Sunbeams breaking through cloud over the ridges of the Rodna Mountains, the open alpine slopes lit up towards evening

Mountain trails · Pietrosu 2.303 m · Parc Național · 2 județe

Hiking trails in the Rodna Mountains

The highest mountains in the Eastern Carpathians: Pietrosu 2,303 m, Ineu 2,279 m. The national park covers 47,202 ha, in Bistrița-Năsăud (80%) and Maramureș (20%), and the ridge runs 55 km, from the Șetref Pass to the Rotunda Pass. What the guidebooks leave out: from our house, the Rodna range is not a morning outing. The nearest trailhead is an hour and a half by car, the rest two to three and a half. You need a full day set aside, or a night spent up there. Below are all 19 trails from the park authority, with walking time, access and county. The waymarking is shown for all of them and the length for 13, both from OpenStreetMap. Elevation gain is not published by the authority and is not shown here.

Pasul Șetref – Vf. Muncelu Râios – Poiana Bătrânei – Tarnița la Cruce – Vf. Galatului – Șaua Gărgălău – Tarnița lui Putredu – Șaua cu Lac – Pasul Rotunda24–26 hours · very high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 95 min from the house
Romuli – Valea Strâmba – sub Vf. Bătrâna8–9 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 198 min from the house
Telciu – Valea Telcișor – Vf. Tomnatec – Poiana Bătrâna8–9 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 210 min from the house
Rebrișoara – Rebra – Parva – Valea Gușet – Tarnița la Cruce – sub Vf. Rebra – sub Vf. Pietrosu – Stația Meteo – Iezerul – Borșa18–20 hours · very high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 201 min from the house
Sângeorz-Băi – Vf. Craia – Vf. Țapului – Tarnița „Obârșia Rebrei”12 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 153 min from the house
Sângeorz-Băi – Cormaia – Farmecul Pădurii – Valea Cormaia – sub Vf. Cormaia12–13 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 153 min from the house
Farmecul Pădurii – Nedeia Bîrladelor – Nedeia Țăranului – Vf. Laptelui – Vf. Nedeia Straja – Vf. Repede7–8 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 153 min from the house
Între Aniese – Valea Anieșului Mic – Șaua „Între Izvoare”3 hours · low effort · technically easy · traverse · 144 min from the house · child friendly
Între Aniese – Izvorul Mare – Tarnița Bârsanului3 hours · low effort · technically easy · traverse · 144 min from the house · child friendly
Anieș – Valea Anieșului – Șaua Gărgălău – sub Vf. Știol – Borșa11–13 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 144 min from the house
Valea Vinului – Izvorul Roșu – sub Vf. Cisia – Tarnița lui Putredu5–6 hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 150 min from the house
Rodna – Valea Baia – Valea Vinului – Șaua Curățel – Șaua cu Lac – sub Vf. Ineu5–6 hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 138 min from the house
Rodna – Vf. Benesului – Șaua Curățel – Șaua cu Lac – Lacul Lala Mare – Valea Lalei – Gura Lalei11–12 hours · high effort · technically moderate · traverse · 138 min from the house
Șanț – Tabăra Valea Blaznei – Vf. Cobășel – Vf. Roșu – Vf. Ineuț6–7 hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 128 min from the house
Șaua cu Lac – Lacul Lala Mare – Prelucile Gajei1–1½ hours · low effort · technically easy · traverse · 95 min from the house · child friendly
Complexul turistic Borșa – Valea Fântânii – Șaua Știol – Pasul Prislop3½–4½ hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 149 min from the house · child friendly
Complexul turistic Borșa – Șaua Buza Muntelui – Puzdrele – Șaua Paltinului4–5 hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 149 min from the house
Poiana Borșa – Valea Negoiescu – Puzdrele – Șaua Galațului4½–5½ hours · moderate effort · technically moderate · traverse · 149 min from the house
Valea Rebrei – Izvorul Gușătu – Șaua Zânelor2 hours · low effort · technically easy · traverse · 201 min from the house · child friendly

Which county are the Rodna Mountains in

Two of them. The Rodna Mountains National Park lies in Bistrița-Năsăud, which holds about 80% of its area, and in Maramureș, which holds the other 20%, ringed by a “necklace” of 17 neighbouring communes. The county line cuts across the main ridge right at the Gărgălău saddle: the ridge traverse starts in Maramureș, at the Șetref Pass, and finishes in Bistrița-Năsăud, at the Rotunda Pass. The range itself is larger than the park, the park covers only the high central part.

