Usturoiul Valley – Bartoșa Peak – Borcutului Valley

Cycling style - Cross-country 

Difficulty degree - intermediate

Minimum equipment - MTB hardtail bike

Water sources - the springs on the Usturoiul Valley, the springs of the Borcutului Valley 

Route condition - most of the important sections of the route are forest roads and trails. The asphalted segments can be found at the beginning and end of the route, in Baia Mare city.

The route traveled starts from the Stadium area to Usturoiului Valley, on asphalt road, to the last house. We go on the forest road that climbs, we pass by the abandoned Usturoiul Chalet and we reach the barrier located near the Usturoiul 2 Chalet.  After we pass the barrier, we take it to the left and climb the forest road that meanders, we pass by the signs toward the Pleștioara Peak and to the Ferigii Peak, we pass the Poiana Pleștioara and we go on the forest road until we see to the left another forest road, which climbs straight and steeply (kilometer 10 from the departure).

We take it to the left on this road and climb the Bartosa Ridge, here the woodcutters arranged  a table. We continue on the ridge road until we see a road that descends to the left, near a cluster of fir trees (we can take it all the way through the forest, but there is no road or marking, only vague traces of the path and we go out into Bartosa Valley). We descend on this road to the left through the forest, until we go out on the paved road on the Bartosa Valley (road that descends from the area of Poienii Pleştioara), from where we take it to the right towards the Borcutului Valley. After the barrier we take it to the left, we pass the next barrier and we reach the asphalt road that takes us to the spring in the Borcutului Valley. From the spring we head to Baia Mare and took the second road to the left (after an old house, plated with brown and yellow ceramic tiles). The road climbs steeply to the last house, from where we take it to the right and climb the gravel road until we reach the asphalt road, on Miron Costin Street, from which we descend to Victoriei Street. 

*Map, text and video source: https://maramures-bike.ro/