Zagra is the last farming village before the land begins to climb in earnest toward the Rodna mountains, the highest range in the Eastern Carpathians north of the Prislop pass. Pietrosul Rodnei, at about 2,300 metres, is the summit, and the whole massif is protected as a national park and biosphere reserve, with glacial lakes, rocky ridges and alpine meadows that stay snowy into June. From the Dealul Lupului, the Wolf Hill, you look across a patchwork of hayfields toward those peaks, which look closer than they are.
The name is old and true to the place. Wolves still live in the Carpathians, and shepherds in these valleys keep big white sheepdogs for good reason, so if you walk uphill from the road give any flock a wide berth and do not approach the dogs. Brown bears and lynx are also present in the forested parts of the range, though you are far more likely to meet a cow on a bend than a predator. The air has the particular smell of mountain hay mixed with woodsmoke, which I have never managed to describe to anyone who hasn't been.
Riding here is some of the best in this part of the country. The side road up the Zagra valley has curves that tighten as you climb, passing farms, stream crossings and a few steep ramps where the surface is patched with asphalt of varying age. In wet weather expect mud on the corners and loose gravel, and in spring there may be rockfall after thaw. Higher up, the road becomes a track, so most riders turn back at the last houses. Early morning is clearest, with cool air and sharp light on the ridges, while afternoon thunderstorms can build quickly in July and August.
Zagra itself is small, with a shop and a bar, but nothing you could call a fuel station, so top up in Nimigea de Sus, about four kilometres away, or in Salva. For a meal, ask at a village guesthouse, where homemade bread, sheep's cheese and smoked pork are usually on offer, and where a glass of țuică may arrive unannounced. Dress in layers, because the temperature drops quickly after sunset, and carry water for the climb.