The Celik-Dere Trail is a medium-length loop trail (24km), which starts and ends in the parking lot of the Celic-Dere Monastery, one of the most famous places of worship in Northern Dobrogea. The road takes us along the Celik Valley (Steel Stream – in Turkish), and the return is made along the Valea Morilor, along the Telița Stream. The landscapes on the route are typical of the North Dobrogea forest, with a wide variety of plant species.
From the monastery parking lot we leave westwards on the cobblestone road that continues the asphalt. The first 4 km, a succession of very easy climbs and descents, takes us along the Celik Dere stream, whose small meanders can be seen on the left of the road. Just before the road crosses the Celik over a concrete footbridge and continues to climb to the left, at kilometer 3.95, our route crosses a small stream that comes from the right and continues north (right) with a relatively difficult climb of almost 1500m. The landscape is spectacular, on the edge of a deep valley, and at km 5.35 we are rewarded with a small lookout point, a colorful clearing in any season (peonies, rose hips, honeysuckle) – a good stop for photos and hydration.
From here the road continues along the edge of the wheat fields until km 6.3, where we have a small green barrier on the left side (on the road coming from the field). We will turn short to the right and follow the road for another 120 meters, being careful not to miss an intersection from which we will choose the road furthest to the left (at 90 degrees). For the next kilometer, we will take care to choose the roads from the left, so that we do not stray more than 50m from the forest edge (left side).
From km 7.5 we will dive into the forest and follow the most traveled road, helping ourselves with the GPS if necessary, since it is the only section with more difficult orientation and without landmarks.

At km 10.3 we reach a clearing at the edge of the field, continue 50m on the exploitation road and then turn right in a slight descent for the next 500m, to the asphalt road DJ229 Niculițel-Valea Teilor. From here we can see to the south the yellow fields and the mosaic landscape with forest sections, as well as 2 wind turbines. We will continue slightly uphill to the north, to the right, on the asphalt, on the road that resembles a tunnel between the trees, until km 12, where we turn short right onto the paved road.
After 600m, on the left side of the road, relatively hidden under the road, we find a small circular spring. Unfortunately, we cannot always rely on it, because it can dry up during dry periods. In any case, from here we will follow the paved road for another 7km, with the Telița stream on the right, to the village of the same name. We will come out onto the asphalt right at the edge of the village, and from there we turn right onto DJ229A, along the shady edge of the forest, to the Celic Dere Monastery – the end of the route.