
Rodna Mountains (, ) are a subdivision of the
Inner Eastern Carpathians in northern
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. The name comes from the nearby
Rodna Veche village. At , is the highest peak in all of the Eastern Carpathians.
The main ridge of the Rodna Mountains constitutes the
natural border between
Bistrița-Năsăud and
Maramureș counties. From an administrative point of view, 80% of the massif's surface is in Bistrița-Năsăud and 20% in Maramureș.
Geography
The Rodna Mountains have one of the longest continuous
ridges in Romania, with over from west to east and a width of over . The massif covers an area of about .
The highest points are Pietrosul Rodnei at 2,303 m,
Ineu Peak at , Ineuț Peak at , Gârgalău Peak at , and Omu Peak at .
The mountains are most suited for hiking in summer and skiing in winter, and are especially famous for having snow late into the summer months (skiing is possible well into June, sometimes even July). While the ridge itself poses no difficulties, the challenge is the massive length of it, and the absence of drinkable water (except for a few puddles that are usually dry). A complete hike along the main Rodnei ridge takes between 3 and 5 days, depending on the weather and the endurance of the hiker.
The massif has some caves, notable among them being
Izvorul Tăușoarelor, the deepest cave in Romania, reaching about beneath the surface and , deep.
Location
The Rodna Mountains are partly in the region of
MaramureÈ™, in northern
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, near the
Romania–Ukraine border. To the north lies the town of
Borșa and the village
Moisei.
To the west the massif ends at the (), which connects it to the
Transylvanian Plateau.
To the east are the ; the river
Bistrița has its source here, in a
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...
at the foot of the Gârgalău Peak. The
Prislop Pass () and the () connect the Rodna Mountains to
Western Moldavia
Western Moldavia (, ''Moldova de Apus'', or , also known as Moldavia, is the core historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1878, the P ...
.
To the south lie the villages
Rodna,
Șanț
Șanț (; ) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, ...
,
Maieru, and
AnieÈ™ and the town of
Sângeorz-Băi, in
Bistrița-Năsăud County
Bistrița-Năsăud () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Bistrița.
Name
In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as ''Beszterce-Naszód megye'', and in German language, German as ''Kreis Bistritz-N ...
. The
Someșul Mare River has its source in the Rodna Mountains and separates them from the
Bârgău Mountains.
Access
The most used access points to the mountain are:
* Șetref Pass, by car or train, from the Dealu Ștefăniței train station.
*
Borșa city, by car or bus; from the center of the city there is a path to the Iezer
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...
and lake.
* Borșa ski resort, by car or bus; access is made from the top of the ski slope, directly to the main ridge at "Șaua Gărgălău".
*
Prislop Pass, by car; from the pass there is a marked path that meets the one from the top of the ski slope, also leading to "Șaua Gărgălău".
*
Rodna Veche village, by train or car; from the village there are two marked paths leading to the main ridge, one of them going directly to the
Ineu Peak.
Accommodation
There are a few resorts at the base of the mountain, notably Borșa ski resort, with a few hotels and many privately run guesthouses, and also the new "Valea Blaznei" resort, completed in 2007, near the village Șanț. It contains two notable places to stay, "Cabana Vio" at 1,100 m (6 km from Șanț village), and a bit higher, "Cabana Diana" at 1,240 m, which is a mountain refuge. Up on the ridge there is no accommodation whatsoever, so tourists should bring tents.
Nature reserve
The entire Rodna Mountain is included in the
Rodna National Park and Biosphere Reserve. This is a reservation in the Eastern Carpathians with brown bears, lynx, gray wolves, black capercaillies, and eagles.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Romania
Mountain ranges of the Eastern Carpathians
Nature reserves in Romania
Geography of MaramureÈ™ County
Tourist attractions in MaramureÈ™ County
Geography of Bistrița-Năsăud County
Tourist attractions in Bistrița-Năsăud County