Cetățuia and Călugării.

• 3

  Trail 1 is also set up as a themed trail, under a Life Natura programme.

What else you can do on the trail

• 🏔 Toaca peak, 1,904 m, with its metal steps and the weather station.
• The Duruitoarea waterfall, a protected natural monument, on trail 5.
• The scientific reserves of Polița cu Crini and Ocolașul Mare, and the botanical ones at Toaca and Gardul Stănilelor.
• 🏛 The Ceahlău National Park visitor centre, in Durău.

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 times, waymarking, elevation gain and length are published by the Ceahlău National Park authority.

• 3 h 30 min – 4 hone way, to the top, at your usual pace
• 2 h 30 minback the same way (estimate)
• 3 h 30 min – 4 h up, 2 h 30 min downout and back, with short breaks
• 3 h 30 min – 4 hone way, if you stop for photos and eat on the grass
• one way, with children, grandparents or a pack full of “just in case”