Ineu (Rodna Mountains)

Ineu (Romanian Vârful Ineu, also Inău) is a 2,279 m summit in the Rodna Mountains, the second highest after Pietrosul (2,303 m). It rises above the eastern part of the main ridge in Bistrița-Năsăud County, close to the boundary with Suceava County. The nearest villages are Valea Vinului (about 6.5 km to the south-west), Valea Mare and Șanț in the Someșul Mare valley. Together with neighbouring Ineuț (2,222 m) and Roșu (2,113 m) it forms a trio of peaks above 2,100 m, visible from afar, that dominates the eastern half of the range.

The summit and its slopes belong to the Ineu – Lala mixed nature reserve of 2,568 ha, created by a law of 2000; it lies inside Rodna Mountains National Park on the land of Leșu, Rodna and Șanț communes.

Getting there / routes

• The red stripe is the Rodna ridge route from Rotunda Pass to Șetref Pass, about 58 km, recommended over 2–3 days. From the Gajei saddle the path climbs Ineuț, drops to the Ineuțului saddle (2,060 m) and leads to Șaua cu Lac; from there one variant of the marking goes over the summit of Ineu, the other bypasses it on the south on a grassy path.
• The blue dot from Gura Lalei on the DN18 road follows the Lala valley past a waterfall to Lake Lala Mare and Lake Lala Mică and reaches the ridge: 12.1 km, about 1,170 m of ascent, 4½–5¾ hours to Șaua cu Lac, then another 30–40 minutes to the summit.
• The blue cross from the village of Șanț climbs from the south over Cobășel and Roșu to Ineuț: 11.5 km, about 1,780 m of ascent, 4¾–6¾ hours.
• Another marked route leads from the small town of Rodna up the Valea Vinului and over the Curățel saddle to Șaua cu Lac; the park administration gives it 5–6 hours in summer.

What you can see from the summit

According to the ridge route description, Ineu looks out over Tomnatec (2,051 m) and the cirque with the lake below Ineu, and on clear days the neighbouring ranges can be seen: the Maramureș Mountains, Suhard, Rarău, Călimani and Bârgău. To the north below the summit lies the Lala valley, closed by Ineu's northern spur and the Pleșcuța ridge.

Nature and history

The Ineu – Lala reserve protects striking glacial relief: sharp ridges, cirques, U-shaped valleys, moraines, waterfalls and limestone cliffs. Lala Mare at 1,815 m is the largest glacial lake of the Rodna Mountains, about 5,640 m² in area; the smaller Lala Mică lies a little higher. The forests hold spruce, fir, larch, Swiss stone pine and yew, higher up grow juniper and dwarf pine, and the meadows have Carpathian bellflower, narcissus-flowered anemone and Gladiolus imbricatus. Red deer, wolf, lynx, black grouse, hazel grouse and three-toed woodpecker live here, and marmots and chamois are seen on the ridges. The slopes of Roșu are covered with rhododendron in May and June — hence the name of that peak, meaning “red”.

Safety, season and rules

• In Rodna Mountains National Park you may walk only on marked trails; in the Lala reserve tents are allowed only by Lake Lala Mică, fires are banned in the alpine zone and dogs must be on a lead. The rules are published by the Rodna Mountains National Park administration.
• The best season is from late June to September. In winter the section from Lala Mică to the Ineuțului saddle is closed because of avalanche risk, and large cornices form on the narrow saddles near Roșu. In winter the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) publishes an avalanche bulletin on meteoromania.ro with a separate rating for the Rodna massif. In fog, orientation on the broad ridge is difficult.
• Watch out for sheepdogs near the sheepfolds on the ridge. Bears are common in the Romanian Carpathians: Salvamont advises staying on the trail, not hiking alone, making noise, avoiding dusk and night walks and never keeping food in your tent.
• Rescue: Salvamont national dispatch 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or the single emergency number 112. There is an emergency refuge below the summit — for bad weather and emergencies only.

Interesting facts

• The Rodna ridge is the second longest in the Carpathians after the Făgăraș ridge.
• Under Austria-Hungary the village of Valea Vinului below Ineu lived from silver, copper, zinc and lead mines.

Photos: Hardsr, Public domain; Hardsr, Public domain; Hardsr, Public domain; Hardsr, Public domain; Hardsr, Public domain; Dezidor, CC BY 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.