Traveler’s Guide – Piatra Craiului National Park

Today we'll take you on a trip to one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in Romania - Piatra Craiului

Daniel Onea, 12.08.2021, 13:00

From an administrative point of view, Piatra Craiului National Park spreads over the surface of two counties – Brașov and Argeș. The first step towards protecting the area was made in 1938, when the bases for the first nature reserve were set up. Today the area boasts a plethora of mountain trails and natural objectives highlighted by the parks administration. Located only 25 km from Brașov, the area is quite accessible, says Mircea Vergheleț, the director of the Piatra Craiului National Park administration.

“The main gate lies to the north, namely the city of Zărnești. To the south, half of the park spreads over Argeș county, and can be accessed from the towns of Rucăr and Dâmbovicioara. First of all, the landscape here is quite special, Piatra Craiului being the only mountains in Romania to have limestone rock formations in the alpine layers. Therefore, the mountains exceed 2,000 meters in altitude in some areas. We also have a lot of areas of special tourist interest. The western slope has been called Westwand by German tourists. It is virtually a vertical wall that in some places reaches 500-600 meters in altitude”.

At present, there are 44 marked and certified trails in Piatra Craiului, in addition to 11 mountain bike routes designed by the park administration. Mircea Vergheleț has the details:

“By means of a special project, we managed to set up information panels in various places, as well as poles with directions to help tourists find their way on the trails. The map for each of these trails is also available on our webpage. The park is also home to important natural habitats: we have a great number of large carnivores, such as wolves, bears and lynxes. In particular tourists can spot the chamois. Unlike other nature reserves and after nearly 20 years since hunting has been banned for all wildlife species, the chamois is now very friendly towards tourists. They take pictures with their phones, without needing special lenses to zoom in. At times they come as close as 4 meters to them. To those getting to the top of the cliff, especially in summer time, such encounters are a joy to behold, and the pictures make for great memories”.

You should know that the trails in Piatra Craiului are some of the most difficult in Romania. The trails often cross steep areas with lots of grovel and sand. You cant possibly expect to get your way around without the proper equipment, consisting of boots, a rain coat, and also make sure you pack plenty of water, as in the alpine sections youll find no water source. One final detail, dont stray too far from the marked trail. The local mountain rescue service and the park administration say most accidents happen when tourists leave these trails behind. Mircea Vergheleț told us more:

“We have a large number tourist shelters, three of which located on the ridge. We also have a number of shelters in the lower areas, in key spots, essential for the survival of tourists in case of emergency. And by that we mean during wintertime, when the blizzard sets in or whenever people can no longer find the trail or get tired really quickly. In the ridge area, tourists are often taken aback by blizzards or lightning storms, and these shelters most of the times end up saving their lives. We maintain them regularly and set up new stopover points. We also regularly review all the directions set up on these trails together with our fellow mountain rangers”.

Usually, any visit to Piatra Craiului should start at the Visitation Center, which is temporarily closed down to public access due to COVID restrictions.

“The building is located close to the exit to Zărnești, in Plaiul Foii. The visitation center comprises a virtual tour taking you through all the important aspects of Piatra Craiului park, providing you with a sensory experience. We also have a scale model of the park, where you can follow a number of information in a user-friendly way. We also have activities for children, who get to know all about the terrain of the park. Right now, the center is closed, but with the opening of the summer season and the infection numbers expected to go down, we will be able to reopen. Our opening hours are available on www.pcrai.ro. Piatra Craiului is the ideal place for spending a holiday and emjoying nature”. (V.P.)