Ceahlău Plateau

The Ceahlău Plateau is the grassy summit plateau of the Ceahlău massif (Masivul Ceahlău) in Romania's Eastern Carpathians, in Neamț County. Romanians call such a treeless high zone "golul alpin". The plateau stretches between the peaks Toaca (1,904 m) and Ocolașul Mare (1,907 m, the highest of the massif) across Lespezi (1,808 m); in the middle, at about 1,760 m, stands the Dochia hut (Cabana Dochia). Around it are meadows, dwarf-pine thickets and conglomerate boulders, and the edges of the plateau drop in rock walls with towers and gullies.

Ceahlău is tied to shepherds' lore. In the legend quoted by Romanian Wikipedia, old Dochia climbed the mountain with her flock, froze and turned to stone together with her sheep — which is how the Dochia rock is explained. The same article mentions that around 1880 the shepherd Moș Cerbu built a stone hut near the Izvorul Mitropolitului spring. An old stână (sheepfold) also survives lower down, on Poiana Maicilor.

What to see and do

• The plateau path from the meteorologists' cabin below Toaca over Lespezi to the Dochia hut — about 20 minutes. To the left you see Lake Izvorul Muntelui and the villages on the slopes of the Stânișoara Mountains.
• The rocks Panaghia (about 70 m high), Detunatele and Piatra Lată.
• The Ocolașul Mic plateau — the southern part strewn with limestone blocks, where the path from Poiana Maicilor comes out.

How to get there

All routes are described on the national park website. From the resort of Durău via the Fântânele hut runs the red stripe: 7.3 km, 1,180 m of ascent, 3–3.5 h up. From the Izvorul Muntelui hut via the Lutu Roșu saddle and the Piatra cu Apă rock runs the blue stripe: 5.6 km, 1,070 m of ascent, 3.5–4 h up, 2.5 h down. A third way from Izvorul Muntelui, through Poiana Maicilor and the Ocolașul Mic plateau, is marked with a red stripe: 6.9 km, 4.5–5 h. Izvorul Muntelui is reached by 8 km of road DJ155F from the DN15 (Bicaz – Poiana Largului); the road is passable all year.

Season, rules and safety

The plateau lies in Ceahlău National Park (8,396 ha according to Romanian Wikipedia). Under the park rules, entry is allowed only after paying the visiting fee and only on marked trails; tents may be pitched only in designated places, dogs must be kept on a leash and lighting fires is forbidden. The scientific reserves Ocolașul Mare and Polița cu Crini are closed to visitors without the written consent of the administration — so the summit of Ocolașul Mare is closed to ordinary visitors. Check the amount of the fee on ceahlaupark.ro. The park allows the first two routes in winter too, after checking the forecast, but does not recommend the Poiana Maicilor – Dochia stretch in winter. On Toaca the mean annual temperature is only 0.7 °C and fog is frequent.

Bears live in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on the marked paths, never leave food by a tent or a car, and near flocks do not run from the sheepdogs — stop and walk calmly around the herd. Salvamont mountain rescue: national dispatch 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112; advice for hikers is on salvamontromania.ro.

Nearby

The peaks Toaca and Ocolașul Mare, and below the southern walls of the plateau — Poiana Maicilor.

Photos: zaFleur, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; anagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.