The hike to Creasta Cocosolui (or cock’s comb) from the village Breb is a must do when you’re in the Maramures region of Romania.
Description of the hike to Creasta Cosolui
Distance: The total distance for this hike is 21,57 kilometers (out and back hike)
Elevation gain: The total incline was 1072 meters
Moving time: According to Strava my moving time was 5 hours and 24 minutes.
Difficulty: I would rate this as an intermediate/hard hike. Except for the last kilometer the incline is fairly moderate
Address start: Camin Cultural Breb
This hike starts in the village of Breb, here you can buy food or water. Usually I just bring my Grayl Geopress Bottle that filters water from any stream you find on your way. Free water always at your disposal!
Parking can be found near the cultural center of Breb. There are not so many places available but I’m sure you could find a spot next to the road somewhere nearby.
Use the pinned location below so you can navigate straight to where the hike starts.
Another interesting hiking opportunity in Romania is the Via Transilvanica which goes all the way through the country. I did the section of Bucovina, read more about it here: Hike Via Transilvanica in Bucovina – Romania
How to get to Breb in Maramures, Romania?
How to hike to Creasta Cocosului from Breb
Generally speaking for all hikes, the easiest way is to download a GPX file that you can view on a gps device, a smartphone or smartwatch. It will tell you step-by-step how to walk. It also includes an elevation profile of the hike which can help you to decide if this hike is for you or not. All the hikes on this blog are being tracked on Strava (sports tracking smartphone application)
You can either follow the red cross signs from the cultural center of Breb or use the GPX file I provided below. Usually I combine both when possible.
Download the GPX file right here: creasta-cocosului-from-breb-and-back.gpx
HOW IS HIKING to Creasta Cocosului
The hike starts in the village of Breb in one of the most beautiful regions of Romania called the Maramures.
The first kilometer you will be hiking through the village of Breb. When I embarked on the journey to Creasta Cocosului I was not caffeinated yet. There are a few options to get a morning coffee or some breakfast but choices are rather limited. It is advised to bring all your own supplies. As far as I recall there wasn’t any convenience store in the village.
Pretty soon after passing the last houses from the village you will reach the forest. I like hiking in the forest but mostly I prefer to have some views once in a while as well. This was a bit missing the first few kilometers. To my surprise there was a lake after about 6 kilometers into the hike. You need to take a right turn and make a tiny detour for this but in my opinion it was worth it. The lake is called Lacul Morărenilor or Miller lake and was formed after a landslide. It’s almost completely circular and has a depth of about 20 meters.
About 2 kilometers after leaving the Miller lake behind you will reach open fields with some other small ponds. This was one of my favorite parts. Huge plains with long grass and lurking in the background already the great rock of Creasta Cocosului.
At this point I started wondering if I would actually hike all the way up to the rock. I had around 8 kilometer on my Garmin watch and the hike was supposed to be about 10 kilometers one way. That meant I had about 2 kilometer to go but it still seemed so far way. Spoiler alert: I did make it all the way up to the Cock’s Comb.
While hiking in the beautiful plain the trail started to become steeper. Without shade on a hot and sunny day the sweat was dripping of my face. But the worst was yet to come.
About a kilometer further the hike was back into the dense forest but this time with a very steep climb where not only I had to use my feet but also my hands to get up there.
It took me about 45 minutes of intense hiking to finally reach the plain that was right next to the rock. As I was there I also climbed the rock to get the view from on top. There are no chains or any other safety measures to get up there so climb this rock at your own risk. I always tend to play it on the safe side. As soon as I feel uncomfortable I stop. Upon my arrival there was another hiker that was walking all the way on top of the ridge so it is actually possible. I took my drone out to get the better views, it’s less nerve wrecking 😉
22-day road trip crossing some of the most beautiful areas in Romania, read all about it here: EPIC ROMANIA ROAD TRIP GUIDE – OFF THE BEATEN PATH ITINERARY
Creasta Cocosului or Cock’s Comb
Creasta Cocosului or cock’s comb or I even heard someone mention the Roosters Crest is a rock that looks like a cock’s comb. It’s one of the most impressive ridges of the Gutaiului Mountains. At 1450 meters above sea levels it reaches high above the surroundings. As there are not many peaks around there the views are almost 360°. Especially if you climb the actual ridge it becomes very impressive.
Creasta Cocosului can be reached via various hiking trails. The one from Breb is about 10 kilometer one way but there’s also a shorter alternatives from what I heard from fellow hikers.
BREB 148 – LOCAL FOOD AND GARDEN
While hiking from Breb to Creasta Cocosului I met this super cool Romanian couple. We hiked back to Breb together and they invited me to grab a few beers and dinner at Breb 148 Local Food and Garden. If you follow my GPX-file you might actually see that on the way back I took another route. That’s because we stopped at this lovely outdoor restaurant in the middle of Breb. I would definitely advise you to do the same. Camping Babou is also just next to this restaurant. A few people that I met in Breb were staying at this camping and were very happy staying there.
Breb 148 local food and garden is an outdoor restaurant. The kitchen and bar consist of several food trucks and most tables are outside. There is also a covered terrace if you prefer that. They have several craft beers. As recommended by my Romanian brother Sebi I tried the crafted Ursus beer. It was delicious. For dinner I tried sarmale which is a typical Romanian dish that consists of cabbage rolls with minced meat inside and some kind of polenta which is called mamaliga in Romania. I tried sarmale on several other occasions in Romania and the one in Breb at Local Food and Garden is still my number 1.
For who is this hike to the cock’s comb in breb?
This hike starts in the picturesque little village of breb in the maramures region of romania. It is in my opinion one of the most beautiful and authentic areas in Romania. The hike to Creasta Cocosului contains a good mix of villages, forests, lakes, viewpoints. The final reward is an amazing view over the cock’s comb-a-like rock formations.
If you followed this route let me know! I’m always glad to hear from you!