Hiking duration:
- on summer: 6 – 7 h
- on winter: 8 – 9 h
Refuges: Prislopel Pass refuge, Cheia Chalet
Water sources: At the Lake Pass, Cheia Chalet
Description:
This is one of the 4 trails that connect Băile Olăneşti city to the Buila-Vânturariţa National Park.
It is rated as an easy trail, with insignificant altitude ranges, accessible on summer as well as on winter.
The trail follows the ridge, going along the intervalley between Cheia and Olăneşti.
It starts from the center of the Băile Olăneşti resort (430 – 520 m), on the street that goes up nearby the park to spring nr. 24; 2 km further, you’ll see the Comanca camp and chalet. Before the bridge over the Olăneşti River, there is the arrow-pointer that marks the crossroad with trails 14 – yellow line, and 16 – yellow triangle, that goes up on the Olăneşti Valley. The trail is joined with trail nr 19 – blue cross, up till the At the Lake Pass.
From the crossroad, the trail starts upwards to the left, on the road towards the Gurguiata village, but changes track at the first electricity pole you meet, making a right from there to go up on the ridge. During the ascent, you’ll have the beech forest slopes of the Olăneşti Valley on your right and an oak forest (being exploited) on your left. After 30 minutes, you’ll get to a top and go downwards from there in the valley on your right, go up along that valley and soon you’ll get into a glade, in the Gurguiata Pass (775 m), near a shelter with a cross and an icon. At a 50 m distance away from where the forest ends, there is a spring.
There are two more ways for getting into the pass: on the road that starts from where the pointer stands, or on the path that goes upwards from the Spring nr. 24. Following the road form the pass on, you’ll get to the Bradu Hermitage after a 2 hours’ walk.
From the pass, the trail follows the road along the edge of the forest for 100 m, and then enters on a track sided by two fences, heading north. It goes back into the woods and goes upwards on the forested ridge, having the glades of Gurguiata on both right and left. On the ridge, the path widens, and, during the ascent, you’ll pass through a beech forest, then through a young spruce plantation, and get to an old cross in Mount Gurguiata (875 m). Keep walking along the ridge and upwards, heading north, with light ups and downs, and you’ll pass round the left corner of the Stones of Bot (a sandstones peak covered by pine forests) then go up and come down successively from Mount Fântânele, Plaiul Piatra Tăiată, Mount Alionte and the Genunchiul Calului Peak (930 m). From their tops, among the tree branches, you get a spectacular view to the southern ridge of the Buila-Vânturariţa Massif. From the Genunchiul Calului Peak, the trail goes down in a constant rhythm through the woods, to the shelter in the Prislopel Pass.
From the Prislopel Pass, trail no. 15 is identical with trail no. 14 – yellow line (see the description).
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