Hiking in Ciucas Mountains - Muntele Rosu Cabin - Gropsoarele Peak

IDEA FOR AN EASY TO MEDIUM HIKE IN THE CIUCAS MOUNTAINS - RHODODENDRON HIKE

The rhododendron blooming season is definitely one of the most beautiful times to be in the mountains and to enjoy the best that nature has to offer. It was hard for us to choose, but the trail to Gropșoarele Peak, starting from Muntele Roșu Cabin, seemed like the best option to enjoy as much pink as possible. I'm still not convinced it's the absolute best trail to see rhododendrons, but it’s definitely a pretty good option. We really enjoyed it, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Even more, it’s a trail that can be done in any season, including winter.

We chose to do this hike as a day trip from Bucharest. We left early in the morning, around 6:00 AM, did the hike, which took us about 5 and a half hours with breaks, and then headed back to Bucharest. If you want to spend more days in the area, you will find some accommodation options in this article.

HOW DO YOU GET TO STARTING POINT OF THE TRAIL?

The route starts from Cabana Muntele Rosu, near Cheia, Prahova County. From the DN1A road, turn right onto the DC22 road, coming from Cheia (left coming from Brasov). The road to the chalet is completely paved. The final point of the drive is in the area where the chalet is located, where there are enough parking spaces, even on busier days.

To find the starting point of the hike more easily, we must pay attention to the left side, where, in a small clearing, we will notice a pole with clear indicator markings on it. Once we have reached this point, we will continue to follow the red triangle marking, which will guide us further along the route.

DETAILS ABOUT THE ROUTE TO GROPSOARELE PEAK:

Starting point: Muntele Rosu Cabin (red Mountain Cabin/Cabana Muntele Rosu);

Marking: red triangle from Muntele Rosu Chalet to La Rascruce, then red cross to Gropsoarele Peak. The trail is well marked along its entire length;

Hike duration: approximately 4 hours, round trip, without breaks;

Trail length: approximately 9 km;

Equipment: in addition to suitable clothing for hiking, according to the season, we also add: boots with grippy soles, trekking poles, raincoat, hiking backpack. In summer, I recommend not forgetting sunscreen + hat or cap.

Water sources: there are no water sources on the trail;

Technical details: the trail has no exposed areas, and the path is through grass, without boulders or large stones that would have make the ascent difficult;

General recommendations: check the weather before venturing out on a hike, especially in the summer. Lightning strikes can be dangerous, given that most of the trail is open country;

Once we find the starting mark of the trail, we will see that the path we have to follow climbs through the forest, as we specified above, on the red triangle marking. Also from this point, the route to Cabana Ciucas begins, on the yellow line marking. From the start of the hike we start with a sustained climb, until we meet the alpine meadow. This portion of the trail is not at all friendly, being quite demanding, and represents, at the same time, the hardest and most challenging part of the entire hike, which tests your physical endurance.

The good thing is that it is not very long and we leave it behind quickly. From this area, the climb becomes much easier and smoother. In fact, the landscape changes a little too. If until then the area was slightly wooded, or surrounded by trees, now we only have alpine meadows, with absolutely superb views of the surrounding mountains. Being the beginning of summer, through the thick grass, we can see all kinds of colorful flowers. On the left side we can admire both the Ciucas Chalet and the forest road that goes up to it.

From this point on, we were becoming more and more excited to see the rhododendron and wondering if the flowers had passed, or if we were looking for it too early, because we couldn't even see it in the distance.

Rhododendron, also known (in Romania) as wild mountain peony is a shrub with pink flowers, which grows at high altitudes, and the leaves remain green all year round. It grows in the form of small bushes, in sunny areas. The maximum flowering period should be at the end of June, but this may vary depending on the climate of the year you choose to do the hike. We had to climb about an hour from Cabana Muntele Rosu to see the first rhododendron bushes.

Continuing our hike, and after climbing a little further, we reach the intersection of paths, where we change the markings. From here we follow the path marked with a red cross, which guides us to the final destination of the route, namely Gropsoarele Peak, the second highest peak in Ciucas Mountains.

This last part of the trail is, in my opinion, without a doubt the most beautiful and spectacular part of the entire hike. As we advanced, we enjoyed the wonderful view of the rhododendron flowers, which, until then, were only vaguely seen in the distance, but here, in this area, they can be admired at every step, bringing a splash of color to the spectacular green of the mountain.

Wanting to enjoy the amazing landscape that opened up to us, we rushed to reach the top as quickly as possible so that we would have more time to enjoy the spectacular views. Once there, we took a few photos to keep the memories of this moment, and then, on our way back to the chalet, we started looking for a perfect place with a dream view, where we could stop for lunch. I certainly wouldn’t trade my simple sandwich, enjoyed in the middle of nature, with a spectacular view of rhododendrons, not even for the most expensive restaurant in the world, no matter how exquisite the food served there.

For the descent, we chose the same route that we took on the ascent. We were inspired to leave early, because on the descent we met a lot of people who were going up. I know that I am a tourist, just like them, but I really like being able to enjoy the scenery, without too many people around and without noise. If you are the same, then do not hesitate to start the hike as early as possible in the morning. After 11-12 it gets very crowded, especially during the rhododendron blooming period, or on weekends.

Another option for descending is via Cabana Ciucas. To follow this route, at Rascruce you will have to follow the red cross markings, up to the chalet, where the markings change to the blue cross. After descending on the forest road, we follow the yellow line markings towards Cabana Muntele Rosu. Also, to reach Varful Gropsoarele there is also the option of the route that starts from Cheia, more precisely Hotel Cheia, which follows the red cross markings.

Once we got back to the parking lot where we had left our car, we discovered that we had a few options for lunch or, if we preferred, a dessert or a sweet snack. In the area, there are caravans selling various dishes, such as pancakes, langos with different fillings and other similar products, as well as a fast-food. However, since nothing we found there caught our attention enough to stop and taste something, we decided to spend a few more relaxing minutes in the forest near the main road, before getting in the car and heading back to Bucharest, thus ending this beautiful day out in the middle of nature.

WHERE ARE YOU ACCOMMODATING NEARBY?

If you want to spend more days in the area, you can consider booking an accommodation. Muntele Rosu Cabin is currently closed, so you will have to look for other accommodation units. Below are some of the options on Booking, which I found to be the best and for which you don't have to sell a kidney to be able to book:

• Hotel Coquette - 3-star accommodation unit with double or studio rooms. It is located in Maneciu and has parking, terrace and bar;

• Casa Stejarul Lui Andrei - accommodation unit, which has double or family rooms, located in the locality of Izvoarele. It has parking and internet included in the booking price;

• La Hambar 2 - cabin-type accommodation unit, with a bedroom with a double bed and a living room with an extendable sofa, which can accommodate up to 3 people. It has its own parking and is located in Homoriciu;

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE HIKE TO GROPSOARELE PEAK

If you are looking for a medium-easy difficulty trail, without exposed and dangerous sections, with superb landscapes, which you can do as a day trip from Bucharest, Brasov, or any other city located relatively close, then this can be a very good option. Perhaps, during the time of year when the wonderful show of blooming rhododendrons is missing, the place does not have the same spectacular and brilliant beauty, but it can undoubtedly represent the ideal place for those who want to enjoy peace and nature.

Read about other routes with the same level of difficulty: to the Devil's Mill Waterfall, to the Malaiesti Cabin, to the Bicajel Gorges, or the Pricopan Peak in the Macin Mountains.

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