Rebrișoara – Rebra – Parva – Valea Gușet – Tarnița la Cruce – sub Vf. Rebra – sub Vf. Pietrosu – Stația Meteo – Iezerul – Borșa
Waymarkingtriunghi albastru → bandă albastră
EffortVery high
TechnicalModerate
TypeTraverse A → B
Duration18–20 hours
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 · Rebrișoara · today,
Sunrise07:09
Sunset17:01
Daylight9 h 51 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 · Rebrișoara · today,
9°min -1°cloudy
Precipitation0%
Wind7 km/h · gusts 16
UV index2,5
Elevation342 m
Fri9°-3°
Sat8°-3°
Sun8°-4°
Mon8°-5°
Tue8°-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
The full crossing of the range, from Rebrișoara to Borșa, over both summits above 2,200 m: Rebra (2,221 m) and Pietrosu (2,303 m), the highest point in the Eastern Carpathians. It passes the weather station and skirts Iezerul Pietrosului, a glacial lake inside the Pietrosu Mare strict protection zone. 18–20 hours: two days, at the very least.
Mountain trail
Rebrișoara
Rebra · Parva
Valea Gușet
Tarnița la Cruce
sub Vf. Rebra · 2.221 m
sub Vf. Pietrosu · 2.303 m
Stația Meteo
Iezerul Pietrosului
Borșa · centru
What we'd tell you at the gate
Trail 4 in the official list of the Rodna Mountains National Park authority.
In winter: the park authority advises against this trail.
The park authority publishes the duration, the waypoints and the access. The waymarking above comes from OpenStreetMap, a community source rather than an official one: confirm it at the park office or with mountain rescue before you set off. Length and elevation gain are not published by the authority and do not appear on this site.
The route is made up of two segments with different blazes: blue triangle from Parva to Tarnița la Cruce, blue stripe from there over Pietrosu to Borșa. The length is not shown: the stretch from Rebrișoara to Parva is not mapped separately.
🌼 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.
18–20 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
back the same way (estimate)
18–20 hoursout and back, with short breaks
18–20 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 201 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