Hiking in Mănăștur-Gălcer Forest, Cluj

Walk Autumn in the Maștur-Galcer Forest

Access

The entrance to the route was near the Roata Făget restaurant, and the terminus was in the park in the Mănăștur neighborhood of Cluj-Napoca.

About hiking

This article presents a walk in the surroundings of Cluj, through the Mănăștur-Gălcer or Făget Forest, in the autumn season when pastel colors invade the forest. It is for everyone.

Route map

(click on objectives for extended version)

Technical box

Difficulty: easy

Duration / distance: 1 hour / 4 km

Marking: unmarked / red stripe / unmarked

Water sources: no

Minimum altitude: 385 meters at the start

Maximum altitude: 510 meters, at point 6 on the map

Level difference: +230 m / -200 m

Comments: partially unmarked, very busy; accessible all year round

1. Roata Făget - Belvedere Gălcer - branch

15-30 min / 1.2 km / easy / unmarked, red lane

From St. John's Road, near the Roata Făget restaurant, an unmarked path starts and in a few minutes it climbs up to the Gălcer viewpoint, from where we admire the locality of Valea Gârbăului. We keep on the crest of the hill and we meet the red band mark coming from the left. We reach a marked branch.

here the route starts

we go out in the clearing

on red tape through the forest

marked intersection

2. Branch - Făget Izvor and back

15 min / 1 km / easy / unmarked

For the sake of beating new trails, we followed the road downhill for 5-10 minutes to Făget Izvor, which takes you out through the woods to another point on the St. John Road near Făget Izvor. Back on the same path at the marked junction.

branching towards the spring

marked intersection

3. Branching - Diós

15 min / 0.7 km / easy / red lane

We return to the red-banded ridge road and admire the carpet of leaves and fall colors in all their splendor. We reach a clearing at Diós point, the highest point of our route, where there are 2 rusty signposts.

carpet of leaves

rusty markings

4. Diós - Mănăștur Park

15 min / 1.3 km / easy / unmarked

We return to the forest, but we choose the unmarked path on the map, which goes downhill through the forest on a multicolored carpet of leaves, reaching the upper end of the park in the Mănăștur neighborhood of Cluj.