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PADIS- monography
This is an eco-touristic guide book of an area with an exceptional touristic potential, but jeopadized ecologically speaking. A warning sign and an appeal to reason.
The third edition, but first in English - 1998
Author: Cristian Pop Contributors: George Togor Radu Mititean Anca Simionas Drafting: George Togor Translation: Emil Cocian, Diana Rus Photos: Cristian Pop Publisher: Chrysopeea press s.r.l.
This publication was issued with the help of the Fund for Development of the Carpathian Euroregion, as part of the "Sustainable Community Development Alternatives of the Apuseni Mountains Area - Romania"
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION GENERAL VIEW Location Access Relief and Geology The exo-Karstic relief Elements of endo-Karstik relief Climate Hydrology Flora and Vegetation Herbaceus Vegetation Ligneous Vegetation Vegetation of the Rocks Fauna Ecological and Environmental Protection Aspects
TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Accomodation and Boarding Outstanding Natural Sites The Padis Plane (Sesul Padis) The Magura Vânata Mountain Range (Muntele Magura Vânata) The Gorges of the Warm Somes (Cheile Somesului Cald) The Varasoaia Glade (Poiana Varasoaia) The Stone of Boga and the Fence of Boga (Pietrele Boghii si Gardul Boghii) The Boga Valley (Valea Boga) The Balileasa Glade and the At Stable (Poiana Balileasa si zona La Grajduri) The Barsa Pit (Groapa de la Barsa) The Living Fire Iceblock Cave (Pestera Ghetarul de la Focul Viu) The Stone of Galbena (Piatra Galbenei) The Ponor Glade (Poiana Ponor) The Fortress of Ponor Karst (complexul carstic Cetatile Ponorului) The Gorges of Galbena (Cheile Galbenei) The Flower Glade (Poiana Florilor) The Lost World (Lumea Pierduta) The Cârligate Range (Culmea Cârligate) Some touristic route proposals Marked tourist routes Advices for tourists Elements of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Padis Area About the authors
INTRODUCTION This work is one of the few publications dedicated exclusively to presenting the natural potential of the Padis area (Bihor Mountains). This short monography aims to be a guide book for tourists and an appeal to protection of the rich natural patrimony of this area. It was based on studies and field observation done in the second half of 1997. As such a guide book of Padis has not been written since 1981 (the last one has issued in the “Monografii Montane - Mountain Monographies” series and has been called “Muntii Bihor-Vladeasa - The Bihor-Vladeasa Mountains”, authors Marcian Bleahu and Sever Bordea), we considered to issue a quite substantial promotional number of it. The author wants to dedicate this work for all those who love Padis and cherish the hope that this area will soon get the protected area status and come into the civilised tourism circuit, as it deserves. For all those who, like ourselves, live with the hope that someday the unmerciful felling of the forest will end, the garbage left by tourists, shepherds and oilworkers will disappear, the tourist routes will be arranged and the chalets will offer appropriate conditions and tourist services. We have faith that our enthusiasm is not in vain and that we shall succeed in finding solutions and persuading the decision makers and local authorities. For we are not the enemies of the local people, on the contrary: we want to make them see the advantages that they would benefit from tourism and environment protection. We thank to Mr. Prof. Dr. Marcian Bleahu, the doyen of the enthusiasts, who has struggled for decades for the Apuseni Mountains National Park, to Mrs. Prof. Ana Marossy for her ever young devotion to Padis, to Mr. Prof. Iosif Viemann tireless advocate of the Karst protection and teacher of many generations of Padis lovers, to Mr. Prof. Attila Horváth and the whole staff of the “Emil Racovita” Institute for Speleology Cluj-Napoca - for the environmental protection lectures he held during the Padis summer camps, to Mr. Acad. Boscaiu - for his restless activity for protected areas in Romania, to Mr. Prof. Dr. Vasile Cristea - for his precious studies that helped us to demonstrate the necessity of conservation of the biotops in the Apuseni, to the fellows from the "Apuseni Mountains" Regional Environmental Survey Centre for their enthusiasm and last but not least to all those who supported us by different means in the last years. We wish the Fund for the Development of the Carpathian Euroregion to achieve its goal. For we are that a Romanian society built on the respect for man and nature which should be the frame of the sustainable development of the Apuseni Mountains, that is our aim.
GENERAL VIEW
LOCATION
The Padis area lies in the Apuseni Mountains, more precisely on the Northern part of the Bihor Mountains. Administratively, Padis is located in the South-eastern part of Bihor County, at about 10-15 km east of Pietroasa village. The Padis tourist area consists of the Padis-Fortress of Ponor closed basin with a surface of 36 sq km (including the Gorges of Galbena and the Flower Glade) to the South-west and the Gorges of the Warm Somes -Varasoaia Glade - Cuciulata Glade to the North. Tourists also use to include into the Padis area the starting point of the Boga Valley in the North-west of the closed basin, at the feet of the Stones of Boga Steep. Some veteran Padis-lovers or geologists could argue for including in the Padis area of three sites that geographically do not belong to Padis. We want to emphasize the fact that the present monography deals with the Padis touristic area as a complex of natural values of outstanding touristic importance that can be reached from the same starting point. The area is limited as follows: The Cârligate Range, the Cuciulata Peak and the Warm Somes Valley - to the North The Magura Vânata Peak, the Church of the Mot Peak, the Gârdisoara and Chicera peaks -to the east the Glavoiu Mountain, the Bortig Peak, the Galbena Valley - to the South the Galbena Valley, the Balileasa Peak, the Boga Valley, the Cornetu Crest and the Brailesei Steep - to the west The Padis-Fortress of Ponor closed basin is a territory with no surface water. It is limited by peaks of a height between 1642m (Magura Vânata) and 1100m (the crest to the North-west of the Stone of Galbena). Surrounded by the catchments of the Warm Somes, Aries and Crisul Pietros, the drainage of the waters of this area is completely underground in the Galbena Valley (80%) and Boga Valley. The Padis-Fortress of Ponor basin consists of eight closed bassinets that communicate only under the ground. The most of them are described in this monograph. The Gorges of the Warm Somes together with the Fortress of Radeasa is the upper course of the Warm Somes River. They end at the confluence with the Great Hazel River - its first “serious” tributary. The gorges have about 3 km length. The Gorges of Galbena. They begin with The Karstic Emergence of Galbena that collects the most of the waters from the Padis-Fortress of Ponor basin. The first sector of about 1,5 km length is the most spectacular. It surrounds to the south-south-west the Flower Glade. After the Flower Glade, the gorge follows a very wild sector of about 6 km until the confluence of the Bulz Valley.
ACCESS
The region is crossed from East to West by a 53 km long forest road (Rachitele-Ic Ponor-Padis-Boga-Pietroasa).There are 31 km from Rachitele to Padis and other 22 from Padis to Pietroasa. Both ends of this forest road are on county roads. Rachitele - Huedin (27 km, a partly modernised road) and Pietroasa - Sudrigiu (12 km asphalt road). The forest road hardly fits for car traffic. In 1996 this road was again excluded from modernisation, so there are few chances of its quality's improvement in the next few years. From this forest road some other roads start towards: the Fortress of Ponor (from the Ponor forester house the road is closed for the public to protect The Fortress of Ponor), the Varasoaia Glade, the Flower Glade (from the Valley of Bulz), the Gorges of the Warm Somes (from Ic Ponor) and the Boga Valley (from Boga village). The Padis area is accessible on marked tourist routes from: Vladeasa Chalet (32 km), Stîna de Vale (20 km), Pietroasa (20 km), Vârtop Saddle (24 km), Arieseni (16 km), Gârda (23 km), Scarisoara Cave (20 Km).
