Retezat Hikes: Winter over Bucura Saddle

Daydreaming about Retezat… hike to Bucura Saddle, we missed this little piece of Heaven and it has been a while since we last passed its borders but the time has come and here we are exploring the wild beauty of freshly installed spring glimmers.

We are heading towards a new (for us) area of the Retezat National Park as we decided to enter from the Northern part, from Cârnic Village, discovering other wonderful places to be.

Distance

18.5 Km

Total Time

9h 30 min

Active Time

8 h 42 min

Vertical Relief

+1000 / -1000 m

Min/Max Altitude

1100 – 2200 m

Average Speed

2.4 km/h

Hike to Bucura Saddle

Hike from Cârnic to Genţiana Chalet

To reach Gentiana Chalet, the first check point of our route, we started in Carnic village and you can rest assured you are on the right path as you will see the Blue Stripe markings along the road.  You can leave the car somewhere HERE in this area in a small parking place.

From here you start  an easy walk on a wide forest road following the . Not far from the starting point, on the left as you go, you can pay a short 10 minutes visit to Lolaia Waterfall. We saved this for our return as there was a big group of kids on an organized trip and we wanted to avoid this but also to keep the joy for the following day, just before getting back home.

The hike is really easy and does not require special physical condition. The route to Gentiana is basically the same with the one to Pietrele Chalet until a certain point where the road is following a curve: to the right you follow the Blue Stripe markings to reach Pietrele and in front (to the left) you switch to  to go directly towards Gentiana. Upstream the markings will meet again near  Gentiana Chalet.

We took this trip in April, when the amazing greenness of Spring was just conquering the forest and we found it covered in moisturized mosses, little water streams and hanks of not-yet-melted snow….and God we love this smell of coniferous forest so dear to the Romanian land!

After a two hours walk we started to see the first Crocuses of the year gently making their way in the world between dry grass and not-yet-melted snow. There were hundreds of them in every corner and there was also this little funny, fat and hard-working ‘guy’ who was also enjoying the view…and flower goodies!

So from crocus to crocus we just realized we reached our first destination on today’s map: Gentiana Chalet! The host kindly welcomed us and we spent some time telling stories and getting to know each other. After a while we realized it’s getting late and we still have things to do so we packed our stuff and off we went to meet the heights!

So if until now we experienced Spring, it seems we just met Winter again. The snow was still big here and there even if the sun was shining and the weather was warm. People were still practicing touring ski even if it was April so you can imagine we are talking about some serious amounts of snow.

During summer the path is really well marked with  until Bucura Saddle (Curmatura Bucurei) via Pietrele lakes. During winter, the markings I can say could be better, but you can find your way as you are in a valley and the target is to keep a straight line until you reach the saddle.

From Bucura Saddle you have multiple choices:

• To the right: climb Bucura I and Bucura II Peaks and continue towards Retezat and Lolaia Peaks ;
• To the left: climb towards Custura Bucurei, Peleaga Peak and Papusa Peak;
• On the other side of the saddle descend to Bucura Lake and Bucura Refuge and from there to Poiana Pelegii  (I know it’s all about “bucura” right? Bucura comes from “bucurie” and that means “Joy” in Romanian);
• Also you can descend from Bucura saddle through Valea Stanisoarei (Stanisoarei Valley) to Pietrele Chalet.

But back to our story, we passed by Pietrele Lake which didn’t revealed much as it was still covered in ice and snow and from here we started a steep climb towards the saddle.

During the winter/spring it’s a must to have crampons and snow axes (or at least trekking poles) to climb heights above 1700 -1800m. We only had a pair of trekking poles and we did just fine nevertheless we had to really mind our steps on the last portion before the saddle as it is very steep and covered with frozen snow (especially on our way down).

But when you reach the saddle, the view is amazing and just for a while you can really stop thinking about the descend. 🙂 From here you need maybe 30 min to reach Custura Bucurei or Bucura peak.

We started this trek a bit too late to also reach the peak so we declared ourselves satisfied with the amazing view  over the completely frozen Bucura lake – behind us.

From here, following the same route we started the descend towards Gentiana Chalet. Perfect day I must say… and now it’s time for a well deserved beer at the cabin. 🙂

The next morning, we headed towards our car but detouring through Pietrele Touristic Complex, where we stopped for a coffee and some sunbathing. To reach Pietrele you must follow the  markings from Gentiana Chalet for approximately 40 minutes and from Pietrele to Carnic another hour, maybe a hour and  a half.

Our last short break, Lolaia Waterfall and then….home sweet home!

GPS track to Bucura Saddle

How to get to Bucura Saddle?

There are multiple access roads to the Retezat National Park, but I will present the one I consider the best if you are coming from the West part of Romania (mainly from Timişoara): Timisoara – Lugoj – Caransebes – Otelul Rosu – Hateg – Ohaba de sub Piatra – Carnic.

The road is generally good, highway from Timisoara to Lugoj, European roads until Ohaba de sub Piatra. Only the last part of the road, after Nucsoara village until you reach Carnic is unpaved and requires a car with a decent ground clearance but nothing fancy as the road is in good shape and perfectly accessible for small cars.

Where to sleep?

If you have to choose between Pietrele and Gentiana I would recommend Gentiana, small intimate and with such a nice view! Another advantage is the fact that the location of the chalet allows you to faster access peaks and tracks.

We also choose Gentiana based on our friends recommendations and I have to say we felt awesome to stay here. As many of the mountain chalets the conditions are not excellent, don’t expect too much privacy or comfort but it really does the job. The Chalet has around 30-40 beds, a little dining room, outdoor toilette and fresh spring water. There is no food/restaurant here but you can have a beer or a nice tea.

Good to know

You can eat only what you bring with you at Gentiana Chalet but if you are looking for a Chalet where you can eat and drink better try Pietrele. There is a limited menu (not really a lot you can choose from) but it’s the best you can get around. There are no other  shops or restaurants in this part of the Retezat mountains.

Usually for Retezat National Park there is an entrance fee of 10 lei per person (~2.5 euros) and 7 lei per car (~1.5 euros). You only need to pay this once, when entering and there are no daily fees – on this side of the park you can pay the tax at the chalets or mountain huts.

Hope you found the information helpful and accurate, but remember, if you have any questions drop them in a comment below!

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