Voina – Găinațul Mare – Papușa – Bătrana

Roundtrip – 24 km, 1600 m ascent (931 m to 2,393 m).

Papușa is the third highest Peak from Iezer-Papușa Mountains.

Why go here: 

• high elevation but non-technical terrain;
• gorgeous views, especially the Piatra Craiului to the North-East;
• most of the time is spent in the alpine area.

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Starting point:

Cabana Voina, accessible by car on good asphalt all year long.

Route details

From the parking lot, we go back on the asphalt for about 500m, then we follow the Red Stripe Marking west, over the bridge. The route goes up in the forest until the Găinațul Mare peak. From here we can see the Raușor Lake to the south.

We keep following the Red Stripe markings until we reach the Grădișteanu pass. If something doesn’t go well you can get down safely here following the Blue Stripe markings that will take you back to Voina on the Cuca Valley.

We keep going uphill until we reach the Papusa Peak – the third highest in the Iezer-Papusa mountains.

After the peak, we will pass through Spintecatura Papusii, a beautiful rocky area.

The Red Stripe marking continues relatively straight up to Bătrâna. There you can make a small detour to get water from the spring and see the Peak or you can go directly downhill following the Red Triangle markings (the area is called Plaiul lui Pătru).

Trail Markings: the route is 100% on marked trails, there are no orientation problems even in winter.

Water Sources:

• near the Batrana Peak – but it’s sometimes dry or frozen.

Surface

Most of the trail is dirt and tall grass.

There are no exposed parts with the risk of falling but there are some sections that can be dangerous near the Papușa Peak – especially the rocky part know as Spitecatura Papusii.

Alternative routes:

• The route can go in reverse with no problems.
• If there are any problems you can shorten the route on Cuca Valley.