Piatra Craiului National Park

What makes it special

The walk begins in Prăpăstiile Zărneștilor, the Zărnești gorge, where the walls stand vertical and in places rise more than 200 metres above the track. The bare rock is the Jurassic limestone the whole mountain is made of.

The limestone is completely porous, so rain disappears into it at once. That is why the stream that cut the gorge runs strongly only in spring and after heavy rain, and why in summer the bed is often dry or down to a trickle.

Look up at the walls as you go. Climbers use them on short routes of one to three rope lengths, so you may see ropes and hear voices high above the path.

Above the trees, the path comes out into a big clearing and the ridge appears whole for the first time. It is a single crest of rock, unique among the Carpathian ranges, and its western side drops in steep limestone walls.

Visiting

Start at the park's visiting centre in Zărnești, then walk or drive to Fântâna lui Botorog, the spring at the mouth of the gorge. Fill your bottles there before you set off.

The path follows the gorge floor, crossing the stream bed in several places, then climbs steadily through forest to the Curmătura hut. Hike up in the morning and eat at the hut, which serves hot food and drinks every day of the year and is more comfortable than the refuges on the ridge.

Make the return by the other marked path from the hut to Botorog, through open meadow instead of the gorge, and follow the signs at the junction. The hut is busiest at weekends and fills up by noon.

Treat the ridge as a separate trip. The full traverse takes two days with a night in one of the small ridge refuges, and fixed steel cables help on some sections, although it is not a via ferrata.

Guided or on your own

The gorge and hut loop is well marked, and you do not need a guide for it. For the ridge or a first walk in bear country, a guide is a real choice: local operators run guided day hikes and multi-day trips.

Ask whether your guide holds the UIMLA international mountain leader qualification. Climbers who want the gorge walls can hire a guide for the rock routes too.

Tips

Carry all the water you need from the base, because there is none above the Curmătura hut and the ridge path is long. Wear proper hiking boots, not trainers: the gorge floor is rocky and uneven, and loose rock can fall from the walls, so stay on the marked trail.

Check the forecast before you leave. Fog comes down fast, and lightning strikes the ridge often, with few ways off it.

In the forest, walk in a group and talk, sing or carry a whistle so a bear hears you first. If you meet one, back away slowly and never run, and take extra care in spring, when bears have cubs.

If you have a big fear of heights, keep to the gorge loop, because the chained routes higher up will test you. For colour, come in September or October, when the beech forests around Zărnești turn gold.