Pasul Șetref – Vf. Muncelu Râios – Poiana Bătrânei – Tarnița la Cruce – Vf. Galatului – Șaua Gărgălău – Tarnița lui Putredu – Șaua cu Lac – Pasul Rotunda
Waymarkingred stripe
EffortVery high
TechnicalModerate
TypeTraverse A → B
Duration24–26 hours
Distance67.5 km
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 · Pasul Rotunda · today,
Sunrise07:08
Sunset16:58
Daylight9 h 50 min−2 min vs yesterday
Until sunset–
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 · Pasul Rotunda · today,
5°min -5°cloudy
Precipitation0%
Wind10 km/h · gusts 24
UV index2,6
Elevation1.282 m
Fri4°-4°
Sat2°-6°
Sun6°-6°
Mon6°-4°
Tue6°-5°
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
The great Rodna traverse, from the Șetref Pass to the Rotunda Pass: 55 km of ridge, the full width of the park from west to east. It crosses from Maramureș into Bistrița-Năsăud right at the Gărgălău saddle and touches every junction in the range in turn: Poiana Bătrânei, Tarnița la Cruce, Galatul, Tarnița lui Putredu, Șaua cu Lac. The park authority gives it 24–26 hours of walking in summer and advises against it entirely in winter. This is not a day walk but a three- to four-stage trek, with a tent.
Mountain trail
Pasul Șetref · 817 m
Vf. Muncelu Râios
Poiana Bătrânei
Tarnița la Cruce
Vf. Galatului
Șaua Gărgălău
Tarnița lui Putredu
Șaua cu Lac
Pasul Rotunda
What we'd tell you at the gate
Trail 1 in the official list of the Rodna Mountains National Park authority.
Access: DN 17D, com. Șanț, sat Valea Mare, Pasul Rotunda.
County: Maramureș și Bistrița-Năsăud.
In winter: the park authority advises against this trail.
The park authority publishes the duration, the waypoints and the access. The waymarking and length above come from OpenStreetMap, a community source rather than an official one: confirm the waymarking at the park office or with mountain rescue before you set off. Elevation gain is not published by the authority and does not appear on this site.
🌼 The Saca Massif daffodil meadow, from Valea Vinului: a botanical reserve, in flower from mid-May; the park authority charges an entry ticket.
🏔 Pietrosu peak (2,303 m), the highest in the Eastern Carpathians, on trail 4.
The glacial lakes: Iezerul Pietrosului, the Buhăescu tarns, Lala Mare, Lala Mică, Știol, there are around 23 below the ridge.
🕳 The cave and karst spring of Izvorul Albastru al Izei, a mixed reserve, with galleries and waterfalls.
What grows and what moves along the trail
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 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 published by the Rodna Mountains National Park authority for the summer season. The waymarking, length in km and elevation gain are not published by the authority. The driving distance from La Cuib is calculated on the OpenStreetMap road network.
24–26 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
back the same way (estimate)
24–26 hoursout and back, with short breaks
24–26 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”
Sleep at the foot of the mountain
Start from the gate, not from a car park
La Cuib is 95 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.
Via Transilvanica