The Rodna Mountains National Park, in brief

Figures published by the Rodna Mountains National Park authority.
Area47,202 ha; the second national park designated in Romania
CountiesBistrița-Năsăud (80%), Maramureș (20%)
Highest pointPietrosu, 2,303 m, the highest in the Eastern Carpathians
Other summits above 2,200 mIneu 2,279 m, Buhăescu Mare 2,257 m, Ineuț 2,222 m, Rebra 2,221 m
Main ridgeabout 55 km, from the Șetref Pass to the Rotunda Pass
Glacial lakesaround 23 below the ridge, at 1,800–1,950 m: Iezerul Pietrosului, the Buhăescu tarns, Lala Mare, Lala Mică, Știol
Strict protection zonesPietrosu Mare (3,084 ha), Piatra Rea (201 ha), Bila-Lala (960 ha), Corongiș (401 ha)
Waymarked trails19, in the park authority's official list

The daffodil meadow in the Rodna Mountains

The Saca Massif daffodil meadow is a botanical reserve on the eastern slope of Saca mountain, at 1,600 m, in the commune of Rodna, village of Valea Vinului, Bistrița-Năsăud county. It is the highest daffodil meadow in the country. Access is from Valea Vinului, 8 km from Rodna Veche, on two paths waymarked by the park authority; on the Valea Secii variant you can drive part of the way up the forest road, and from the parking area it is roughly another hour and a half on foot. The park authority charges an entry ticket.

The bloom lasts two to three weeks and usually falls between mid-May and mid-June, but it varies a great deal from year to year: in 2024 the park authority announced the daffodils in flower as early as the first week of May. Check the park authority's announcement before you set off; it is the only source that tells you whether the meadow is white right now.

A point of accuracy that other sources gloss over: the reserve's area is given as 7.84 ha in the park authority's list of protected areas and as 5 ha in Law no. 5/2000; the species is given in some sources as Narcissus stellaris, în altele ca Narcissus angustifolius. Both figures are in circulation; the park's own source gives 7.84 ha.

Maps and waymarking in the Rodna Mountains

For each trail, the park authority publishes the number, the waypoints, the county, road and rail access and the summer walking time, plus a winter time for two of them. It does not publish the waymarking, the length in kilometres or the elevation gain.

The waymarking shown here comes from the route relations mapped in OpenStreetMap, identified by geometry: each relation was compared against the coordinates of the peaks and saddles in the park's official list, not against names. Trail 7, for instance, appears in OpenStreetMap as “Cormaia – Vf. Rabla – La Cărți”, yet it starts at the confluence of the Cormaia and Vinului valleys, passes within 113 m of Nedeia Straja and stops 491 m from Repede peak, the route the park authority calls Farmecul Pădurii – Nedeia – Vf. Repede.

The length is shown for 13 of the 19 trails. For the other six, the OpenStreetMap relation describes an out-and-back loop, carries on along the ridge past the junction, or starts elsewhere, so its kilometres do not match the trail in the official list. The reason is noted on each trail. Elevation gain appears on no Rodna trail, because the park authority doesn't publish it.

OpenStreetMap is a community source, not the park authority. Confirm the waymarking at the park authority's office, on the official map, or with the Bistrița-Năsăud and Maramureș mountain rescue services before you set off. On the way to the daffodil meadow, both paths are waymarked by the park authority itself, with a small orange figure, and the Dealul Popii variant with black arrows.

How far the Rodna Mountains are from La Cuib

The nearest trailhead, the Rotunda Pass, is 62.6 km and about 1 h 35 min by car from the house, via Vatra Dornei and Cârlibaba. Borșa is 101.8 km and 2 h 30 min, Rodna 91.3 km and 2 h 20 min, and the western trailheads (Telciu, Rebrișoara, Romuli) over 3 hours. Rarău, for comparison, is 20 minutes from the gate. The Rodna range asks for a full day, leaving in the dark, or a night spent up there. For two days and the highest mountains of the Eastern Carpathians, the drive is worth it; for a free morning, a better fit is the Rarău–Giumalău trails.

Distances and times are calculated on the OpenStreetMap road network, from Strada Sirenei 38, Câmpulung Moldovenesc.

Frequently asked questions

The Rodna Mountains, in brief

What is the highest peak in the Rodna Mountains?

