Buteasa

Buteasa (rom. Vârful Buteasa) is a 1,792 m peak in the northern part of the Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains (Apuseni, Western Romanian Mountains), in Bihor County, on the territory of Budureasa commune, northwest of the Padiș plateau. According to muntii-nostri.ro, it is the second highest peak of Vlădeasa and a viewpoint with wide, picturesque panoramas of the whole massif; the highest peak is Vlădeasa. The nearest settlement is the resort of Stâna de Vale (about 7.1 km in a straight line), then Padiș (about 11.6 km) and Boga (about 11.9 km).

Nature and history

The summit itself is a botanical reserve of 2 ha (IUCN category IV), declared by law no. 5 of March 6, 2000; it overlaps with the Natura 2000 bird area "Apuseni Mountains – Vlădeasa" and the community site "Buteasa". According to Romanian Wikipedia, there is diverse subalpine vegetation here: columnar spruce (Picea abies columnaris), Swiss pine (Pinus cembra), green alder, mountain pine, and Siberian juniper. Among the herbs are rare species protected by the European Directive 92/43/EEC: yellow monkshood (Aconitum anthora), spotted gentian (Gentiana punctata), and globeflower (Trollius europaeus).

Getting there / routes

The red triangle trail "Stâna de Vale – Buteasa peak" leads to the summit. According to muntii-nostri.ro, the resort of Stâna de Vale lies at about 1,100 m near the Apuseni Natural Park; it is an important base for hiking and cycling routes, a place for recreation and treatment, and has a 550 m ski slope. From the resort, the trail passes the Izvorul Minunilor spring, follows a forest road (initially asphalted) towards the Moara Dracului waterfall, and climbs through the forest to the pasture on the Muncel ridge with a large sheepfold. Here, the blue stripe trail branches left to the Leșu reservoir, while the route, together with the yellow stripe and blue cross, follows a forest road past the Muncel forester's lodge and descends steeply into the forest, then past the Chiripa forester's lodge to the Stanișoara clearing.

To the clearing below the summit, the trail coincides with the yellow stripe route; from there, at the signpost, head north—first across pasture, then between juniper, mountain pine, and patches of scree. The path is clear and well marked. The whole route is 11 km, about 5 hours and 1,068 m ascent, of medium difficulty; the authors recommend it for experienced hikers with navigation skills, and in winter only depending on snow conditions.

The nearest springs listed on the site are Spring below Brița (north-west slope) and Spring below Brița (north slope) (about 1.7 km from the summit), and the nearest shelter is Piatra Talharului Hut (about 3.7 km).

The view from the top

According to muntii-nostri.ro, the summit offers a wide panorama in all directions.

Safety, season and rules

In the reserve, do not leave the trail or pick plants. On the open Vlădeasa ridge, the weather changes quickly—bring warm clothes and an offline map. Bears are common in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on marked trails, make noise, avoid dusk, and do not keep food in your tent; near sheepfolds, shepherd dogs may attack—do not run, stop and shield yourself with your backpack (advice from Salvamont România).

In case of emergency, call the national mountain rescue dispatcher 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112.