Câmpulung Moldovenesc – Poiana Sihăstriei – Cabana Rarău

What the walking is like

The classic route to Rarău, up the Izvorul Alb valley. The first kilometres follow the paved road past the Izvorul Alb gorge and the Piatra Buhei rocks, then the road climbs through forest to the meadow below Rarău. At kilometre 7, next to a spring, is the Poiana Sihăstriei hermitage; from here the path cuts across the road's hairpins, more steeply. You come out in the saddle between the Munceii Rarăului and the summit, with Piatra Șoimului ahead and the Pietrele Doamnei on your left; the hut is 15 minutes away.

What we'd tell you at the gate

• Water: the spring at km 7, by the hermitage.
• You can shorten it at any time by taking the road; the path is more direct but steeper.
• Ten minutes west of the hut, Piatra Șoimului, the viewing platform.

Not to miss on the way

• 1

  The Izvorul Alb gorge and Piatra Buhei, in the first kilometres, are the limestones that gave the stream its name: the water runs white out of the rock after rain. The spring where you fill your bottle is 1.5 km from the house.

• 2

  Since July 2025 Piatra Șoimului (1,577 m) has had Romania's first skywalk: a platform with a toughened-glass floor, shaped like a falcon's nest, hanging 600 m above the valley. Maximum 12–15 people on it; the panoramic binoculars are free.

• 3

  The Pietrele Doamnei stand at 1,634 m and are reef limestone: the corals of a warm sea 140 million years ago, raised to the sky. Legend has it that Petru Rareș's wife hid her treasure here, and the mountain's name comes from Rareș.

• 4

  Geo Bogza wrote that Rarău "here represents the fundamental dimension of the world". Up there, with Bucovina at your feet, you understand him.

What else you can do on the trail

• Cycling: the paved road is also ridden by bike; the Transrarău is one of Bucovina's classic climbs.
• A stop at the Rarău hermitage: you enter in silence, you leave in silence.
• Skywalk: the glass platform at Piatra Șoimului (2025), ten minutes from the hut.
• Climbing: routes on the Pietrele Doamnei and Piatra Zimbrului, for those with gear and experience.

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

A linear trail: the time is one way (A → B). If you return the same way, add about two thirds; or leave a car at the far end / take the train. The duration is the one in Suceava County's official guide (Salvamont); the kilometres and driving minutes to the trailhead are from Google Maps.

• 4–5 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
• 3 hoursback the same way (estimate)
• 7–8 hoursout and back, with short breaks
• 6–8 hoursone way, if you stop for photos and eat on the grass
• 8–9 hoursone way, with children, grandparents or a pack full of “just in case”