Discovering the Piatra Craiului mountains for the first time

Discovering the Piatra Craiului mountains for the first time

I’ve been writing about the mountains of Romania quite a lot and I still have some hiking adventures to share with the people who are interested in such trips over the Romanian territory and which are also approachable for beginner hikers or for those who want to start doing this beautiful outdoor activity during their stay in my carpathian country. 

Zărnești: an ecotourism destination offering various outdoor activities 

Today’s adventure brings me in the wonderful region of Zărnești, where I begin the one day adventure through the Piatra Craiului Mountains, the city being situated at the foot of this impressive mountain.

Zărnești, speaking from and administrative point of view, belongs to the metropolitan area of Brașov because of its position, surrounded by high mountains and lots of green areas, tourism or let’s say the eco-tourism is the main activity of the place, thus, here visitors and travelers can find numerous pensions or cottages for accommodation and enjoy all of the hills and mountains by practicing mountainerring, hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking or watching bears at the Bears Reservation Sanctuary.

How to get to Zărnești?

For those who have a personal car, arriving to Zărnești from any corner of the country is easier, the roads leading here being 73A, 112E or 112H, but on the other hand, for those who are travelling with the train things are getting just a bit complicated. For example, if you are coming from Bucharest, there isn’t a direct train, but you have to transfer in Brașov, the entire journey lasting for approximately 3 hours and half to 4 hour, depending on the train’s type and time of waiting when it comes to changing the train in Brașov.

Entering the Piatra Craiului National Park

By following the road 112G, at the end of Zărnești, I find the entrance to the Piatra Craiului National Park and, even if people still can drive the car on this road until a place called “Fântâna lui Botorog” or further more to the entrance of “Prăpăstiilor” valley, I choose to walk since the beginning of the park and all I have to do is to follow the forest road and, of course, to look around at the surroundings I am introduced in step by step.

The starting point of the hiking trail: “Botorog’s Fountain” 

For the hiking route that I am about to take, I first have to reach a place called “Botorog’s Fountain” and from there to start on the actual trail. Soon, I stumble across this point and find the indicator showing me the way that I was looking for. The path way is marked with a yellow stripe and leads me up the forest on a quite steep terrain. However, the landscape gets very beautiful and such pleasing to the eye.

Up the forest I go 

The path is beaten and there are other trekkers following the same route as me, a thing which also gives me comfort, meaning that I am on the right way. My family accompanies me too as always. At the bottom of the forest, the snow is present here and there, but the layer of it is rather small and climbing ahead is not so difficult. The scenery’s appearance shapes like a combination of autumn and winter because of the orange red colored leaves and the many spots of snow.

As I am advancing in the altitude, the layer of snow gets higher and the details of vegetation are fully covered by it, making the climb a bit more challenging, but there is no problem with that when you have so many amazing and astounding views at every blink of the eye.

The "Zănoaga meadow": facing the Piatra Craiului impressive ridge 

After I continue climb through the forest which lasted for about one hour, I discover the “Zănoaga” meadow, where I am totally surprised by the view which opens in front of me: the ridge of Piatra Craiului appear over the top of the coniferous trees, standing there, far in the distance, covered in snow.

Those mountains are indeed mighty and spectacular. Being the first time for me when I get to explore and see the Piatra Craiului mountains, I am overwhelmed by their extraordinary emergence and I am also lucky to have such a good weather with clear blue sky that allows me to observe the mountains far and beyond. If I am turning back, I can notice long in the distance, the Bucegi mountains with their steep and white ridges and valleys.

From “Zănoaga” meadow to Curmătura mountain hut 

In “Zănoaga” meadow, the hiking path splits into two, the yellow stripes continue to Curmătura Hut and another marking, the blue circle leads to the Piatra Mică peak at the altitude of 1816 meters. When it comes to me, I keep going on the yellow stripe path because my aim is to reach Curmătura mountain cabin.

The pathway introduces me into the forest again where from time to time, the woods are shaping into a misterious and curious landscape with trees hardened and inclined by snow over a narrow path that seems endless. Because the forest is so dense, here and there, it senses as if the darkness had suddenly taken place.

This portion of the trail is probably my favorite from the entire hiking route due to the fact that the terrain is not so inclined and the surroundings happen to be very charming and alluring. After climbing the deep forest, through the trees I start to see a wooden house and I am sure that’s the hut I am looking for.

