Ceahlău National Park

The Ceahlău Massif lies entirely within Neamț County, in the central group of the Eastern Carpathians, in the flysch zone, and covers about 292 km². It is bounded to the north by the Bistricioara valley, to the east by Lake Izvorul Muntelui, to the south by the Bicaz valley and to the west by the Pintic and Bistra valleys. Its central part is a raised plateau with two levels, Ocolașul Mare and Ocolașul Mic, separated by an escarpment of about 200 m. The upper plateau is about 6 km long and is bounded to the south by Ocolașul Mare Peak (1,907 m) and to the north by Toaca Peak (1,904 m). The rocks of the massif were laid down in the Cretaceous and Paleogene seas. The plateau is made of the Ceahlău conglomerates, 500-600 m thick, the youngest sequence of the Ceahlău nappe. Along the edges of the plateau, rain and wind have shaped groups of rocks (Detunatele, Piatra Sură, Pietrele lui Baciu), isolated rocks and towers (Panaghia, Stânca Dochiei, Piatra cu Apă, Turnul Sihastrului, Acele Caprei) and escarpments such as Gardul Stănilelor. On the Rupturi stream is the 25 m Duruitoarea Waterfall. The park was established by Council of Ministers Decision no. 1625/1955, confirmed by Order no. 7/1990 and Law no. 5/2000, and delimited by Government Decision no. 230/2003 over 7,742.5 ha, about 26.5% of the massif (code RONPA0008). Its boundaries almost entirely coincide with those of the Natura 2000 site ROSCI0024 Ceahlău, and the massif is also a special protection area for birds (ROSPA0129 Masivul Ceahlău). Inside the park are the Ocolașul Mare and Polița cu Crini scientific reserves, which form the strict protection zone, the Duruitoarea Waterfall nature monument and the Toaca botanical reserve. Spruce and beech forests cover most of the area, and habitats and species of Community interest include dwarf mountain pine scrub with Carpathian rhododendron (Rhododendron myrtifolium), the brown bear, wolf, lynx and lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus). The park extends over the town of Bicaz and the communes of Ceahlău, Bicazu Ardelean and Tașca, and since 2014 it has been managed by the Neamț County Council under a contract with the environment ministry; the visitor centre is at Izvorul Muntelui. Visitors enter through four gates: Durău (three trails to Cabana Dochia), Izvorul Muntelui (three trails), Bistra in Bicazu Ardelean commune (the "La Scaune" trail) and Neagra in Tașca commune. County road DJ 155F links Bicaz to Durău via Izvorul Muntelui. An entry fee is charged, and the scientific reserves may be visited only with the administration's approval, in groups of up to nine accompanied by a park representative.