Easy hiking near Bucharest: Scropoasa Lake

Bucharest is famous for its touristic attractions, nightlife and also for its proximity to Bucegi mountains. Here’s a suggestion for a trail if you are looking for easy hiking near Bucharest. It’s a beautiful and easy hike to Scropoasa Lake.

Check out the Romania travel resource page, where you’ll find all my travel guides and tips for Romania.

Scropoasa lake easy hike – What you need to know

Remember that Romania has some great trails and breathtaking mountain views, but poor transport infrastructure.

The train would be the only viable option to get somehow close to this trail, but you would still need to hitchhike to where the trail begins and the route there isn’t precisely on a popular road.

Bottom line, you’ll need to drive there. If you don’t have a car, consider renting one for the day (or convince a friend to come with you).

And if you have more time to enjoy on the mountain, then consider booking accommodation in Sinaia.

What to pack for Scropoasa lake hike in Bucegi mountains?

Get some good snickers or boots for hiking. The forest trail is paved with mountain rocks and you can easily slip if you don’t watch your step. Also, if it has been raining the day before, it can be a bit tricky.

Pack some light snacks, water and your camera. You’ll love the trail, and you’ll take lots of pictures.

Itinerary for easy hiking near Bucharest at Scropoasa Lake

The hike itself will take 3 to 5 h (depending on your pace), and it will take another 2h to get to the starting point of the trek. And then another 2h drive back to Bucharest.

I’ve said this many times, but I will repeat it. The most painful thing about these day trips from Bucharest is driving there. The traffic is acceptable during the week (if there are no events near any of these cities), but it gets out of control during the weekend. I do not recommend any trips from Bucharest to Brasov during the weekend.

So let’s get back to that easy hike I was telling you about.

1 Drive to Zanoaga Camping

You need to drive to Zanoaga Camping. Put that on Google maps, and you’ll know you’ve reached your destination because the place is next to a mountain rescue cabin. If the weather is nice, the entire area will be full of cars.

Try to park somewhere safe. The parking is on the side of the road, free of charge.

2 Easy Hike for 3-5 h to Scropoasa Lake

From Zanoaga camping, you start your hike on the blue cross trail.

The rocky part is called Cheile Zanoagei (Zanoaga Gorges). After about 1.5h you will reach Scropoasa lake. In front of the lake, you’ll see some houses, a mountain cabin and Scropoasa hydropower plant.

The road forks just in front of the mountain cabin. You have to option to continue straight or turn left. Continue straight alongside the lake, for another 15-20 minutes to reach the bridge and the beautiful photo point of Scropoasa Lake.

After that, you’ll have to turn around and walk on the same path back. After you reach the mountain cabin on your way back, turn right, on that other road. It’s only a 20 minutes walk to a breathtaking waterfall (Cascada 7 Izvoare).

You’ll notice that this is a dirt road. There might be cars on this road or parked close to the waterfall. You can drive here from the main road, but you’d miss the beautiful forest walk. And the road might not be suitable for all cars. I confess that I’ve seen all kind of small city cars on this road and even big campers. But it’s up to you. I think this option is for lazy people.

Take some pictures at the waterfall. Admire it, go up close to it if you want.

Then you’ll have to take the same road back to the lake and then follow the same trail back to the car.

I believe this is one of the most accessible hikes in Bucegi mountains and that’s why it’s also one of the busiest hiking trails all year road. 

So have you decided on that easy hiking near Bucharest, yet?!