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,
Sunrise07:03
Sunset19:22
Daylight12 h 18 min−3 min vs yesterday
Until sunset–
Times for the trailhead. Between the ridges it gets dark earlier: turn back an hour before sunset.
Weather · Pasul Rotunda · today,
10°min 4°thunderstorm
Precipitation100% · 14,0 mm
Wind15 km/h · gusts 43
UV index3,4
Elevation1.282 m
Tue7°2°
Wed6°1°
Thu8°2°
Fri9°2°
Sat13°3°
Forecast for the trailhead. On the ridge it is colder and windier.
What the walking is like
A short variant off the ridge: one hour to an hour and a half from the Lac saddle, past Lala Mare, to Prelucile Gajei. Not a walk in its own right but the shortcut you use to drop off the ridge to the north.
Mountain trail
Șaua cu Lac
Lacul Lala Mare
Prelucile Gajei
What we'd tell you at the gate
Trail 15 in the official list of the Rodna Mountains National Park authority.
Access: Din traseul de creastă sau din traseul Rodna – Lala Mare.
County: Maramureș.
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 dot from the Lac saddle to Lala Mare, red dot from there to Prelucile Gajei (Șaua Gajei on the maps).
🌼 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.
1–1½ hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
back the same way (estimate)
1–1½ hoursout and back, with short breaks
1–1½ 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