RELIEF AND GEOLOGY
The Padis area is situated in the Northern, limestone range of the Bihor Mountains. It has a Karstic relief remarkable, both in extension and in variety of shapes and forms. Thus, the Bihor Mountains are Romania’s number one in Karstic relief, and they are very famous of that. The Karstic relief results from direct water action on the lime. The surface Karstic relief and phenomena form the exoKarst (outer-Karst) while those from the underground form the endoKarst (inner-Karst). The ranges of the zone and those which limit the zone have no definite orientation. The Padis - Fortress of Ponor basin is surrounded. It is made of a succession of two strips: of waterproof rock and limestone oriented from North to South - west. This fact causes the drainage of the water streams that appear from and disappear into the ground. Padis is like a huge cheese full of holes of water draining. The succession of limestone and waterproof rocks causes the division of the basin in eight bassinets namely: Platoul Padis (The Padis Plateau), Poiana Balileasa (The Balileasa Glade), The Fortress Valley (The Valley of Fortresses), Groapa Barsa (The Barsa Pit), Poiana Ponor (The Ponor Glade), Platoul Lumea Pierduta (The Lost World Plateau), Barsa Cohanului and Paragina. The geology of Padis could also be compared with a sewage system, with the impressive Fortress of Ponor Cave as the final collecting pipe. The average height of the Basin is about 1200m. The highest peaks are located to the North (Cârligate 1694m) and North-west (Magura Vânata 1642m). The eastern part, though at a lower average altitude has very steep slopes, with 200-400m level differences towards Galbena and Boga Valley. The slopes are from place to place broken by very impressive limestone steeps like the Stones of Boga or the Stone of Galbena. Let us see some typical forms of the exo-Karst and endo-Karst.
THE EXO-KARSTIC RELIEF
The lapies are exo-Karstic forms of small crests and ditches irregularly interwoven, made by the corrosion and the erosion of the surface water. The dolines are circular funnel or plate-like hollows connected with the underground at the bottom. Thus many dolines or a doline field could signal a cave under the ground. The dolines are widespread in the area. We could find them at the Padis Plane or next to the Padis Chalet. The pot-holes are circular carvings made in the rocks by the water that falls into them producing surface or deep whirls. The most beautiful are to be found at the Gorges of Galbena. The Karstic gorges are devised in two categories on the genesis criterion: gorges dug by surface waters that deepened their bed progressively and gorges that appeared out of ex-tunnel caves that crumbled. The polyes are sink-like Karstic depressions. The flat lower plane is surrounded by steep slopes. A typical polye can be found at the Ponor Glade. The cave entrances are usually funnel-shaped, larger than the underground galleries because of more intense modelling action at the ground.
ELEMENTS OF ENDO-KARSTIC RELIEF
The specific feature of the Karstic relief and, thus of Padis, too, is the disorganisation of the surface hydrological network. Waters just disappear into the ground at a place called "ponor" to come up again (who knows where) at a place called "izbuc" (Izbucul Ponor or the Ponor Izbuc drains for example the great part of water of the Padis Karstic Plateau). The penetration in the ground cavities is marked by a cave entrance or an aven (a vertical descent of the water). An underground cavity network consisting mainly of vertical pits is also called aven. There are such typical avens in the Lost World Karstic Plateau. The galleries are the underground traces of the water courses. These could be active galleries or fossil ones (carved in the past and than abandoned). Usually a cave has an active storey where flows the present water course and one or more fossil storeys situated usually above the active one. The cave halls are of collapse or of confluence of the underground water flows. Both the galleries and the cave halls could have speleothema (stalactites and stalagmites), typical column - like concretions that give the breathtaking beauty of this underworld. The non-Karstic relief of the caves consists of the well - known ice and of traces of life or ’’bioglyphae’’ left by human being and the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). The great extension and variety of the Karstic relief gives the Bihor Montains and the Apuseni, in general, a unique feature within the Romanian mountains and represents the favourite target of the mountaineer tourist groups.
CLIMATE
The climatic conditions in the Padis area give a typical mountain cold and wet weather. The peculiarity of the Karstic relief generated some interesting meteorological phenomena. Thus, the Padis - Fortress of Ponor closed basin has particular climatic features because of the lack of ventilation on the valleys (these being surrounded by ranges) and because of the doline depressions. The cold air settles on their bottom and it cannot move away. The result is a thermal inversion that means the increase of temperature with the altitude. An other peculiarity is the ’’Padis fog’’. It appears in the evening, consisting of an about one meter thick slowly creeping on the ground. Responsible is the closed doline depression relief again. During the day the air of depression gets warm. In the evening the air cools down and the cold air takes place of the warm air that takes off and condenses in contact with the cold air captured in the depressions. The average annual temperature is 3° C, reaching 22-25° C in summer and falling to -10° C in winter. The dominant winds are from west, bringing many rains. The Padis area is one of the most rainy zones of Romania. The massive felling of the trees and the industrial pollution have generated climate changes in the last years. So, it is quite difficult to predict the most favourable touring period. The last five summers have been very uneven, regarding the weather. Drizzle rains have fallen down both in June-July and in August or September. There have been also heavy rains that caused floods. Until a better weather forecast the tourist must let himself drifted away by his good luck.
