Bistrița Mountains

The Bistrița Mountains (Romanian: Munții Bistriței; Hungarian: Besztercei-havasok) are mountain ranges in northern central Romania.

Ocolașul Mare Peak, in the Ceahlău Massif

Geologically these ranges are considered part of the Inner Eastern Carpathians group of the Eastern Carpathians. Within Romania, however, it is traditional to divide the Eastern Carpathians in Romanian territory into three geographical groups (north, center, south), instead in Outer and Inner Eastern Carpathians. The Romanian categorization is indicated below.

The Bistrița mountain range consists of the following mountains.

• Bistrița Mountains (Munții Bistriței) per se, comprising
  • Pietrosul Massif (Masivul Pietrosul; literally: Rocky Massif)
  • Budacul Massif (Masivul Budacul)
  • Ceahlău Massif (Masivul Ceahlău)

with the latter sometimes considered a distinct range. In Romania these are considered part of the central Carpathians of Moldavia and Transylvania (Munții Carpați Moldo-Transilvani), or "MMT"

• Mestecăniș Ridge (Obcina Mestecăniș). In Romania these are considered part of the northern Carpathians of Maramureș and Bukovina (Munții Carpați ai Maramureșului și Bucovinei), or "MMB"
• Dorna Depression (Depresiunea Dornei) MMB
• Giumalău-Rarău Mountains (Munții Giumalău-Rarău) MMB
• Giurgeu Mountains (Munții Giurgeului) MMT
• Hășmaș Mountains (Munții Hășmașu Mare) MMT

Protected Areas

Several protected areas are located within or adjacent to the Bistrita Mountains. The Ceahlău Massif contains protected natural landscapes and biodiversity-rich habitats that are included within Ceahlău National Park. The region supports extensive forests, alpine meadows, and a variety of plant and animal species characteristics of the Eastern Carpathians. Protected areas within the broader mountain group contribute to the conservation of habitats for species such as brown bear, gray wolf, Eurasian lynx, and numerous bird species.

See also

• Romanian Carpathians

External links

• Munții Rarău și Giumalău, description and hiking guide