Ciocănești – Pârâul Recele – Holy Cross hermitage – Bancu valley – Coșna

What the walking is like

From the painted village over Suhard: up the Recele stream to the Holy Cross hermitage, high on the ridge, then down the Bancu valley into Coșna. A one-day traverse, open all year, with the monastery halfway.

What we'd tell you at the gate

• Start with a coffee in Ciocănești, among the painted houses.
• The return from Coșna: a car at the end or the train (Coșna is on the line to Ilva Mică).

Worth knowing about the whole range →

What else you can do on the trail

• 🪂 Paragliding: take-off from Oușorul Peak, with a good wind.
• 🐴 Horse riding on the ridges around Șesul Muntelui.
• Mountain biking on the ridge tracks.
• Ski touring in winter, on the wide meadows.

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.

• 5–6 hoursone way, A to B, at your usual pace
• 4 hoursback the same way (estimate)
• 9–10 hoursout and back, with short breaks
• 8–9 hoursone way, if you stop for photos and eat on the grass
• 9–11 hoursone way, with children, grandparents or a pack full of “just in case”