The Țibleș mountains rise like a dark wall between the Lăpuș country and the valleys of Maramureș, a volcanic range of dense spruce and beech forest topping out at nearly two thousand metres. On their slopes, near the source known as Izvorul Șurii above the village of Groșii Țibleșului, the forest feels almost untouched: springs bubbling out of mossy banks, fallen trunks covered in fungi, and a silence broken only by woodpeckers and the wind. This is bear country, and wolves and lynx roam these woods too. The area lies on the edge of the Maramureș region, famous for its wooden churches, carved gates and deeply traditional village life.
Maramureș is one of the few places in Europe where the old peasant culture has survived largely intact into the twenty-first century. Villages such as Botiza, a short ride away, are known for their woven rugs dyed with natural colours, and for their wooden churches with tall, slender spires. The UNESCO-listed wooden churches of Maramureș, built between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, are scattered through the valleys to the north. Sunday mornings in the villages still see people walking to church in traditional dress, and haymaking is often done by hand with scythes.
The ride here is an adventure. Roads from Lăpuș or from the Iza valley climb into the mountains through forested valleys, becoming narrower, steeper and rougher as you go. The higher sections are often forest roads, gravel or dirt, which are best suited to adventure or dual-sport bikes and can become impassable after heavy rain or in winter. The asphalt stretches in the valleys have plenty of curves but also potholes and loose gravel. Watch out for logging trucks, horse-drawn carts and livestock. The views over the Maramureș hills and the distant Rodna mountains from the higher passes are superb.
Services are thin on the ground. Groșii Țibleșului, Botiza and Lăpuș have small shops, but for reliable fuel, head for Săliștea de Sus, Dragomirești or the town of Târgu Lăpuș, depending on your route. Food in Maramureș is simple and filling: polenta with cheese and sour cream, smoked meats, soups and the fiery plum brandy known locally as horincă. Bring water and supplies, find a spring in the woods and fill your bottle, and enjoy one of the wildest corners of the Carpathians.