HYDROLOGY
The Padis area is limited by three main waters flows: -Crisul Pietros (Boga and Galbena) to the west; -Somesul Cald to the North and east; -Aries (Gârda Seaca and Cobles) to the South-west and South. The discharge of the Padis water is very fluctuating depending on season and precipitation. On the whole the last years' drought has caused a severe decrease of the water discharge. In 1995 there have also been big floodings that caused water course changes. The flows of Padis-Fortress of Ponor closed basin are tributary to the Boga and Galbena streams mainly by two Karstic emergences: Izbucul Galbenei and Izbucul Boga. The great part of the waters which flow on the eight closed depressions enters underground just to come up again in the next one. Underground the water flows dug corridors some of them already explored by the bold speologists. The main water flows of the closed depressions and their courses are: - Valea Cutilor and Valea Renghii which spring out of the Magura Vânata Mountain, enter underground North-westerly of the Padis Plane to come up again in the Boga Karstic Emergence, after an about three km long subterranean course. - Valea Rea and Valea Trânghestii which spring on the Magura Vânata Mountain flows on the eastern part of the Padis Plane and enters underground near the Padis Chalet. They come up in the Ponor Karstic Emergence but only for some hundred metres. Then, they enter again underground at the Ponor Glade. After the underground union with the Fortress Valley, this genuine underground river comes up in the breathtaking Fortress of Ponor Cave. After flowing over the 1800 metre long cave of impressive galleries, it crosses a very narrow section (syphon) just to come up in the Galbena Karstic Emergence. It follows a garland of extraordinary waterfalls and then again a 150 meter long underground tunnel. From the tunnel the water breaks up in the height in a fan waterfall followed by a narrow canyon. After meeting Luncsoara Valley and the Dry Valley, a new sector comes of very wild and narrow gorges with many waterfalls. The river calms down only after meeting Bulz Valley near Pietroasa. - Izbucul Ursului that collects its waters from underground, comes up in two Karstic emergences situated close to each other: Izbucul Ursului and Izvorul Rece. The last one collects the water from the impressive Lost World’s underground. After an about one km long course, the flow gets lost on its bed (or at high waters at the cave entrance) at the Caput Cave. After crossing the cave the water appears as a pond in the portal of The Fortress of Ponor falling noisily into the dark depth. Here it meets the waters drained from the Ponor Glade and The Fortress Valley confluence and follows the route described above. - The Fortress Valley that flows from North to South near the forest road towards The Fortress of Ponor. In its upper course there is a meadow called “La Grajduri” (“The Stables”) which is the main camping place of the Padis area causing pollution. After winding through this meadow, the Fortress Valley deepens gradually. It follows a one km long sector of narrow gorges with waterfalls, grottos and pot-holes. In the portal of the Fortress of Ponor the waters fall loudly into the dark depth. We have to notice that, in the last years, this water discharge has sensitively decreased probably because of the drought or of the losses in the waterbed. That is why, in dry summer periods, the flow gets lost on the waterbed or even at The Stables merging underground with the waters of Poiana Ponor to come up in the subterranean Karstic emergence in the Fortress of Ponor. - The Warm Somes that springs out of the North of the range separating Magura Vânata from the steeps of Cârligate-Piatra Arsa. The Warm Somes spring (called Radeasa) consisting of some minor flows disappears at the very beginning in a very narrow, some ten meters long tunnel. After coming up it enters the Fortress of Radeasa tunnel cave, beneath a 15 m high mushroom-shaped portal. Crossing 250 m of gallery and the lower canyon the Radeasa merges with Valea Cuciulatii growing bigger. Here begins a 2 km long canyon of more than 10 m depth. After the Gorges of the Warm Somes smoothes receiving many tributaries from Magura Vânata and the Onceasa Glade. - Boga which springs beneath The Stones of Boga Steeps drains underground some of the Padis Plateau waters. After a section of narrow gorges Boga receives the waters of Oselu, Bulbuci, Valea Cacata and Valea Rea all these flows having gorges and waterfalls. Then it crosses a meadow - the Boga holiday village - where the river is collected in a decent reservoir. Downstream the Boga village by the Piatra Bulzului Natural Reserve it merges with Valea Plaiului changing its name into Bulz. After 3 km long course it receives the waters of the Galbena baptising Crisul Pietros. The wild beauty of these valleys will surely set off their hazy toponimy. From the viewpoint of water quality, the rivers of Padis does not show major pollution, except for the summer periods. There is pollution in this time of year because the tourist rush threatens to strangle the feeble cristal-clear waters discharging waste and detergent into them. It is very important for the tourists to know the ins and outs of water course for the risk of polluting lower section of the water flows. A typical case of water polluted area is the Ponor Karstic Emergence that collects the waters of the Padis Chalet very polluted in the vacation period.
FLORA AND VEGETATION
The Bihor Mountains have a vertically ranged vegetation that follows the pattern of the Carpathians vegetation. The broad-leaved hornbeam-sessile oak and hornbeam-beech mixtures are followed by pure beech forests; coniferous-deciduous, beech-fir and beech-spruce mixtures; pure spruce forests and finally shrubs and alpine grassland. This general pattern often alters due to the local conditions of soil, climate and geography as well as to the authropic impact, quite strong in all the Apuseni Mountains. An other feature is the great variety of floral elements. This is the meeting place of Northern, South-Mediterranean, South-Balkan, central-European, oriental and Eurasian species as well as of endemic and relict ones. The Padis-Fortress of Ponor endorheic zone's grassland vegetation strongly reflects the various physico-geographical and authropic influences of the region. The composition of the lithological substrate mainly formed by limestone determined a specific vegetation.
Herbaceous vegetation
Generally the grassland is dominated by a short herbaceous vegetation based on Nardus stricta (Violo declinatae-Nardetum). It took place of the richer, Red festuca dominated grassland (Scorzonero roseae-Festucetum rubrae) as a result of overgrazing. At the feet of the mountains there still are rich planes of Red festuca and Hair grass (Festuceto rubrae-Agrostietum tenuis). These are the remains of much more extended grasslands that diminished with the development of the co-operative farming.
Ligneous vegetation
The woodland covers the slopes and plateaus. It consists of pure forests of beech, mixed forests of beech and spruce and pure forests of spruce. The authropic impact on the Padis Plateau's woodland was very strong. One can hardly find places free of fellings, grazing or geological prospecting points. The beech-spruce mixed forests (Chrysanthemo rotundifolio - Piceo - Fagetum) lie on the lower and middle part of the slopes surrounding the Padis Plateau reaching higher on the valleys. The pure spruce forests (Oxalo-Piceetum, Chrysanthemo rotundifolio-Piceetum, Luzulo sylvaticae-Picetum, Sphagno-Picetum) lie on the lower parts of the South-eastern and North-western slopes, beneath the beech forests, due to the thermic inversion. But they reach the Plateau on the shady slopes. The shrubs are mainly represented by juniper and exclusively at Molhasul Mare, Izbuc by knee-pine.
Vegetation of the rocks
In the Padis area the plant communities of the steeps, pollies and rocks are dominated by Sesleria rigida and Avenastrum decorum, both of them of great value for the Carpathian vegetation. The grasslands of Sesleria rigida are an important link in the grassing of the rocks and the Karst aforestation. On the lime-rich scree one can find pioneer herbaceous communities of calcicol plants dominated by Dryopteris robertiana, Galium erectum, Thymus comosus, etc. On the rocky belts and polyes develops a xerophyte vegetation dominated by Festuca pallens, Melica ciliata and sporadically by Stipa pulcherrina, too. Along the streams and on the enriched soil of animal dejection develop massive communities of weeds and thistles, e.g. Rumex alpinus, Carduus nutans, Carlina acaulis, Urtica dioica etc. The entirely or partly silted dolines have a mezotrophic vegetation. The Molhasu Mare Reserve (Izbuc) is a genuine phito-historical archive. A knee pine population that grows at only 1300 m altitude is also to be found here and is worth to be mentioned. The subalpine vegetation begins at the altitude of 1600 m. The ligneous vegetation is represented by the dwarf-juniper (Juniperus comunis ssp. nana). Here develop typical subalpine grass communities dominated by Festuca rubra, Festuca ovina, Anthoxtantum odoratum. On the more stony and aciduous places develop the bilberry and red bilberry groves (Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea). The unreasonable and illegal deforestation and the overgrazing lead to a continuos degradation of the soil. On the cuts the woodland gives place at the beginning to weeds and raspberry bushes (Epilobium angustifolium, Rubus idaeus). In time, due to the grazing the weeds and bushes disappear, the forest being converted into grassland. The firstly mezophite grassland turns into very poor, acidophite grassland of Pig bristle (Nardus stricta) and Black grass (Calluna vulgaris) due to the overgrazing and xerophytisation. The protection of the Apuseni Mountains in a National Park is very needful and urgent because of the massive human impact that has threatened its beauty since the thirties of our century. Thus, many interesting plants face extinction; the Tertiary relicts of: Transylvanian lilac (Syringa josikaea)- a narrow endemic of Valea Iadului and Veronica bacchofeni (Flower Glade and Galbena Peak); the glacial relicts of Pedicularis limnogena, Eriophorum vaginatum, Empetrum nigrum, Carex pauciflora; the Carpathian Endemics of: Silene heuffelii, Dianthus giganteus, Saxifraga rocheliana, Symphytum cordatum, Melampyrum bihariense and many other rare species. The interference of such a different floral element reflects a very complex vegetation history. Some species are climatic relicts of warm (Tertiary) or cold climate (Glacial Ages).
