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Hard Hiking Trails in Parcul Natural Apuseni

There are 10 hikes in Parcul Natural Apuseni in our database that fit. They average 19.4 km and 774 m (2,539 ft) of ascent.

That is 20 percent of the 49 routes we map in Parcul Natural Apuseni. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 19.4 km against 8.8 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 774 m (2,539 ft) on average versus 342 m (1,122 ft) across the wider area.

Hard routes mean sustained ascent, long descents and a real need to watch the clock and the forecast. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Trails

Sat Butești, comuna Horea
Hard

sat Albac - sat Horea

Parcul Natural Apuseni · Alba

Distance
14.4 km
/ 9.0 mi
Elevation gain
848 m
Typical duration
4 hr 16 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Circuitul Galbenei

Parcul Natural Apuseni · Bihor

Distance
16.3 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
358 m
Typical duration
3 hr 58 min
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Pietroasa - Valea Galbenei - Șaua Ponița - ArieșeniParcul Natural Apuseni25.0 km1,019 m7 hr 3 minHardApril to October
Șaua Vârtop - Șaua VărășoaiaParcul Natural Apuseni17.0 km857 m4 hr 54 minHardApril to October
sat Gârda de Sus - Șaua VărășoaiaParcul Natural Apuseni31.7 km1,178 m8 hr 53 minExpertApril to October
sat Albac - Valea Ordâncușei (la Moara lui Ivan)Parcul Natural Apuseni18.7 km1,423 m6 hr 9 minHardApril to October
sat Albac - sat HoreaParcul Natural Apuseni14.4 km848 m4 hr 16 minHardApril to October
sat Albac - sat Roșești - sat AlbacParcul Natural Apuseni15.9 km666 m4 hr 20 minHardApril to October
Ștei - Vf. Fața Goală - Groapa Ruginoasă - Șaua VârtopParcul Natural Apuseni21.3 km469 m5 hr 20 minHardApril to October
sat Ghețar - Complex turistic PadișParcul Natural Apuseni18.3 km576 m4 hr 46 minHardApril to October
Circuitul GalbeneiParcul Natural Apuseni16.3 km358 m3 hr 58 minHardApril to October
Complexul Turistic Fântânele - Defileul Someșului Cald - Complexul Turistic FântâneleParcul Natural Apuseni15.6 km343 m3 hr 47 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Pietroasa - Valea Galbenei - Șaua Ponița - Arieșeni, Șaua Vârtop - Șaua Vărășoaia, sat Gârda de Sus - Șaua Vărășoaia. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

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