The hills of Sălaj between Buciumi, Stârciu and Cizer are a landscape of small villages, orchards, pastures and woods, and like much of this county, they were part of the northwestern frontier of Roman Dacia. Hurez, Sub Cornet, is one of the sites of that frontier listed by UNESCO in 2024, probably a watchtower or a stretch of defensive earthwork on a ridge, part of the chain of military posts that linked the forts. Little is visible on the ground today, and the site is better appreciated as part of a wider landscape of Roman frontier archaeology.
A few kilometres away, at Buciumi, the Romans built a fort to guard a pass through the Meseș mountains, and its excavated remains, with walls and gates, are among the best preserved on this stretch of frontier. The fort held an auxiliary unit, and the soldiers' settlement grew around it, with houses, workshops and a bath house. Walking around the site, among the meadows and orchards, it is easy to imagine the soldiers watching the forested hills to the north and west, where the free Dacians lived.
The villages of Sălaj have another treasure: dozens of wooden churches, built mostly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many with tall, slender towers and painted interiors. They are among the finest examples of folk architecture in Romania, though fewer visitors come here than to the more famous churches of Maramureș. Look for them on hillsides above the villages, often surrounded by graves and old trees. Many are locked, but someone in the village usually has the key.
The riding is quiet and rural. The roads between villages wind through the hills with gentle bends and short climbs, and traffic is light. The surface varies from good to poor, with potholes and patched sections, and some minor roads are unpaved. Horse-drawn carts, sheep, cows and dogs are common, and village children wave at passing riders. The Meseș mountains offer a few more challenging roads, with tight bends through forests.
Crasna and Zalău have fuel, shops and restaurants; the villages have small shops where you can buy bread, cheese and cold drinks. Spring, when the orchards are in blossom, and early autumn, when the plums and apples are ripe, are lovely. In late summer, families make pălincă, the strong local fruit brandy.