FAUNA
The deep forests that cover the Padis area shelter many animal species. The bear dwells on Magura Vânata, Boga Peak and Barsa Pit. He can be found almost everywhere in the area, except the marked tourist routes. He fears the man and avoids getting closer to the circulated area. In almost every glade, one can find fresh wild boar routings, while in the high forests live capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) and squirrels. Recently, the spring zone of the Boga Valley has been successfully populated with chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and lynx (Lynx lynx). The roe and the deer complete the animal world of the region. For the uncontrolled hunting, poaching and overgrazing wild animals are less and less to be seen in Padis. Considered only as game with economical value, thousands of these animals, which mostly hide than live, are threatened with extinction, though many of them are protected by law.
ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ASPECTS
Padis, as one of the most picturesque places in Romania has been uppermost attractive for tourists both from Romania and from abroad. Unfortunately the human impact has gradually induced a stronger and stronger anthropisation and change of the original landscape. It is difficult to classify on the impact on the ecosystem the many risk factors that occur. But, one fact is for sure: in the past as well as in present time the well-established and long-lasting environmental balance has been over and over disturbed with a higher and higher intensity. Due to its geological substrate (lime) the Karstic relief is extremely sensitive to the slightest changes of the environmental conditions. Once unleashed, the chain of the eco-distructive process can hardly be controlled and stopped. The environmental problems of Padis have exponentially increased since the inter-war period when the massive deforestation had started. After the war, this process had continued under the soviet administration. It had been a genuine green gold robbery. The narrow-ganged forest trains (“mocanita”) carried from the region thousands of cubic metres of wood. Large surfaces of woodland had been deforested and a too small part of them was regenerated. In the seventies, the mining prospection began in the region, the infrastructure being completed regardless to the impact on the nature. Padis has thus become more accessible (the old roads were modernised and new ones were made). But the scientific and landscape importance has been completely ignored by the communist authorities. The brutal intervention in the landscape and implicitly the irreversible distruction of many scientific and touristic sites by mining and forestry, have left many stains on the map of Padis. It is relevant for example the construction of a so-called “strategic road” designed to link Pietroasa and Arieseni that has destroyed a great part of the very spectacular Gorges of Galbena and aggressing even the Cheile Galbenei Natural Reserve. This road now used only for wood transport has been constructed with the approval of the Romanian Academy that has helplessly faced the unconsciousness of the decision makers. After 1989 the prospecting activity has ceased for lack of funds. Many locals have been dismissed and forced to turn to other sources of income, specially wood. A great part of the infrastructure has been abandoned in situ forming a big quantity of industrial waste. The fellings have drastically increased and have come out of hand threatening with an environmental disaster with many economic and social implications for the waterside areas. (There was a warning on the winter of 1995 when floods occurred for the deforested areas of Padis). The tries in the enforcement of the Land Law have generated chaos in landuse and estate. Five communes (Pietroasa, Buntesti, Budureasa, Gârda and Belis) and the Romanian Forestry Commission (Romsilva) vehemently have disputed their territories. These conflicts have lead to an unprecedented pillage of the uncertain, who knows whose forests. Many forests belonging to Romsilva, but claimed by the Local Councils have been leased to private firms that recklessly fell them (e.g. the cuts from Plaiu and Fagu). But, one of the saddest things is the lack of global vision and local initiative and strategy regarding the capitalisation of the touristic potential that might lead to the sustainable development of this region. However, in Pietroasa there are signs of care for tourism, even though people still prefer to extend the grazing land and to destroy the forests. Romsilva cannot control the fellings any more. The illegal felling is the main source of income for the most of the inhabitants of this region. Once the vegetal layer removed for felling and overgrazing, the thin soil stratum that covers the limestone is exposed to the wind and water erosion, growing thinner and thinner and finally disappearing in a relatively short time. This process could irreversibly turn the whole region into an immense limestone desert. The re-construction of the soil layer could be very expensive and the overcome very uncertain, one could say even impossible. The first evidences of this process are unfortunately obvious nowadays in Padis. The warnings have been given by countless experts yet from the first surveys and studies. We join them signing again the galloping degradation of the ecosystems in Padis and emphasising the urgent need for firm ecoprotective measures according to the situation. An important step could be the enforcement of the environmental laws issued in the last years: The Environment Protection Law (137/1995), The Forest Law, The Water Law (107/1996), The no. 125/1996 Disposition of the Ministry of Water, Forest and Environmental Protection (APPM) on the pass of Regulation Procedures of the economic and social activities with environmental impact. The Law of Protected Areas is now being worked out. The ratification and application of the international conventions on protected areas could also help. The propaganda for an environmental approach of the tourists is another important thing to do. Without enhancing in each tourist the need and compulsoriness of the ecoprotective measures, all the effort of cleansing or other action of the environmental or tourist organisations is but Sisyphusian and perfunctory. The main environmental problems of the area have been unleast until it gets the status of protected area, the following ones: - chaotic and massive fellings for industrial purpose or merely for gaining land for grazing. This uncovers the thin, 20-40 cm deep, soil and exposes it to erosion. The loss of the forests also induce sever deregulation and modification of the floro-faunal components of the area; - the lack of will and efficiency in treating the infested forests that lead to pest gradation and drying. (This has recently happened with the forest over The Fortress of Ponor); - overgrazing in deforested areas that alters the grassy communities and leads to defertilization. It drastically reduces vegetation promoting the soil erosion. A quite strong and negative impact on the area has the uncontrolled tourism. Along all tourist routes the experienced eye can notice important alterations of the ecological balances of the ecosystems. Last but not least, important is the need for protection of the subterranean biotops. These are very fragile biotops of invaluable scientific importance. We mean to stop the destruction of cave walls by the so-called tourists and above all to stop the decrease and loss of the troglobiont and troglophyle (cave-dweller) animal species. These species are, generally strictly endemist for each cave, thus of exceptional value. Being very specialised these interesting creatures are very sensitive to the slightest changes of their biotops. To preserve them, their homes, the caves of great biospeleological importance must be protected by limiting as possible the access of the tourists into them. Finally, we appeal again to the public opinion to protect nature by all means, to avoid a total irreversible degradation of the Romanian landscape and natural wealth.
TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
ACCOMMODATION AND BOARDING
The Padis area is one of the most austere regions of Romania concerning the tourist facilities. The case is primarily the lack of will at local level for the capitalisation of the tourist potential instead of using up the forests and grassland what was unfortunately preferred. Another impediment in the tourist development had been the uranium, which had been found in the subsoil. The uranium mining has severely affected the whole area that has thus been sacrificed for a "strategical" element. Until recent times, the only accommodation possibility was at the Padis Chalet. It had a capacity of 24 persons with 2 or 4 bed rooms and no other facilities. The chalet has a restaurant, too. Unfortunately, the conditions have not improved in the last few years. On the contrary, the chalet is in ruins: the bunks and belonging bungalows are completely destroyed, the restaurant turned into an uncomfortable bar, the annexes crumbled. The chalet has functioned under “La dolina” Inc., the ex-state tourist agency (O.J.T. Bihor) and is very badly managed. There could be many ways of improvement but their implementation always failed in the network of Romanian bureaucracy and bribe. These conditions have brought to dismay many new-comer tourists. Beginning with March of this year, the chalet has been sold to “Cibela Group”, a big romanian holding, which will modernize it. We hope that this privatization process will not affect its initial destination (There are lots of cases in Romania when tourist chalets have been changed into private or hunting houses). The bungalows near Padis Chalet are organised in two campings. One of them, belonging to the Technical University of Cluj Napoca and the other to Solceta Inc. from Stei. Both of campings offer only modest conditions (water at the river, dirty lavatories), they hardly stand up. Being built of plywood, they are extremely worn up and can only frighten the tourists. Therefore, if nothing else... Recently, the block of flats built for the prospecting workers has been turned into another tourist accommodation possibility. This block belongs to the Uranium Company but it lacks minimal hygienic facilities. There is not WC even. However, considering all the accommodation possibilities this seems to be the best, even though it does not fit into the nature. This worker block has 9 rooms including 4 beds and a bigger one with 10 beds. The fee was in the summer of 1997 15000 lei bed/day. The three forester houses built in the area does not offer accommodation for tourists. There is also a private camping in the South of the Varasoaia Glade, including 4 bugalows. This is the only private buildings of the Padis Plateau, but they are not authorised yet. The tents camping areas has been established by the legal administrators of that region: the Mayoralties of Pietroasa and Buntesti and the Sudrigiu Forest Agency, at the request of The Regional Center for Environmental Survey. These are: near the Padis Chalet and at La Grajduri, both of them accessible by car. These places have no camping facilities (no WC-s, no salubrity, no places for garbage disposal and other basic facilities). They are very dirty and polluted by all kind of tourist litter. The camping fee is levied but no services are offered in change. For camping in other places then the two mentioned, fines are to be paid. Furthermore, the tourists risk to be invaded by animals purposely driven by furious shepherds, angry for their grassland being trespassed. In summer, in the peak period, there are improvised stands both at the Padis Chalet and at La Grajduri (At the Stables), too. Here, one can buy food and drink. The tourists can buy also maps or other travelling accessories. Around the Padis area but yet quite far from the touristic sites, there are some other accommodation possibilities. Thus, on the Bulz Valley, near the confluence with Galbena, Cibela Ltd. has opened a nice pension called Piatra Bulzului. It has a capacity of 25 persons in 2 bedrooms with showers and restaurant. This could be a pleasant stop for the exhausted tourists. Many privates also offer reasonable accommodation facilities. The first steps in agro-tourism have already been made in Pietroasa. We hope that this area will offer more and more facilities for the tourists. Another very pleasant stop on the way to Padis one can make on the Ariesului Valley at Arieseni, Gârda and Albac, with more better accommodation possibilities. At Chiscau, near Pietroasa there is another camping called “La Fluturi” (“At Butterflies”) a rustic camping with an original museum. But this village is better known for its Bears Cave (Pestera Ursilor), the only cave in Romania that is equipped and suited for all kind of tourists at international standards. On the way from Cluj, accommodation and boarding facilities as well as the campings are growing at Doda Pilii-Smida and Ic Ponor.
OUTSTANDING NATURAL SITES
The Padis Plain (Sesul Padis) At a height of 1225 m the almost flat Padis Plain is a genuine, Karstic plateau. It is riddled with many watery or spruce-afforested dolines that collect the rain waters that come to light at the Ponor Glade in the Ponor Karstic Emergence or in the Boga Valley. It is limited to the North by the Magura Vânata mountain, to the west by the Boga Mountain, to the east by the Biserica Motului Peak, and to the South by a succession of low crests (Tomasca, Rotunda, Rachita). On the hills around the plain there are many lapies fields and degraded forests. Towards Magura Vânata there is a great number of Karstic water traps that catch the streams from the surrounding slopes. The plain is crossed by forest and tractor roads, the branches of the Padis Chalet-Pietroasa forest road. The western part of the plain is an about 100 ha deforested area full of little dolines. Some of them have muddy water because of the acid soil. Here, under the Boga Mountain it was built the Padis forest house that looks like a farm . Next to this house there is a spring, the only drinking water source. A few paths pass by the lots of dolines that riddle the plain. Generally, these are ex narrow-rail embankments from the massive deforestation period. Some of them climb the slope of the Mountain of Boga and are used to collect the wood. In the far North of the plain, on the saddle that separates the Varasoaia Glade, lies the Padis Cave, a descending gallery that penetrates the depth of the Boga Mountain. This is a bare cave with no tourist appeal. In the east the plain is devided by two streams: Trânghiestii and Gârjoaba. Between them the plateau descends to the South where is the Padis Chalet, a shepherd cottage and a series of camping. The camping places are very polluted by all kind of tourist wastes. The marshes nearby the forests are the only normal, natural places. The rest of the land is overgrazed, compacted and defiled by tourist wastes or furrowed by tent ditches. The watersides of the two streams are also in a pitiful situation. The Padis Chalet area is dominated by the Church of the Mot Peak (Biserica Motului, 1458 m). It surveys the wonderful landscape of the whole plateau, the afforested slope of Magura Vânata Mountain and the Cârligate-Piatra Arsa steeps. Biserica Motului is a kind of watchtower for Padis, a reference point for the chalet. On its top near the steep walls there is a very popular board shelter. The eastern slope is smooth but it offers a large view of the Calineasa Peak, Scarisoara and Lumea Pierduta plateaus and the Biharia Mountains with their 1848 m high Cucurbata Mare Peak on which stands the TV relay. Unfortunately, the Padis Plain is, nowadays, in a very serious estate of ecological degradation. The Padis Karstic Plateau had been perhaps one of the first deforested areas in the region. The grassland that replaced the woodland had been continuously extended and depreciated by overgrazing. This process had led to changes in the floral composition: eutrophication and invasion of nitrophites (weeds, nettle and thistle) of a low fodder value. The mutilation had continued with ploughing for the soil improvement and doline filling. Thus, the original pre-glacial Karstic relief had been totally destroyed (M. Bleahu). Beside all these, the intensive uranium prospections and traffic for wood have made the Padis Karstic Plateau a typical and undesirable example of ill-fated human intervention in nature. For recover, the ecosystem keenly needs the cessation or, at least, a drastic diminution of grazing. Thus, in a 10-20 year time, the reinstatement of the former floral composition and, though if partly, the recover of Bihor Mountains' single and unique Karstic plateau would be possible.
