The Bicaz Gorge is a crack in the Carpathians, and the road goes straight through it. For several kilometres the limestone walls of the Hășmaș mountains close in on both sides, rising some three hundred metres in places, so narrow that the road and the stream beside it share the floor and the sky shrinks to a ribbon. Bends are tight, the walls overhang, and the light changes from gold to deep shadow as you go. It is one of the great short rides of Eastern Europe, and it ends too soon.
The road, the DN12C, links the Transylvanian side at Gheorgheni with Moldavia, and it follows a route that has been used for centuries. The river that carved the gorge is the Bicaz, and the rock formations carry names like the Altar Stone and the Lonely Rock. At the narrowest part, rows of stalls selling wool socks, honey, cheese, jams and carved wooden trinkets crowd the roadside in summer, which narrows the carriageway even more. In the middle of the day coaches and trucks come through, and meeting one on a blind bend is a tense moment, so take it slowly and hold your line.
A short way upstream, the Red Lake, or Lacul Roșu, is worth a detour. It was created in 1837 when a landslide dammed a valley, and dead tree trunks still rise from the water, which gives the lake a haunting look in morning mist. The surrounding forests are home to bears, deer and wolves, and the limestone cliffs support rare plants and birds of prey. The air smells of spruce and wet rock.
The best time to ride is early on a weekday morning, when traffic is light and the shadows give the walls a dramatic look, or in autumn when the forests glow. In rain the surface can be slick, and falling rocks are possible, so watch the verges. The village of Bicaz-Chei at the western end has a few shops and guesthouses, but for proper fuel it is best to fill up in Bicaz town on the Moldavian side or in Gheorgheni to the west before you enter.
Come out the far end into the open valley, and you will feel the space as if you had held your breath.