Poiana Izvoarelor

Poiana Izvoarelor ("the meadow of the springs") is a mountain meadow at about 1,455 m on the south-eastern slope of Mount Diham, in the northern part of the Bucegi Mountains above the town of Bușteni. Romanian Wikipedia describes the place as the edge of a fine fir forest; the Poiana Izvoarelor hut stands at the edge of the meadow and marks it on maps. The path explains the name: the Munții Noștri hiking atlas notes that springs and rivulets, where you can fill a bottle, cross the way up again and again.

A wooden fence runs across the meadow. A little further east route no. 45 crosses another wide meadow which, the atlas says, leads to a stână, a shepherds' summer station. From Poiana Izvoarelor you look at the northern precipices of Bucegi, of which Bucșoiu is a part.

What to see and do

• The panorama of the northern Bucegi walls — right from the grass.
• Poiana Pichetul Roșu — the next meadow to the west, named after a former border-guard post with a red roof.
• The Curmătura Armăsarilor saddle between the forested summits Diham (1,582 m) and Căpățâna Porcului (1,571 m) — 5–10 minutes above the meadow.
• The Take Ionescu path — the start of the demanding climb to Bucșoiu (2,492 m) and Omu.

How to get there

From Bușteni walk the asphalt road up the Valea Cerbului to the Gura Diham hut (987 m), 1–1.5 hours. Behind the hut route no. 11 (red stripe) climbs a forest corridor and turns left to Poiana Izvoarelor; it is another 1–1.5 hours from Gura Diham, with seven temporary streams on the way. From Poiana Diham route no. 45 (blue cross) comes over the Curmătura Armăsarilor saddle; the whole route, as far as the Șaua Baiului saddle, is 2.9 km and takes 1 h 15 min to 2 h.

Further west route no. 11 is one of the hardest in Bucegi: 14.6 km from Bușteni to the Omu hut, more than 1,800 m of ascent, 7.5–8 hours. The atlas warns that there is no water source on the five hours between Poiana Izvoarelor and Omu.

Season, rules and safety

The meadow itself can be reached all year, although in winter, the atlas says, deep snow makes route no. 45 difficult, and the climb to Bucșoiu and Omu is not recommended in winter at all. On the climb below Bucșoiu the path crosses rock slabs fitted with a cable — they are slippery in rain. Keep to the marked path and take your litter with you.

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

Poiana Diham below Măgura Cenușie, the peaks Bucșoiu and Omu, and in the south of the massif the Bucegi Plateau.

Photos: Radu Privantu, CC BY 2.0, Flickr; manuela marginean (hbunny), CC BY 2.0, Flickr; I C I, CC BY-SA 2.0, Flickr.