Pietrosul Rodnei Peak and Pietrosu Mare Reserve

Pietrosul Rodnei Peak, also called Pietrosu, rises to 2,303 m and is the highest summit of the Rodna Mountains and of the entire Eastern Carpathian chain. It stands on the boundary between Maramureș and Bistrița-Năsăud counties, in the north-western part of the massif, above the town of Borșa. The Rodna Mountains, in the northern group of the Eastern Carpathians, have a main ridge more than 50 km long, running east-west, steep to the north and gentle to the south. The massif is a horst of crystalline schists and preserves the clearest traces of Quaternary glaciers in the Eastern Carpathians, with glacial cirques such as Iezer, Buhăescu and Negoiescu. The summit and its northern slope belong to the Pietrosu Mare scientific reserve, established in 1932, which extends from about 750 m up to the peak and whose 3,300 ha were designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1979. The reserve is part of Rodna Mountains National Park. The trail marked with a blue stripe on a white background starts from Avram Iancu street in Borșa and climbs in about 4 hours to the weather station. From there the same marking continues for about another hour and a half to the summit. According to the trail description, it presents no particular difficulties.