page-header

The Ciucas Peak

Difficulty: Easy / Medium

Time: 6 hours

Max. Altitude: 1953 meters, The Ciucas Peak

Stunning nature. If you had to describe the landscape in the Ciucas Mountains using just two words, these would be the ones.

This is a one-day hike (if you live close to Brasov or Bucharest), but you can also enjoy a night at the Ciucas Cabin (1595 meters altitude) and turn it into a two-day trip.

How to get here?

The most accessible starting point for your hike in the Ciucas Mountains is from the village of Cheia (Prahova County), 50 kilometres away from Brasov and about 2 hours away by car from Bucharest

The easiest way to reach the Ciucas Peak

The starting point is close to the main road between Brasov and Cheia. You will need to leave the car in the area near the Mineral Water Bottling Factory. For a more visual representation, here it is.

Once you have parked your car, you’re good to go. Just keep going straight ahead on the unpaved road. The path that leads to the Ciucas Peak is marked with a blue cross, so just follow that.

Random cabin found close to the path.

After 1h30-2h, you will reach the Ciucas Cabin. This is a big, cozy and well-equipped cabin, so feel free to spend some time there.

But to get to it, you’ll first need to conquer a trail through the woods that has some steep climbs, though they are not too difficult.

The trek is kid-friendly in terms of terrain difficulty, but you should still consider the length of the hike when deciding whether to bring children along.

Once you have reached the Ciucas Cabin, you can relax and enjoy the view that’s been hidden by the trees up to this point.

After your break, you can continue on the trail marked with the Red Vertical line. It will take almost 1h to reach the highest point of this trail, which is the Ciucas Peak itself.

The karst rocks surroundings will surely catch your eye and fire up your imagination with their strange shapes.

The last hour of the hike to the peak is quite easy, with the exception of a 10-minute portion where you’ll need to clamber a bit, but that’s pretty much it.

Once you’ve reached the peak, you’ll be able to see from there the highest mountain ranges in Romania: Piatra Craiului, Bucegi and Fagaras.

How to return to the car

There are two trail options for your hike back from the Ciucas Peak, of similar difficulty level.

You can either:

1. Return via the same route;

2. Or loop back to the cabin on a different and slightly longer track (half-hour more) – this will allow you to discover more of the amazing karst rock landscape;

For option two, follow the instructions here. From the peak, follow the Red Vertical Line mark. You will start descending on a steep path, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Once you’ve reached the cross in the image below, turn left and follow the Red Cross Mark.

Difficulty: Easy / Medium

Time: 6 hours

Max. Altitude: 1953 meters, The Ciucas Peak

Stunning nature. If you had to describe the landscape in the Ciucas Mountains using just two words, these would be the ones.

This is a one-day hike (if you live close to Brasov or Bucharest), but you can also enjoy a night at the Ciucas Cabin (1595 meters altitude) and turn it into a two-day trip.

How to get here?

The most accessible starting point for your hike in the Ciucas Mountains is from the village of Cheia (Prahova County), 50 kilometres away from Brasov and about 2 hours away by car from Bucharest

The easiest way to reach the Ciucas Peak

The starting point is close to the main road between Brasov and Cheia. You will need to leave the car in the area near the Mineral Water Bottling Factory. For a more visual representation, here it is.

Once you have parked your car, you’re good to go. Just keep going straight ahead on the unpaved road. The path that leads to the Ciucas Peak is marked with a blue cross, so just follow that.

Random cabin found close to the path.

After 1h30-2h, you will reach the Ciucas Cabin. This is a big, cozy and well-equipped cabin, so feel free to spend some time there.

But to get to it, you’ll first need to conquer a trail through the woods that has some steep climbs, though they are not too difficult.

The trek is kid-friendly in terms of terrain difficulty, but you should still consider the length of the hike when deciding whether to bring children along.

Once you have reached the Ciucas Cabin, you can relax and enjoy the view that’s been hidden by the trees up to this point.

After your break, you can continue on the trail marked with the Red Vertical line. It will take almost 1h to reach the highest point of this trail, which is the Ciucas Peak itself.

The karst rocks surroundings will surely catch your eye and fire up your imagination with their strange shapes.

The last hour of the hike to the peak is quite easy, with the exception of a 10-minute portion where you’ll need to clamber a bit, but that’s pretty much it.

Once you’ve reached the peak, you’ll be able to see from there the highest mountain ranges in Romania: Piatra Craiului, Bucegi and Fagaras.

How to return to the car

There are two trail options for your hike back from the Ciucas Peak, of similar difficulty level.

You can either:

1. Return via the same route;

2. Or loop back to the cabin on a different and slightly longer track (half-hour more) – this will allow you to discover more of the amazing karst rock landscape;

For option two, follow the instructions here. From the peak, follow the Red Vertical Line mark. You will start descending on a steep path, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Once you’ve reached the cross in the image below, turn left and follow the Red Cross Mark.