Pietrele Mărunte

Pietrele Mărunte (Rom. Vârful Pietrele Mărunte, “Small Stones”) is a 1,731 m peak in the Gilău – Muntele Mare Mountains (Western Romanian Carpathians), on the border of Alba and Cluj Counties. It stands on the ridge 4.1 km northeast of the highest peak in these mountains, Muntele Mare, between the ski resorts of Muntele Băișorii and Buscat. The nearest settlements are Săgagea (about 3.9 km as the crow flies), Muntele Cacovei (about 4.8 km), the Muntele Băișorii resort, and Corțești (about 7.5 km).

Below the summit, about 1.2 km away, the site marks Spring below Pietrele Mărunte, and the red stripe trail “Muntele Băișorii resort – Bălomireasa clearing – Ursoaia saddle” crosses the ridge.

Getting there / routes

The most convenient loop is the “Muntele Băișorii Resort Loop” marked with a yellow dot. According to muntii-nostri.ro, it starts at the local tourist information center: follow the road to the Pârtia Mare slope under the drag lift cables, cross the ski slope perpendicularly to the first post with route information, then take the wide dirt road to the barrier (30–40 minutes from the start). The route alternates with the blue stripe, passes the houses of Crinț hamlet, through the forest and several streams (where you can get water), leads to Gabriana hamlet, then continuously climbs through young fir forest and meadows.

Together with the green dot trail, which bypasses Buscat peak, the path reaches the Fântâna Gabrianei spring, skirts Buscat (you can ascend the summit by an unmarked path), crosses the chairlift, and with Pietrele Mărunte ahead, descends to the Șesul Cald area. From there, together with the red stripe, it climbs the road towards Muntele Mare peak, and at the sign on the electric pole, turns left onto a grassy road through dwarf pine thickets to Pietrele Mărunte. The whole loop is 17.9 km, about 7.5 hours and 822 m ascent, of medium difficulty.

Another option (no time estimates) is described from the Buscat ski resort: take the military road to Șesul Cald via the red stripe and yellow dot, then southwest to Colțul Rotund and southeast via the yellow dot to the summit; descend along the ridge south and southwest through forest, a clearing to the military road, down the Podurilor valley, and by an unmarked shepherd's path back to Colțul Rotund. In winter, a ski touring route is marked here.

The view from the top

According to the loop description, near the summit it's worth leaving the marked trail and heading south to the last rocks—there is a panoramic viewpoint.

Safety, season and rules

In winter, the ridge is used by skiers and ski tourers; in fog, it's easy to lose direction on the wide meadows, so stick to the markings. Bears are common in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on marked trails, make noise, avoid dusk, and don't keep food in your tent; near sheepfolds, shepherd dogs may attack—don't 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.