The Magura Vânata Mountain Range (Muntele Magura Vânata) The curved, about 12 km long crest rises at the spring area of the Warm Somes. It takes to the east and, at the Magura Mica Peak (1573 m). Then it turns to the South with an alternance of gentle humps and saddles. It follows the pyramidal peak of Magura Mare (1642 m) which steeps to the Batrâna Valley. In its Southernmost part Magura Vânata saddles to Biserica Motului Peak. Here comes in the forest road from Huedin, too. Bordering to the North and North-west the Padis-Fortress of Ponor endorheic basin, the Magura Vânata Mountain is fragmented by many streams (Pârâul Cutilor, Valea Renghii, Pârâul Tomasca, Valea Arsurii, Valea Rea, Valea Trânghestii) which get shortly lost in the waterbed or Karstic holes. The Warm Somes side is steeper, smooth and completely aforested. From Ic Ponor, Magura Vânata looks like a big volcano. In fact, the mountain is made of hard erosion resisting, quartzitic gritstone. This determines a high acidity of the soil and a typical vegetation with quite few species. In the spruce forest, that almost entirely covers the mountain, the herbaceous vegetation is poor, represented by species of moss, lichen and fungi. These environmental conditions give the area a picturesque look and the rich bilberry groves that develop higher enhance its appeal. The Magura Vânata crest reveals large perspectives on the Padis catchment with Muntele Tapu - the Mountain of He-goat (1475 m) and Groapa Ruginoasa (The Rust Pit) behind. Far on the horizon lies the prolonged crest of the Biharia Mountains with the Cucurbata Mare Peak (1848 m). To the North, beyond the deepened Warm Somes Valley stands the Braiesei Steep and the Cârligate Peak (1694 m). Then come the Cumpanatel Saddle and the crest to Vladeasa Mountain pyramid (1836 m) with the Piatra Graitoare (Talking Stone, 1678 m), Britei (1759 m), Buteasa (1792 m) and Micau (1640 m) peaks. At the foot of this crest lie the Cuciulata, Piatra Arsa (Burnt Stone) and Onceasa glades. To the east lies the valley of the Somes winding through the houses of Ic Ponor and Doda Pilii and getting out of sight between the hillocks of Magura Calatele on which are scattered the hamlets of Rachitele, Margau and Belis. On the farsight appear the houses from the slopes of the Fântânele reservoir. This crest is full of bilberry groves its name being very suggestive in this sense: Magura Vînata means the Bluish Peak in Romanian. The berries are both healthy and delicious. One can reach Magura Vînata from the Padis Chalet, on the marked route or on the valleys that descend from the crest.
The Warm Somes Springs (Izvoarele Somesului Cald) Located in the far north of the Padis area, in the Warm Somes catchment, this region is one of the most interesting and complex Karstic zones in the Bihor Mountains. It has very wild landscapes with many caves, canyons and Karstic emergences. The region includes two major tourist sites: the Fortress of Radeasa (Cetatea Radesei) and the Gorges of Warm Somes (Cheile Somesului Cald). The Fortress of Radeasa Cave begins with a 15 m high mushroom-like portal on which enters the Radeasa Brook. The cave is a 212 m long tunnel with large rooms and chimneys on the ceiling. The five holes, or chimneys, or avens provide the natural lighting creating a magnificent scenery. Downstream the tunnel comes a very narrow, about 50 m long canyon with the modest brook gradually descending between the washed-away walls and beams and gravel transported by the floods. The cave has wooden stairs and footbridges and can be easily visited. From downstream it is possible to return to the portal on the ceiling visiting the swallow-holes (avens). After the cave and canyon of Radeasa follows the Radeasa Glade that could be an excellent halt. The glade is surrounded by grassy rocks and steep slopes aforested with impressive spruces and bilberry groves. Here the Radeasa brook merges with the Feredeul brook and gives birth to the Warm Somes. Before the merge, the Feredeul brook impresses with a spectacular 3 m high waterfall. Downstream, the Warm Somes receives the first important tributary- the Cuciulatul brook, then comes the sector of gorges.
The Gorges of the Warm Somes (Cheile Somesului Cald) Though this sector is less spectacular than the cave sector, it offers very picturesque landscapes of steep slopes of calcareous rocks that reaches the waterbed. The advised tourist route a circuit that thus includes both sides (the red point mark). Let us begin with the right side. The path gradually climbs crossing the spring zone of the Moloh brook which falls in cascades to the left. From time to time one can see the impressive landscape of the gorges. After about half an hour of ascent comes the Belvedere sight place (1342 m). It is situated on the top of a more than 150 m high vertical rock. Below is the carved canyon and in front, across the water the genuine limestone wall of Cuciulata on which lies the crest that links the summits of Piatra Arsa, Piatra Graitoare, Britei and Piatra Tâlharului and continues towards Vladeasa. From Belvedere the path descends, steeply winding on scree. The descent smoothes down when it enters the forest near a limestone pillar and reaches the waterbed. Across the Somes the path enters the Ic Ponor (8 km) forest road. A branch of this road follows up the Alunul Mare Valley towards the Onceasa Glade. Near the road, at the foot of a rock there is a spring. The route continues on the left side marked alike. After a straight climb it reaches the entrance of the Honu Cave. It is a 70 m long upward gallery that turns to the left and stops with a few of closed chimneys. From the cave the path continues on the level curve till the foot of the Cuciulata Steep vertical. Below this steep is a quite wide passage path. The wall of the valley is opened by a window leading to a natural balcony that reveals the Belvedere sight place (across) and the water (at 110 m below). Crossing through boulder and scree at the foot of the 100 m high Cuciulata wall the path gradually descends to the left until it reaches a marked deviation point. The deviation leads downwards, to a very wild place of the Somes valley- straight walls which side the water. Upstream appears a strong Karstic emergence with a little flooded cave. Across the water the bolder one can penetrate a little the downstream part of the Moloh Canyon with its water-eroded walls and inaccessible cascades. At the foot of the initial left slope on a narrow passage, lies the entrance of the Dry Cave (Pestera Uscata). The cave is worth of visit for its impressive large room. Back on the red-point route the path continues on the level curve and reaches the cross-point of with the Cuciulata Glade route. One can reach this glade that lies on the foot of the Cârligate Mountain with a half hour climbing effort. Our route descends to the Cuciulata Valley where lies upstream the entrance of the Little Tunnel Cave (Pestera Tunelul Mic). Crossing the valley and the opposite slope in ten minutes time, one can reach the Radeasa Glade. The route follows upstream towards the Fortress of Radeasa. The Warm Somes Gorges circuit is more difficult than the Radeasa circuit because of the big level difference and length. This relatively difficult relief managed to preserve somehow the landscape of the gorges with the spruce forest on both sides reaching the waters of Somes. This green cover is pierced from place to place by pillars and limestone steeps which confer this piece of Earth an outstanding beauty. The tourists who want to make this route are friendly advised to take ecoprotective measures for the preservation of this untouched and exquisite zone of the Bihor Mountains.
