Vârful Goru

Vârful Goru (1,785 m) is the highest point of the Munții Vrancei, located in Vrancea County within Parcul Natural Putna-Vrancea. The Goru massif forms its own nature reserve, covering the western slope of the mountain, which harbours the most representative subalpine ecosystem in the Munții Vrancei. The centrepiece of the reserve is the dwarf mountain pine stand — the only such stand in the Munții Vrancei — found at altitudes of 1,750–1,785 m, the highest elevation in the county. The scientific literature describes 27 plant associations in the area, giving it considerable scientific importance. From a geological perspective, the Goru area lies above the subcrustal seismic focal zone of Vrancea — the most active in Europe — where the dynamics of lithospheric microplates generate earthquakes at depths of between 50 and 250 km. The relief is structured on crystalline schists and Cretaceous flysch, with slopes covered by spruce and beech forests that climb almost to the ridge, where vegetation thins into subalpine meadows and dwarf mountain pine shrublands. The fauna includes large carnivores — brown bear, wolf and lynx — alongside capercaillie, lesser spotted eagle and raven. Chamois were introduced to the area in 1982. Access to Vârful Goru is possible from Lepșa via DN2D, continuing along forestry roads and marked trails, or from Nereju via the southern slopes of the massif. The trails have a high degree of difficulty, with elevation gains of 600–900 m from the starting points, and require appropriate mountain equipment.