EASY HIKE IN ROMANIA - BICAJEL'S GORGES
I had heard about the Bicaz Gorges since I was a child. I had seen photos of this place and knew I wanted to go. However, I found out about Bicăjel's Gorges only recently, when I saw photos of one of the views on this route. Since then I have put this place on my list and I couldn't wait for the opportunity to see it.
Bicazului Gorges does not leave room for too much fame of the Bicajel's Gorges, but believe me, it would be worth it. If you haven't seen either of these gorges, you can plan another 20-30 minutes to see both on the same day, either before entering the trail or after. You don't need more time for the Bicazului Gorges. I recommend the first option if you arrive in the morning, when it is not very crowded and you can enjoy the scenery without the noise of the passing cars.
The hike I share in this article is in the Bicaz Gorges - Hășmas National Park. It is a rather complex route, with beautiful valleys, mini-waterfalls, greenery, suspension bridges and jaw-dropping views. What's more... it's a place where you can charge your batteries and enjoy what nature has to offer.
HOW TO GET TO THE ENTRANCE ON THE ROUTE THROUGH BICAJEL'S GORGES
The entrance to the route is right on the Bicaz Gorges. Coming from the direction of Lacul Rosu (Red Lake), after passing the tunnel, few hundred meters down hill, with the river on the right hand side, there is a rock jutting out a few cm from the road on which there is a yellow stripe marking. Do not rely on the navigator to bring you to the entrance of the route, because there is absolutely no signal in the area of the gorges. Also, it is good to know that there is no indicator to tell you that the trail begins there. You will see a sign indicating that you are in the right direction only after crossing the concrete bridge.
Right on that place there are 2-3 parking spaces, which if you arrive in the morning, you have every chance of finding them empty. There are a few more parking spaces opposite, next to the souvenir huts, or further up, before you get here, located on the right hand side. That is a bigger parking lot and I recommend it if you are doing exactly the same route that we did.
ABOUT THE ROUTE THROUGH BICAJEL'S GORGES
Marking: yellow line ➡️ yellow cross ➡️ yellow dot ➡️ yellow triangle
Time: 4 hours (for the whole circuit).
Once you reach the entrance to the route, you have to cross the stream. It is a concrete bridge with a metal bar on the left side that facilitates crossing.
The path goes quite smoothly through the forest until it meets the first suspension bridge over the Bicajel stream. The bridge, although at a fairly low height, moves very strongly and can create anxiety if you are afraid of heights.
Once the first suspended bridge is crossed, the somewhat steeper climb begins. It is not difficult at all, but nevertheless, I recommend shoes with grippy soles, preferably hiking boots, which will help you climb the wet and slippery path.
After a short ascent and descent, we reach an intersection of marking paths. The marking we followed initially continues to climb, and we change the marking with a yellow cross, on the path to the right, where after 2-3 minutes of walking we meet the second suspension bridge.
This bridge is located at the highest height in Romania and although it looks very dangerous and can create a certain fear of crossing it, a person who is afraid of heights tells you that it is not as bad as it seems😁. Even the landscape and the view from the bridge makes you forget all your fears. The crossing feels safer than the first bridge and it moves much less than that, having nets on the edge under the cable-railing, eliminating the danger of falling in case of slipping.
After we finish with Valea Bicăjelului (Bicajel's Valley), there is a long uphill path through the forest. We climb until we reach one of the most beautiful views towards the Bicaz Gorges. There are several points from where you can admire them, but the one with the railing is considered the most beautiful.
From this point we continue on the yellow cross marking, until we meet the yellow dot marking that goes up to the right to the cabin with a panoramic view. This cabin is actually a mountain shelter where you can have access for sleep for free, you only need to make a reservation in advance. The interesting part of this shelter is the view, which you can admire even from the inside because it is on the edge of the rock, and the large windows allow this.
After visiting this shelter, we return on the same route until we meet the yellow cross marking again, which we follow until we exit the forest, in a meadow, at Saua Trifea. At the end of the glade, right next to the forest line, we meet the yellow triangle marking that follows a path perpendicular to the one we came from. From here there are two options to continue the route, both on the same marking. If you go up to the left, you will meet the yellow line marking again, which will take you back to the beginning of the route, through the forest. If you go to the right, you will reach the street towards Bicaz Gorges and you will have to continue the route on the road until you reach the place from which you started, or as the case may be, the place where you parked your car.
