ROOSTER`S CREST

The Rooster`s Crest (Creasta Cocosului) Reserve is probably the most popular tourist attraction in the Gutâi Mountains. The ridge, which gives the reserve its name and resembles a gigantic rooster's crest, is a 60-100 meters wide vertical wall with a sharp, crenellated 200 meters long peak and it is a reminiscence of an ancient volcanic crater that erupted nine million years ago. If you look up at it from below or from a distance, it appears as an abrupt cliff. But if you make the effort to climb to the top, at 1200 meters altitude, you will discover a superb panorama over the surrounding mountains, but also over the Maramureș Depression. In the scientific literature the rock from which it is formed is called "Gutâi andesite". In order to preserve this interesting landform, since 1954 The Rooster`s Crest is declared a protected site, on an area of 50ha. Later, the reserve and the buffer zone around it were declared a Natura 2000 European site, the aim being to protect and conserve flora and fauna of great ecological and scientific significance. At the foothills of the steep is the Chendroaiei peat bog that houses peat moss and the beautiful insectivorous plant, the round-leaved sundew (Drosera Rotundifolia). Also in this area we find a well-preserved habitat for lynx, bear and several species of rare European birds of prey, such as the golden eagle and the small eagle.
The Rooster`s Crest is an ideal destination for mountain hikes and nature adventures.