Skip to content

Hard Hiking Trails in Retezat National Park

7 routes in Retezat National Park qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 27.6 km and 607 m (1,991 ft) of ascent.

That is 28 percent of the 25 routes we map in Retezat National Park. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 27.6 km against 11.7 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 607 m (1,991 ft) on average versus 257 m (843 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

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
Lac Gura Apei - Refugiul Gugu (Branu) - Vf. GuguRetezat National Park19.6 km431 m4 hr 52 minHardApril to October
Brazi - Valea Lăpușnicului - Poiana Pelegii - Șaua PelegiiRetezat National Park48.7 km1,072 m12 hrExpertApril to October
Câmpu lui Neag - Cabana Buta - Poiana Pelegii - Lacul BucuraRetezat National Park20.4 km448 m5 hr 4 minHardApril to October
Gura Zlata - La Pir - Lacul Zănoaga - Lacul BucuraRetezat National Park16.4 km361 m4 hrHardApril to October
Hobița - Stâna de Râu - Șaua Custurii - Poiana PelegiiRetezat National Park34.0 km748 m8 hr 47 minExpertApril to October
Hobița - Șaua Gorova - Vârful Peleaga - Curmătura Bucurei - Vârful RetezatRetezat National Park35.3 km777 m9 hr 8 minExpertApril to October
Lacul Gura Apei - La Pir - Lacul Zănoaga - Lacul BucuraRetezat National Park18.7 km412 m4 hr 38 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Lac Gura Apei - Refugiul Gugu (Branu) - Vf. Gugu, Hobița - Șaua Gorova - Vârful Peleaga - Curmătura Bucurei - Vârful Retezat, Brazi - Valea Lăpușnicului - Poiana Pelegii - Șaua Pelegii. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for