The Varasoaia Glade (Poiana Varasoaia) The zone called Varasoaia consist of two wide Karstic plateaus located in the North of the Padis glade. It is bordered by the Piatra Boghii Peak, the Magura Vânata Mountain Range, the Varasoaia Peak and the Warm Somes catchment. The zone is devided in two: Varasoaia Glade-South and Varasoaia Glade-North. The last one lies in the North-east of the Vararsoaia Peak and is a closed basin. The two parts are separated by a saddle where pass the forest road and the routes of Stâna de Vale, Vladeasa and the The Gorges of the Warm Somes, a little arised from the base of the glades. The elliptical Varasoaia Glade-South is sprinkled with many dolines and caves. It also has two Karstic ponds in two well-isolated silted dolines. The vegetation as well as the fauna of these ponds is deeply altered by the prospecting workers waste and grazing animals. The Varasoaia zone is of a real speleological interest for many caves and avens which impress by length or drop. The most penetrating aven discovered by the speleologists is V5 which has a length of 1446 m and a drop of -273 m. Varasoaia Glade-North is a kind of inclined valley which slopes to the foot of the Varasoaia Peak. Here the rocks sign the existance of a water cave. The forest road draws an L around this valley and ends at the foot of a water-eroded slope. Here the path devides in two: one way leads to Vladeasa the other one to Stâna de Vale. On the Magura Vânata slope but on the Northern part of the glade, too, use to be pen. There are two springs near the forest road. Speaking of a glade, one normally imagines a deep green place with a rich vegetation with many flower species. The Varasoaia Glade is a sad exception. Indeed, it offers nowadays only the remains of its past glory. The cause is overgrazing which has led to an environmental disaster, extremly reducing its biodiversity. The few flowers species which have coped and adapted to these harsh conditions are: Potentila ternata, Thymus sp. (the thyme) and seldom, one can find the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Another quite common pasture degradation indicating secies is Carlina acaulis a species. The dominating species is Nardus stricta ( the Pig bristle) and from place to place there are clusters of thistle and nettle. The Varasoaia Peak (1441 m) which overlooks the whole glade is an exellent belvedere point. It offers the whole panorama of the Beius Depression, the Boga Valley, the Steep of Braiasa and Valea Rea, the Cârligate Peak and the Cumpanatelul Saddle, the Cuciulata Glade, the Onceasa Glade and the Gorges of the Warm Somes, the Magura Vânata Mountain, the Padis Plane and the Biserica Motului Peak and to the South till the Rust Pit and the peaks of Vârtop and Cucurbata Mare. The Vararsoaia Peak is one of the most beautiful sites of the Padis area providing an entire tour of horizon of the whole zone.
The Stones of Boga and The Fence of Boga (Pietrele Boghii si Gardul Boghii) The Stones of Boga zone is a major touristic objective for the large landscapes of the western part of the Bihor Muontains and the Beius Depression it offers. The impressive steep creates the feeling of a by-air overview of the Boga Valley with its weekend houses clustered towards Piatra Bulzului. The Boga Peak (1436 m) once completely aforested, now with deforested holes, borders to the North-west the Padis Plane. After a quite easy, but short descent through a spruce and ash forest its western slope breaks into a more than 300 m deep precipice. The precipice is composed by two sectors the Stones of Boga and the Fence of Boga with a very steep scree passage. The belvedere on the Stones of Boga is on a plain place on which the soil and some clusters of grass could develop. It lies upon a more than 100 m high vertical stone and a very steep aforested scree slope which descends another 300 m level difference still the Boga waterbed. From this place one can contemplate the whole Boga Valley catchment: - the gorges downstream the Boga Karstic Emergence at the foot of the Stones of Boga, than the road on the Boga Valley and the weekend village; - the right slope steepening from the Cârligate Peak and Cornul Muntilor, with Valea Rea full of waterfalls and cascades, the Cornetu Crest with its pictoresque glades and the Piatra Bulzului reserve beyond the Boga weekend village; - the left side with its three valleys: Oselu, Bulbuci and Valea Plaiului and the road to Padis which winds on a smoother slope. One can also admire the limestone crests of Piatra Ciungilor and Magura Seaca. But one can see even farther this catchment. To the left the Tataroaia Peak beyond the Galbena Valley. To the right, one can see succesively the triangular pyramide of Magura Guranilor, then Magura Ferice and the prolonged base of the western slope of Bohodei. The plain which lies at near 1000 m below in level difference is the Beius Depression. Towards this plain winds Crisul Pietros and shine the constructions of Pietroasa, Sudrigiu and of the town Stei. In the days with clear sky, one can see even farther, beyond the Beius Depression, catching the long and plotted hights of the Codru Moma Mountains. The isolated site bellow the Stones of Boga preserved a primeval broad-leaved forest one of the few in our mountains. It spreads on the valleys and slopes which ascend to Cârligate (to the right) and Scarita (to the left). Also below the Stones of Boga, on a passage of scree lies the entrace of the Sura Boghii Cave. It is a slightly ascendent, 212 m long cave which has some concretions at the end. One can reach this cave on a steep path which is marked. Another, perhaps, more spectacular point of panorama with the same perspective, is the natural balcony above the Fence of Boga. It is to be found at the far west of the Varasoaia Glade on the newly, two-red-point-marked route.
The Boga Valley (Valea Boga) The Gorges of the Boga Valley are an intersting and spectacular touristic appeal. Thus, here are no less than three gorge sectors: the gorges of the Bulbuci Valley, the gorges of the Oselu Valley and those of the Boga Valley. The gorges of the Bulbuci Valley lie downstream Izbucul Bulbuci - a left tributary of the Boga Valley. Wilderness and inaccessibility are the main features of these gorges. The Piatra Ciungilor and Piatra Câinilor steeps dominate the thalweg of the valley, the waterfalls and cascades provide the acoustic background and the deep forests are silent and intimate background on which the crests and peaks are projected. The Oselu Valley comes to light from a Karstic emergence which is situated at the foot of the Piatra Ciungilor steep. It carved a funnel-like gorge sector with an upstream span. The walls of the gorges and the Piatra Ciungilor steep unveil their beauty to the admirers as well as the waterfalls and the unpenetrable forest which paints in green the landscape. Close to the confluence with Boga, is the Oselu cascade - an important touristic objective frequently visited by the guests of the holiday village. The Boga Valley develops its own gorge sector which spreads till the Boga Karstic Emergence. The zone is full of cascades and bordered by steeps which climax at the Stones of Boga. Unfortunately, in the eighties an access road has been built to a mine gallery which endangers the charm of the valley. From the Boga Valley is also advisable to visit the other valleys, partly accessible and very wild. Valea Rea has at the beginning a tractor road and continues steeply with a hardly accessible waterfall sector. Valea Câcata one of its tributaries tresures, a couple of magnificent Karstic emergences. The Valea Plaiului tributary deepens on the right of the road which winds from Pietroasa up to Padis. It also has very spectacular canyon sectors full of cascades, caves and grottos, natural arcades and screes. The zone called Plaiu is a wide glade through which the forest road goes up from Pietroasa to Padis. From its border with the Boga Valley to its upper part, the glade has been invaded by a lot of weekend houses some of them built in a very bad taste. The work-out and implementation of a serious landuse plan of the zone is needed in order to create new accommodation and camping facilities. Thus, this zone could be a buffer for Padis, of a great importance for its decongestion and tourist impact control.
