Hiking
In the Hasmas and Giurgeului mountains several marked trails are waiting for hiking lovers. The length and the difficulty of the paths are varied, you can make a one hour trip, but also several day hikes, in any period of the year.
In spring the region is blooming, many times it wears unusual green clothes, warm and sunny days are frequent, but it also can rain or rarely snow, mostly on higher cliffs.
For the hike the most appropriate weather is in summer, the land is like a sea of flowers, the rainfalls are lower, the days are warmer; however, due to the climate of the highland area downpours and storms are possible.
Sunny autumn days are pleasant for a trip aswell. In the basins the fog is very frequent, but on the mountain tops and on the ridges the sunshine is characteristic. In this period the air is clean, so from higher cliffs you can see into a distance on hundreds of kilometres. In the daytime the air is warm, but at night it turns chilly, and early freezes are also possible.
In winter the land shows its new colours, usually the mountains are covered with snow. Most of the trails are impassable because of the deep snow- exceptions are some well-beaten paths, for instance the Bălan - Piatra Singuratică trail or the Red Lake - Suhardul-Mic trail. The other footpaths are passable only with snow shoes or with skies. When you set a trip up you should take into consideration the shortness of the daytime, and in the case of bad weather you have to see to appropriate winter clothing, as snowstorms with high winds are frequent. In the case of longer tours it is advisable to inform the local Rescue Service.
Several tourist maps are on the market, the maps in the suppliment of "Erdély hegyei" tourist guide series are popular, but the most detailed are the maps published by the Dimap.
