Rodna Mountains

Rodna Mountains ("Munţii Rodnei") are a subdivision of the Eastern Carpathians in Northern Romania. The name comes from the nearby Rodna Veche village.

The Rodna Mountains have one of the longest continuous ridges in Romania, with over 50 km from west to east. The two highest points are Pietrosul Rodnei and Ineu peaks, with 2,303 and 2,279 meters respectively.

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 on the Rodnei main 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 Tăuşoarelor", the deepest cave in Romania, going about 479 metres beneath the surface and "Jgheabul lui Zalion", 242 metres deep.

Localization

The Rodna Mountains are located in the region of Maramureş, in northern Romania, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border. To the north lie the city of Borşa and the village Moisei. To the west the massif ends at the Setref-pass (817 m); to the east, the limits are the Prislop Pass (1,416 m) and the Rotunda Pass (1,271 m); to the south lie the villages of Rodna Veche, Şanţ, Maieru and Anieş, as well as the Someşul Mare River having its source in the Rodna Mountains.

The main ridge of the Rodna Mountains constitutes the natural border between Bistriţa-Năsăud and Maramureş counties.

Access

The most used acces points to the mountain are:
- Setref Pass, by car or train, from the Dealu Stefanitei train station
- Borşa city, by car or bus; from the center of the city there is a path to the Iezer weather station and lake
- Borşa ski resort, by car or bus; access is made from the top of the ski slope, directly to the main ridge at "Saua Gargalau"
- 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 "Saua Gargalau"
- 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 Borşa ski resort, with a few hotels and many privately-run guesthouses, and also the new "Valea Blasnei" resort, newly completed in 2007, near the village Sant.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 567 km² reservation in Eastern Carpathians with brown bears, lynx, gray wolves, black capercaillies and eagles.

Proposed extermination of the wildlife

The Romanian Parlament is currently (September 2008) discussing a bill aiming to open 13 National Parks to commercial hunting, in order to eliminate the wildlife from these areas. It is the first step toward the dismantling the National Parks in Romania and them transformation into human settled areas.

Links

* [http://www.alpinet.org/ Website about the Carpathians Mountains]
* [http://karpaty.prygl.net/rodna.php Rodna - photographs + information in Czech]