Ciucaș Mountains: there is finally snow!

Ciucaș Mountains: there is finally snow!

Today’s adventure gets my family and I into the Ciucaș Mountains again. In Romania, on 27th of December we celebrate Saint Ștefan and because my brother’s name is Ștefan we decide to celebrate his birth name by travelling through our favorite mountains, namely The Ciucaș Mountains. We have no fix plan, we just want to get out in nature and have a warm meal at The Vârful Ciucaș Hut.

How we get there? The forest road from Valea Berii

We start early in the morning and leave the house at about 7 AM, drive for approximately 2 hours until we reach Cheia – a mountain resort situated at the foot of the mountains – and then enter on the road 1A which we follow to the water bottling plant named “Keia” where we turn right on a forestry road that begins in Poiana Berii and follows the “Valea Berii”.

In Poiana Berii starts a trekking path marked with a blue cross which leads the people to the “Cabana Vârful Ciucaș”. As far as I understand, the access with the car is not forbidden on this road, but to get with the car to the hut it is not recommended especially in winter time and without a 4x4 car.

We enter on the forest road with our small car and keep driving until it starts to get increasingly steep. It is also snowing quite well and as we get closer and deeper into the mountain, the snow becomes more and more abundant. The best decision for this situation is to park the car on the side of the road, get our backpacks from the trunk and start walking.

Starting the hike to the Cabana Vârful Ciucaș by following the blue cross

It is finally snowing and this is the first hike on snow we are about to do in the winter season that is just coming around us. I am extremely excited about every moment and landscape I am passing by and I could not wait to reach a higher altitude because I am so sure that the nature would offer me such wonderful and breathtaking views.

Even if going up is not easily due to the strong wind blowing in front, I enjoy a different and challenging experience of walking into nature and I let the harsh surroundings to just be without thinking too much or focusing on the discomfort I feel. My mind set is just to discover and rejoice the beautiful but taff aspects of the winter.

Fântâna "Nicolae Ioan" 

After a bit of hiking and going up, we get to the first reference point of the trail called Fântâna "Nicolae Ioan” which bears the name of the president of a Romanian Tourism Association, namely “România Pitorească” which build the first Ciucas hut into these places. There is no water running through the pipes right now maybe because of the cold, but other times we’ve been through this place, we refilled our bottles with cold and fresh water from here.

The steepest part of the trail 

Beginning from the fountain, the road gets steeper and steeper. Thus, there are cars going up and down the road. These cars belong to The Vârful Ciucaș Hut and are transporting people from Poiana Berii to the hut. I remember that in the summer time, when the ground is dry, the cars are producing lots of dust which can be annoying and disturbing for the hikers but now, because of the snow, it didn’t create an uncomfortable situation. On the other hand, we still have to pay attention when the cars are passing by and get more to the edge of the road.Two large curves are announcing us of getting closer and closer to the hut. As we are growing in altitude, the wind is much powerful.

Finding the hut

Soon, The Vârful Ciucaș Hut appears on the horizon but the visibility is low because of the snow storm. The hut is placed into a white landscape and the views surrounding it are totally out of this world. It is like we have enter a frozen land. I am continuously taking pictures even if I cannot see through my camera’s aperture the composition of my photos and also the camera is covered quickly in snow. I don’t think too much about this aspect and that my camera could get broken because all I want to do is to capture as many nice and descriptive images of what is happening around.

As usual, I am the last person in my group because I take same time to admire the views and make photos although the weather condition are challenging me. God, it is so beautiful! I’ve been many times to these places, but this is the first time trekking the Ciucaș Mountains in full winter and it is such a pleasure to get to know the environment in a completely different atmosphere. At a certain point, as I watch the snow trimmed fir trees, the sun comes out looking strangely through the thick and grey clouds. What a mysterious landscape!

Going in Cabana Vârful Ciucaș 

The wooden main gate of the hut is beautifully decorated with small delicate pieces of frozen snow being a proof of the powerful snow storm that it is just taking place. Even if I want to, I cannot stay outside longer because my clothes are starting to freeze and my group is already waiting for me inside the hut. So, I shake off the snow and enter in the warmth of the hut through a large wooden barrel.

The Cabana Vârful Ciucaș is situated at an altitude of 1595 meters and offers both accommodation and a restaurant. We are here for a warm drink and a quick break of the wind. We order tea, my father orders beer of course and not any kind of it, but the “Ciucaș” one. We also want to get some food but because it is not lunch time yet, they are serving only breakfast at this time so we still have to wait for it.

There are not a few people populating the hut, but rather many who probably spend their holidays here and now they want to get down the mountain and that’s why the hut’s cars were continuously going up and down. At the same time, the people that we met earlier on the path are now taking a bit of shelter inside the cabin. It is a cozy atmosphere in the restaurant and after we finish the drinks and because we have to wait a bit of time until they would serve the lunch, we decide to go outside again and explore the surroundings more.

Exploring the mountains more: Șaua Chirușca 

First we continue on the path marked with the blue cross which gets us closer to a place called “Șaua Chirușca”. The landscapes are mesmerizing and I am taking lots of photos - which you can see throughout this article – while enjoying walking on the fresh snow. Because the visibility is still low and the wind is blowing, we cannot continue on this trekking path, so we get back and start walking on the trail leading to the Ciucaș peak.

Here it is the same situation and we get only to the point where the terrain is becoming steep. The sun comes again among the grey clouds but his power is reduced in comparison with the rough snow storm. Thus, the scenery with the white trees, the grey sky and the sun wanting to get out of the mist is very unique and charming.

The tourist markings are as well covered in snow crystals in an interesting and catchy way. I am entirely absorbed and amazed by every little detail that the snow is creating on all of the things around.

Having lunch at the hut's restaurant

We get back to the hut and have lunch, but we have to wait for quite some time for the food to be served and I also have a disappointing experience with the meal that I order because I thought that it is vegan and it was not. So, if you eating plant based, don’t go for the side dish named “cartofi țărănești” because it has beacon on it! On the other hand, the other members of the group are quite pleased with the meal they have meaning that the food is tasty and satisfying for them.

Going down proves to be harder than going up 

After a relaxing time inside the hut and because it is getting late, we get out again into the cold winter and start to descend on the same path we followed when we came here, more precisely the blue cross mark.

Going down proves to be a bit harder than going up because the ground is slippery and much more covered in snow than it was in the morning, but with small steps and an increased attention we get back to our car which is now coated into a thick layer of snow.

Advices and tips 

I have been many times to the Ciucaș Mountains before but if you are planning to go here for the first time and don't know from where to start, you can find a brief introduction about Romania's mountains here ( including the Ciucaș Mountains ) here: Worth seeing places in Romania: The mountains that can help you to understand the configuration of the mountains, the way in which the hiking trails are organised and many more. 

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