We chose the option of going down on the yellow triangle, that is, the path to the right. If we had chosen the path on the left, at some point we would have met the yellow line marking again, the one we followed at the beginning of the route, we would have passed through some meadows and we would have crossed the stream through the water. The reason why we chose the path on the right is to avoid crossing the water, not because we were wrong, no, no..... Honestly, I don't know how we manage, but this time we were lucky that the path got on the road, even if we were a little disappointed when we saw that we were on the Bicaz Gorges and there was no trace of the yellow line anymore 😅. We had to walk a lot through traffic and cars, so if you want to avoid this, don't do like us😁 But it's good to know that whatever version of the path you choose, somehow you still end up at the starting point.
PLACES TO VISIT NEAR THE BICAZ GORGES
Besides the Bicaz Gorges and the route through the Bicăjel's Gorge, you can also visit in the area:
- The Red Lake (Lacul Rosu) - the only natural dam lake in Romania, formed by surfacing a mountain spur. It is very close to the Bicaz Gorges and implicitly, Bicajel's Gorges;
- Lacul Rosu summer bobsleigh track (apline coaster), if you like adventure (I'm sure you do😁). It is a recently opened bobsleigh track. I recommend getting here as early as possible because parking spaces are limited;
- The summer bobsleigh track from Toplita, located an hour and a little away by car. It is the largest track of this kind in Romania;
- Toplița Mesothermal Waterfall;
- Toplița Monastery;
- Duruitoarea Waterfall - located a little further, an hour and a half away by car and a hike of approximately 2 hours is required in order to reach it;
- Munticelu Cave - located nearby, and to reach it, a hike of approximately one hour is necessary;
- Sugau Cave, for which you need headlamps or flashlights to visit it;
- Ceahlau National Park - where you have a variety of marked trails, with various degrees of difficulty;
- The Ghilcos Panoramic Cabin, quite similar to the panoramic cabin on the Bicajel's Gorges;
You can also opt for organized tours in this area:
- trip departing from Bacau, with stops in several areas, including Red Lake, details here;
- trip departing from Iasi to the Bicazului Gorge and the Bicajelului Gorge, details here;
WHERE DO YOU STAY IN THE BICAZ GORGES/RED LAKE AREA?
Although it is quite a touristic area, accommodation locations are, however, limited. Among those that caught my attention on Booking:
- Vila Bradul - accommodation unit with double or triple rooms, with the option of a private or shared bathroom. Parking and internet are included in the reservation price;
- Casutele Likas - glamping accommodation unit, in mini wooden houses. Each cottage has a private bathroom and mini-terrace. It has parking and internet;
- Pensiunea Hășmaș -accommodation unit with parking and internet included in the accommodation price. There is a place for barbecue and a playground for children.
- Hotel Lacul Rosu - it is a hotel with a very good rating on Booking, with rooms for two people or for families. Parking and internet are included in the price, the rooms are spacious and modernly furnished. It is located very close to the Red Lake.
- Veresko Villa - it is a villa built and decorated in the style of a mountain cabin, made of wood. It has a total of 5 bedrooms that can accommodate up to 10 people, it has a kitchen, a garden and a place for a barbecue.
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE ROUTE THROUGH BICAJEL'S GORGES
The route through Cheile Bicăjelului is one of the most complex and spectacular routes, thanks to the panoramic views and the suspension bridges. Obviously, there is a bit of climbing to get to those views, but it's the kind of hike that shouldn't cause anyone problems, on the contrary, this kind of movement through nature can only be beneficial for our body.
The whole area where these wonderful gorges are located is worth visiting. You can spend here a few days, even a week, in the area there are many beautiful and not very difficult trails so that you can cover them in consecutive days without getting too tired. I mentioned two of them above, best to find them all detailed in a map.
Read also about another superb hike to the Moara Dracului Waterfall, in the Bucegi Mountains. You can also read about: the route to Susai Cabin, the route to Curmatura Cabin or the route to Malaiesti Cabin.
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