Arriving at the Curmătura cabin 

The “Curmătura” hut is situated on an altitude of 1470 meters and offers accommodation and a restaurant. After walking since morning through the winter outside, taking a rest for a hot meal or tea inside the hut is the only thing that I want to do right now. I leave my trekking poles in the special place arranged for it and enter in to the pleasant warmth of the cottage.

I immediately feel a very cozy atmosphere and notice an interesting and beautiful interior decoration, specific to the true mountain huts. On the wooden walls are displayed strange and curious objects belonging to mountaineers or hikers such as very old skis, poles, rock hammers and so on.

An entire wall is dedicated to a small exhibition of stickers and flags, left here as a nice reminder of all the people who once crossed the threshold of this cottage. I get closer to the wall and I am taking an eye at each little piece, trying to recognize the name of the mountain group or association and also the country from where those who put it came from.

But that's not the only attraction of the hut, a very fluffy and lovely cat gets the attention of every cat lover like me. Thus, my time inside the cozy cabin is spend by drinking two cups of hot tea while cuddling with the ginger handsome cat. 

Piatra Craiului: the hardest climbing ridge in Romania 

From this point of the mountain start many hiking trails leading to same of the highest peak of the massif such as "Turnu" or "Ascutit", but for today, my path stops here because winter being, I am not prepared for climbing higher altitudes.

More over, a very important aspect that you should know about Piatra Craiului is that the ridge of this mountain is considered to be the hardest to climb and also very difficult and dangerous due to its steep terrain and rocks. Thus, most of the hiking routes are recommended only to those who have mountain experience in such conditions. 

On the other hand, the path ways that I am presenting in this article are suitable for beginners too and for those who want to get to know a bit from the configuration of this particular and unique mountain. 

Descending the mountain 

From Curmătura hut I choose to descent the mountain by following the foot path leading to Prăpăstiile Zărnești - The cliffs of Zărnești - which is marked with a blue stripe. Before leaving the cottages terrace, I spend some time around it to admire the views. Nature is simply wonderfulin any season of the year and in winter time the mountains show their most spectacular coat. 

Arriving to the hut is just a half from my journey and I am about to start the second half as soon as I enter the new path. Going down, I stamble across a very thick layer of snow that  from one portion to another gets up to my knees, but somehow, I really enjoy this experience. 

The foot path bears me closer to the bottom of the proud rocky ridge which appears even taller from this spot. I make a wish that in one day, when I will be prepared, I will get to discover the ridge of the Piatra Craiului mountain from one corner to the other, but for today I am totally pleased with all of these places I have been trekking through so far. 

The snow is definitely a lot bigger in this side of the mountain, but strolling down gets easier than climbing up and the landscapes are again stunning.

Reaching the Cliffs of Zărnești: the most visited and known tourist attraction of the region 

After plenty of time of descending through the forest, I arrive at the tourist attraction named Prăpastiile Zărneștilor, a place where the path goes inside same spectacular tall walls of rocks. 

Actually, "Prăpăstiile Zărnești" translated in English as "Zărneștilor" Keys are considered a monument of nature, being a protected area or a geological nature reserve which is also included in the Piatra Craiului National Park. This tourist attraction is the most visited one in the entire natural park due to its practicability- in every season. The foot path through the rocky keys formations looks more like a forest road, but fortunately, the access with a car is forbiden inside the natural monument and people can visit it only by foot. 

Plus, I really do recommend to those who are just beginning with hiking to maybe start their journey with this particular route: Zărnești - Prăpăstiile Zărneștilor, marked with a red cross. 

Finishing my one day mountain trip 

If during the descent through the forest until I have reached the cliffs, I did not meet other paths, as I approched the "prăpăstii", I begun to encounter many people of all ages who were walking around the place and were enjoying the beauty of the landscapes and the uniqueness of these natural formations. 

I hike among the cliffs for same kilometers or until I come across "Botrog's Fountaine", the place from where I have started my trekking route up the forest. This spot is now filled with so many cars, a sign that lots of tourists or hikers are around the national park. I keep going forward on the forest road, I pass by the former limestone quarry and after same time of walking I reach the enter or now the exit of the Piatra Craiului National Park. 

Overall recommendations for beginner trekkers in Romania 

My journey throughout these mountain massifs comes to an end I cannot be more happier and content with the hiking day that I've just had. If you are interesting in finding out more about the mountains of Romania and how to guide yourself among their beautiful paths I recommend you to read this article: Worth seeing places in Romania: The mountains. And, because having the right equipment while climbing the mountains is mandatory, I am also pointing you the following article: How to prepare yourself for a mountain journey

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