Hiking in Neamț: Walking towards Cuejdel Lake

Cuejdel Lake is the largest naturally dammed lake in the country and lies within Gârcina commune, Neamț County. Although it is not as well known as Red Lake, this lake formed under the same conditions and is just as spectacular.

There are two ways to reach Cuejdel Lake: either by car along the road from Piatra Neamț towards Târgu Neamț as far as Crăcăoani commune, then left onto a local road towards Cracaul Negru and Magazia and from there through the forest to the lake, or on foot from the village of Cuejdel (from Piatra Neamț towards Gârcina).

Access routes to Cuejdel Lake on Google Maps

If you choose to walk to the lake (which is also our recommendation), the route is 2 km long and passes through beautiful scenery. From Piatra Neamț, drive through Gârcina commune and the village of Cuejdel. Eventually, the tarmac road ends. Continue until you reach the sign indicating that Cuejdel Lake is 2 km away. This is where the walk to the lake begins.

Photos of Cuejdel Lake

Here, the green meadows, colourful flowers, deep blue sky and peaceful surroundings create a picture-perfect setting for your walk to the lake. The road then enters a fir forest, where the air feels cooler and sunlight tries to filter through the trees' dense canopies.

A stream flows alongside the forest road, constantly wearing away the ground beneath the tree roots before emptying into the lake. The sound of the water is like a song breaking through the forest's eerie silence. Nothing seems to dare disturb this atmosphere; everything is so beautiful that you lose track of time, until the vast expanse of Cuejdel Lake appears before you.

Set in the heart of the forest amid wild scenery, Cuejdel Lake is a place of rare beauty, with hundreds of tree trunks rising ominously from the water. Because of its shape, Cuejdel Lake is also known as Crucii Lake, and in 2004 it was declared a nature reserve for its exceptional scenery and its geomorphological and limnological features.

As a visitor, you can walk around the lake along the forest road that winds beside the water. Nature has been hard at work here, creating a landscape that delights the eye at every turn. Clumps of reeds, an abandoned raft, small trees grouped in strange shapes, roots: the whole area is a striking mix of features.

Walking around Cuejdel Lake makes you wonder: what does the lake look like at dusk or sunset? For a keen photographer, this place is heaven on earth. Whether you visit Cuejdel Lake in the morning, in the evening, at midday, in spring or in autumn, you will always return home with a pleasant memory.

As you walk, please try to avoid disturbing nature. This area, unique in Romania, deserves proper protection so that the sight of Cuejdel Lake can delight generations to come.