Rodna Mountains
Rodna Mountains are a subdivision of the Eastern Carpathians in Northern Romania, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border, and makes the most prominent natural attraction of the Maramures county. The name of Rodna Mountains comes from the nearby Rodna Veche village situated in the foothill. The Rodna Mountains have one of the longest continuous ridges in Romania, with over 50 km stretching from west to east which makes the most important mountain range in northern Romania, in terms of the geological and the botanical features. The two highest Rodna Mountains points are Pietrosul Rodnei peak 2303 meters and Ineu peak, 2279 meters of elevation. The entire Rodna Mountain is included in the Rodna National Park and Biosphere Reserve, covering the surface of 567 sqm. The Rodna National Park, which covers the whole Rodna massif, extends to the territory of two counties, Maramureş and Bistriţa-Năsăud. The Rodna Mountains are most suitable for hiking in summer and skiing in winter, and especially famous for having snow late into the summer months (skiing is possible well in June, sometimes even in July).
While the Rodna Mountains ridge itself posses no difficulties, the challenge is the length of the Rodna Mountains massive and the absence of potable water (except for a few puddles that are usually dry). Active glaciers are no longer present on Rodna Mountains, but extensive glaciation of the crystalline rocks has produced fretted peaks and lakes, particularly on the northern slopes, which contain a number of alpine lakes, the largest being Lake Lala. A complete hike along the Rodna Mountains main ridge takes between 3 and 5 days, depending on the weather and the endurance condition of the hiker. There are marked hiking trails, but hikers are not recommended to stray too far from these trails without a professional hiking guide, good map and a compass. The Rodna Mountain massif features some wonderful caves, notable among them being “Izvorul Tăuşoarelor”, the deepest cave in Romania, going about 479 meters beneath the surface and “Jgheabul lui Zalion”, which is 242 meters deep.