The relief with vertical walls, the 2000m high limestone ridge and forests covering much of the park's surface create a great diversity of habitats. Along the mountain side it can be seen the altitudinal straps formed by the vegetation, the massive being surrounded from the base to the mountain top by hay meadows, forests, rock cliffs and alpine grasslands.
Alpine rivers and the herbaceous vegetation along their banks (Code 3220)
The habitat occurs as enclaves along Bârsa, Dâmboviţa and Dâmbovicioara rivers and their tributaries.
The overall area of this habitat does not exceed 1 ha.
Alpine rivers and their ligneous vegetation with Myricaria germanica (Code 3230)
In Piatra Craiului it occurs as enclaves at the outskirts of Alnus incana and Alnus glutinosa corridors along Bârsa and Dâmboviţa rivers valleys.
The habitat is fragmented, covering about 3 hectares.
Alpine and boreal heaths (Code 4060)
In Piatra Craiului there were identified several subtypes (Pal. Hab. classification):
31.42 - Alpine acidocline alpenrose heaths
In Piatra Craiului the habitat’s surface is comparatively less extended and fragmented, being located on both sides, from (1,600) 1,700 to 1,950 (2,100) m altitude. It was recoreded mainly in the north and north-east side of the mountain - under Ascuțit Peak, under Baciului Peak and Țimbalu Mare Peak, in the Padina Închisă - Turnu area, on Brâul Ciorânga Mare, Brâul de Mijloc, Piatra Craiului Mică, on grassy slopes which are snow-covered during the winter.
This habitat subtype covers about 30 ha.
31.49 - Mountain avens mats
In Piatra Craiului, the surfaces are also small and fragmented, located on calcareous rocky slopes on grassy ledges with shallow soil, in sheltered places where snow accumulates and lasts until late spring, at altitude from 1,750 to 2,200 m, on shaded and partially sunny slopes.
This habitat subtype is fragmented, covering up to 5 ha.
31.43 - Mountain dwarf juniper shrub
In Piatra Craiului phytocoenoses dominated by Juniperus communis ssp. alpina (Juniperus sibirica) are fragmented and located in sunnier places from the subalpine level to the main ridge, achieving an optimum development in the clearings from the spruce forests located at the treeline. The habitat was reported from Muntele Pietricica, southern slope of Grindul Mare and Piatra Craiului Mică.
This habitat subtype is fragmented, covering around 5-10 ha.
Bushes with Pinus mugo and Rhododendron myrtifolium (Code 4070*)
In Piatra Craiului the habitat is highly fragmented, being located on both sides of the mountain at from (1,500) 1,600 to 2,100 m altitude, covering the largest areas in the northern and north-eastern side of the mountain.
The habitat is fragmented, covering about 170 ha.
Alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands (Code 6170)
In Piatra Craiului, this Natura 2000 habitat - alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands is represented by phytocoenoses belonging to several plant associations and several types of grassland habitats, according to the classification of habitats in Romania.
The conservation value of this grassland type is high, because it shelters the local endemic species - Piatra Craiului’s pink (Dianthus callizonus).
Many other species of the "Red List of higher plants" are quite common in this type of habitat.
In Piatra Craiului habitat is located on both sides of the mountain from 1.700 to 2,237 m altitude.
The habitat covers about 300 ha.
Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities of plains and of the montane to the alpine levels (Code 6430)
In Piatra Craiului the habitat is fragmented, covering small areas along Bârsei, Dâmboviţei, Crăpăturii, Râie, and Tamasului Valleys.
Total area of this habitat does not exceed 1-2 ha.
Mountain Hay Meadows (Code 6520)
In Piatra Craiului the habitat is well represented on Bârsei, Dâmboviţei Valleys and Măgura Hill (Măgura and Peștera villages) from 724 to 1,498 m altitude, with the largest extent at 974 m altitude.
In the national park the hay meadows cover about 1.750 ha, forming usually continuous surfaces.
Calcareous and calchist screes of the montane to alpine levels (Thlaspietea rotundifolii) (Code 8120)
In Piatra Craiului, this habitat is found from 1,285 to 2,196 m altitude, with the largest extent at the altitude of 1,745 m, in the following areas: Marele Grohotiş, La Zaplaz, Piatra Craiului Mică, Hornul Gainii, Padinile Frumoase, Umerii Pietrei Craiului, Ascuțit Peak, Padina Popii Peak and others.
The scree habitat is highly fragmented, covering about 80 ha.
Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation (Code 8210)
In Piatra Craiului this type of habitat is found in Brusturetului, Dâmboviței, Dâmbovicioarei, Prăpăstiile Zarneștiului Gorges (750-1,000 m altitude) and on the mountain slopes between 1,000-2,200 m.
The habitat covers about 340 ha.
Caves not open to the public (Code 8310)
Piatra Craiului National Park’s Cave List contains over 800 natural cavities that are found especially in the gorges and at the foot of the ridge. Most of them are very small, with a length and depth of less than 20 m. Among the main larger caves there are: Dâmbovicioara Cave, Bears Cave, Stanciului Cave, Colțul Chiliilor, Dobrești Cave, Hoților Cave, Liliecilor Cave, Peștera Mare a lui Prepeleac and others.
In Piatra Craiului, in the Grind Valley watershead, there is the second deepest pit and also the largest, higher than 2,000 m altitude cave in the country. With a 540 m depth, Avenul de sub Colţii Grindului is included in the world list of the deepest pits.
Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests (Code 9110)
This habitat type is reported from all the Romanian Carpathians.
In Piatra Craiului these communities are the most common and polymorphic, located between beech forests and coniferous forests. The habitat is located from 900 to 1,100 (1,200) m altitude. The vegetation communities with the acidophile flora are located mainly on partly sunny sides (western and southwestern slope) and the other ones with Festuca drymeja, a codominant in the herbaceous layer, on shady sides (northern and northeastern).
The habitat covers several thousand hectares.
Medio-European limestone beech forests of the Cephalanthero-Fagion (Code 9150)
In Piatra Craiului, there are not reported phytocoenoses of the association or subassociation referred to correspondence section, but some floristic surveys assigned to Symphyto cordati-Fagetum association, located at lower altitude (820-900 m), on sunny or partially sunny sides (south and west) of some slopes with high gradients (45° or 30°) seem to approach the characteristic plant communities of this type of habitat.
In the national park the habitat could cover several hundred hectares.
Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae) (Code 91E0*)
In Piatra Craiului the alluvial forests are located along water courses in the Dâmboviţa and Bârsa valleys.
The habitat covers about 30 ha.
Western Carpathian calcicolous Pinus sylvestris forests (Code 91Q0)
In Piatra Craiului, this habitat occurs mainly in boreal level. The characteristic plant communities were reported from the northern sector (between Crăpăturii Valley and Padina lui Calineț, on steep and rocky ridges from 1,350 to 1,550 m) and the southern sector (Ghimbavului Gorges, Valea Cheii, Colții lui Dumitru, Culmea Zacotelor, Cheile Mari ale Dâmboviței Gorges).
The habitat is fragmented, covering about 100 ha.
Dacian beech forests (Symphyto-Fagion) (Code 91V0)
In Piatra Craiului, the habitat covers large areas from 500 to 1,200 m altitude.
In the park the habitat covers over 3,300 ha.
Acidophilous Picea forests of the montane to alpine levels (Vaccinio-Piceetea) (Code 9410)
In Piatra Craiului habitat covers a large area on both sides at altitude from 1,350 to 1,800 m.
Spruce forests belonging to this type of habitat cover about 3,600 ha in Piatra Craiului.
Piatra Craiului National Park Management Plan