Pietrosu, at 2,303 m. It is the highest peak in the whole Eastern Carpathians. Next come Ineu (2,279 m), Buhăescu Mare (2,257 m), Ineuț (2,222 m) and Rebra (2,221 m).

Which county are the Rodna Mountains in?

Two of them. The national park lies in Bistrița-Năsăud, which holds about 80% of its area, and in Maramureș, which holds the other 20%. The county line cuts across the main ridge at the Gărgălău saddle.

Can you hike the Rodna Mountains in winter?

The park authority advises against 17 of the 19 trails in winter. It makes an exception for two of them, both starting from Borșa, and publishes a winter time for each: Borșa – Prislop Pass (4½–5½ hours) and Poiana Borșa – Galațului saddle (3½–4½ hours).

Where can you camp in the Rodna Mountains National Park?

Only at the sites set by the park authority: Valea Blaznei, the Rotunda Pass, next to the weather station, Tarnița la Cruce, below Repedea peak, Puzdrele, between the Gărgălău and Galațului saddles, Lala Mică, the Iza spring and Valea Vinului. Open fires are banned throughout the park.

How long does the Rodna ridge traverse take?

The park authority gives 24–26 hours of walking in summer for the main ridge, from the Șetref Pass to the Rotunda Pass, and advises against it in winter. In practice that means three or four days, carrying a tent.

When do the daffodils bloom in the Rodna Mountains?

Usually from mid-May to mid-June, with a bloom that lasts two to three weeks, but the date shifts a great deal from year to year. The park authority announces it; check before you set off.

Are any of the Rodna trails suitable for children?

Five of the nineteen, and none of them end to end without care. Valea Rebrei – Șaua Zânelor, two hours, is the only one that works in full. The two from Între Aniese work only on the first stretch, along the valley. Borșa – Prislop Pass is best done up to the Știol saddle and back. The rest are long days on open alpine ground, with no shelter on the ridge.

How far are the Rodna Mountains from Câmpulung Moldovenesc?

The nearest trailhead, the Rotunda Pass, is 62.6 km and about an hour and a half by car. Borșa is 101.8 km and 2 h 30 min away, Rodna 91.3 km and 2 h 20 min, and the western trailheads over three hours.

Information verified on . Source: the Rodna Mountains National Park authority (parcrodna.ro), for the trails, times, access, protected areas and campsites. Opening times and prices change, check before you set off.

Where the data comes from

Sources: route, waymarks, duration and elevation gain from the Suceava County Council guide “Mountain tourist trails”; trailhead coordinates and driving times from Google Maps (from 38 Sirenei Street); the curiosities from official sources (Suceava Forestry Directorate, Câmpulung Town Hall, local press). If you spot a mistake, write to us: we'll fix it.

What to pack for this range

Tent, fire, mushrooms: what is allowed

Worth knowing about the range

What grows and what moves in the range

Flora

  • the Rodna campion (Lychnis nivalis), an endemic species found nowhere else
  • wild daffodils (Narcissus stellaris) in the Saca Massif reserve, at 1,600 m
  • dwarf pine and creeping juniper on the open alpine ground, above 1,700 m
  • old spruce forest on the northern slopes, inside the strict protection zones

Fauna

  • chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), on the high crags
  • alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), reintroduced to the range
  • capercaillie and black grouse in the spruce forest and at the edge of the dwarf pine
  • red deer, brown bear, lynx: present, rarely seen

The other ranges

If this isn't today's mountain

Rarău–Giumalău Mountains24 trasee · Giumalău 1,857 m · Rarău 1,651 m Călimani Mountains9 trasee · Pietrosul Călimani 2,100 m · National Park Suhard Mountains4 trasee · Omu peak · gentle ridge · no huts Bistrița Mountains4 trasee · Budacu 1,859 m · Pietrosul Bistriței 1,791 m Ceahlău Mountains8 trasee · Ocolașul Mare 1,907 m · Toaca 1,904 m · National Park The Obcini of Bucovina6 trasee · Lucina 1,588 m · Obcina Mestecăniș

Before you set off

Three things we tell every guest

Mountain hiking gear: what you need, what you don'tThe realistic list for Rarău, Giumalău and the Obcini, by season.What to do if you meet a bear on the trailSimple rules, no panic, for the forests of Rarău–Giumalău.Day hikes with children, from CâmpulungFive trails real children have done, with real times.

Information verified on . Opening times and prices change, check before you set off.

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