The trip to Piatra Singuratică was on our list for quite a long time, but a winter weekend seemed like the best time to actually make it happen. The trip is quite short and short winter days are just perfect for some pure outdoor pleasure. So one cold January weekend it happened.

We started our journey from the town of Bălan, from behind the town’s church, where we also parked our car for the next two days. We followed the blue line trail and we got up to the Piatra Singuratica Chalet in about 2 hours. Normally, during summer, the trip should last about 1 hour – 1 hour and 30 minutes, but winter always makes things more difficult.

The trail goes mainly through the forest. At the beginning it was a bit difficult as there was a lot of ice on the ground and we kept slipping at every step we took. There were some parts of the trail with quite a lot of ice and made it a bit difficult for us to move forward. But with a lot of attention and with the help of our hiking sticks we managed to get to the chalet without any issues.

Unfortunately the weather was not so good. It was mainly foggy and quite windy. The fog made us a bit unhappy as the main reason for the trip was to actually enjoy an amazing view from the top of the mountains. The plan was to continue our trip from the chalet to the Hășmasul Mare peak (1792m), but it was pointless considering that there was little to no visibility.

We did take a short trip to the Piatra Singuratică which is just next to the chalet and wondered around it for a while. But again the wind made us go back in the chalet and stay there until the night came.

The next morning we woke up hoping to get a better view of the surroundings, but the fog was still there, so not a chance. It also started to snow a bit, so that was quite nice for a morning walk around the chalet.

As there wasn’t too much to actually do, considering the weather, we decided to go back home and promised to come back during summer to enjoy the beauty of these mountains. The gentleman who is in charge of the chalet told us that the perfect time to come to Piatra Singuratică is May or September, so we kept that in mind for our next trip.

To go back we chose a different path, we went on the red triangle trail  that got us back to the town of Bălan and to where we left our car. This path was actually better than the blue line one, not that difficult and with a very nice view over the valley where the town of Bălan lies. It took us around 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish the journey.

The Piatra Singuratică Chalet was recently renovated and it looks quite good. You do have to bring your sleeping bag with you and food. During summer time they also serve food, but during winter is quite hard for them to get the supplies. The chalet administrator is a very friendly and nice man, who gave us enough fire wood to make the room warm and cozy and who also gave us some strong liqueur to keep us even warmer. We paid 20 RON/ person for sleeping one night there. There is also an option to set a tent in front of the chalet, but only on good weather and during warmer months.  It’s a good idea to call before going there and reserve your place in the chalet (+40/744-156566 – Zoltán Gál, the chalet keeper).