The Balileasa Glade and At Stables (Poiana Balileasa si La Grajduri) Balileasa is a prolongued plane in the western part of Padis, deforested and riddled by dolines. The plane is like a wide valley, but it has not regular water flow. Upstream, this "valley" is guarded by two pillars: the Oselu and Balileasa peaks with the Scarita saddle where comes the forest road from Pietroasa. In this place, which could be considered the Bihorean entrance of Padis, the road divides in two branches: one surrounds the Balileasa Depression winding on the level curve to the Padis Chalet, the other traverses in length the glade to its lowermoust point. Then it enters via a saddel in the Valea Cetatilor 's cachment. The western slope of the Balileasa Glade is very degraded for water erosion. Beyond this slope lies the Barsa Pit. The once very picturesque Balileasa Glade with its parc-like look of dolines spotted by spurce clusters is now one of the most degraded parts of Padis. This degradation is due to the overgrazing which altered the soil composion, easing the invazion of the nitrophytes (nettles, weeds, thistles). The sheepfold which move here every summer are more and more affected by this degradation for which the shepherds are fully responsable. Downstream Balileasa one enters the The Fortress Valley's catchment, then it comes a wide meadow called At Stables, the main halt in Padis for its closeness to the most important touristic objectives: The Fortress of Ponor, the Living Fire, the Stone of Galbena and also for its good access - the Scarita saddle forest road. Downstream lies the Ponorforester house. Here the forest road is closed, preserving the Fortress of Ponor zone and the Lost World Forest Reserve. The Fortress Valley comes to light from a considerably rich Karstic emergence and winds in its meadow until it desappears in the waterbed. Only at high waters the stream is to be seen in the canyon downstream of “At Stables”. A rich Karstic emergence near the Ponor forester house adds to the stream of the valley, also providing the main water supply for the tourists. Two lateral prolongations of the “At Stables” glade, on the left slope of the Fortress Valley, ease the acces to the Padis Chalet through a dry and steep valley and to the Ponor Glade through a tractor route which climbs near the forester house. The Fortress Valley offers many camping places and is full of tourists during the whole holiday season, in summer. The lack of efficient administration of this camping has led to the polution with tourist waste of the meadow and surroundings . The cleansing actions made by the environmental organizations, have only partly and temporally solved the problem of waste which grows bigger and bigger, year by year. A part of the border dolines near the forest have already been filled by a big quantity of waste. The intervention of the legal administrators of the zone (the Pietroasa Mayoralty and Romsilva) is keenly needed in order to create civilized camping facilites for the tourists and, thus, to prevent the further pollutions and degradations of the zone. “At Stables” represent the starting points for visiting the most beautiful objectives of the region; the Fortress of Ponor, the Living Fire, the Stone of Galbena, the Ponor Glade, the Lost World, the Flower Glade. For this, there is in the summer-time a tourist information and advising point set up at the initiative of the "Apuseni Mountains" Regional Center for Ecological Survey (CRSE).
The Barsa Pit (Groapa de la Barsa) The Barsa Pit is a closed basin of the Padis-Fortress of Ponor endorheic depression. Unlike the previous ones, it has no underground drainage to the Galbena Karstic Emergence. Barsa lies in the South of Balileasa and in the west of The Fortress Valley and is limited to the west by a crest which borders the Galbena Valley (the Cheile Jgheabului sector) and to the South by the slope of the Stone of Galbena. It is an oval depression with a long axis of 2 km which goes from N-W to S-E and a short axis of a 1 km length. At N-E, on a substrate consisting of waterproof rocks, spring some little brooks which get lost in contact with the limestones from the bottom of the depression. The zone, known also as the Barsa Depression, is one of the wildest in the Apuseni Mountains. It has a wet climate which has alloweded the development of a thick like herbaceous vegetation of marshes. Beside this, the thick forest, the bilberry groves, the dead end or blind valleys (the waterflow suddenly disappears, swallowed by the earth) and the lack of sight-points for orientation make the Barsa Pit route a genuine adventure for those who go out the marked path. There are many interesting and varied Karstic forms hereabout a huge Karstic water catch now crumbled and covered by grass, another one with a natural bridge, a suspended doline-pond with dark water (Taul Negru - The Black Pond) and many caves. The biggest cave is The Cave of Zapodie (Pestera de la Zapodie) which lies at the western part of the depression. It has a near 7 km length and is very difficult to visit it. The second biggest cave is The Black Cave (Pestera Neagra), located in the eastern part of the depression. It has a near 4 km length and is also recommended only for well-trained speleologists. The two caves communicate through a syphon, thus, the Zapodie - Black Cave system develops a length of almost 11 km underground. The Barsa Pit undergound water system drains to the Galbena Valley through some quite unknown Karstic emergences. The source of the underground water has remained quite obscure till now, because the quantity of underground waters is much more beyond that from the modest brooks which flow above. Another important cave is The Barsa Iceblock (Ghetarul de la Barsa) which has the entrance in the Northern part of the depression. It has a development of 2750 m and it is a part of the some drainage system like the previous ones, without communicating with them in the present. The entrance is accesible and has ice. Its size varies depending on season. Warning ! Right from the beginning the cave has a devious, labirint-like development which could cause straying and panic for “less courageous tourists”. Anyhow, visiting the cave, even only in the entrance part, is an outstanding event. The Barsa Pit marked route touches all the above-mentioned sites. The sole drinking water source is in the South, close to the entrace of the Black Cave. There are two very important touristic objectives located at the Southern end of the Barsa Pit, on the side which borders the Galbena Valley: The Living Fire Iceblock (Ghetarul Focul Viu) and The Stone of Galbena (Piatra Galbenei). The Cave of the Living Fire Iceblock (Pestera Ghetarul Focul Viu) The cave consists of two halls, the first one of big dimensions having a huge iceblock. The acces to the cave is through a descendant gallery on a wooden stairway. The ceiling of the big hall is open by a huge natural window through which a great quantity of logs, leaves and snow has fallen from the outside, building an immense pile in the centre. The logs has been trapped in the ice, their free ends rotting and colouring the ice field. Through the ceiling window enters enough light to unveil the splendour of the icecle stalagmite clusters which lie opposite to the entrance of the cave. Around noon, the sun beams is creating a fairy scenery. One of the ends of the iceblock falls in the abyss in a deep crevice beside the rocks. A gallery located beyond the stalagmites leads to the smaller room of the cave carefully descending about 4 m on the left side of the ice slide. This room has no natural light. It has some lime concretions which hang above and icecle stalagmites of varying size, depending on season. The cave ends with an obstructed vertical hole. The exit from the cave is very pleasant, especially in summer when the outer temperature is far above that of the cave. There are two circumstances which allow the ice to last in the cave: the open ceiling which invites the cold air inside and the lack of ventilation which traps it and keeps it cold enough all through the year.
The Stone of Galbena (Piatra Galbenei, 1243 m) In the North the Stone of Galbena is a slope, located in the Southern end of the Barsa Pit. The tourist route winds up on this slope through primeval forest. But in the South it is a more than 200 m deep limestone steep which offers wide perspectives. The white rock wall shines in the sun guarding the Flower Glade like an impenetrable fortress which preserves the beauties of the Padis - Fortress of Ponor plateau. Beneath the Stone of Galbena lies a wonderful beech forest of a raw green in Spring, dark green in Summer and many-coloured brown in autumn. In this forest are small pastures sprinkled by mowers’ shelters. This all is the Flower Glade. Beyond it the Galbena and its tributaries deepens between afforested ranges. One of this tributaries cuts the opposite mountain having in the upper part a huge reddish “wound”. It is a ravine called the Rust Pit (Groapa Ruginoasa), carved by the waters in the Tapu Mountain. Here is the source of the Dry Valley, a stream with many canyons, waterfalls and cascades. To the right ranks the humps of Stirbina, Giunasu and Tartaroaia peaks, the last one surrounded by glades. From the left enters Galbena the Luncsoara which springs near Arieseni, beneath the hamlet of Cobles with its houses visible to the horizon. Also, to the left one can see the ski track on the Vârtop Mountain and beyond, in clear air, develops the Cucurbata Mare Peak with the TV relay “picking” the sky. Finally, the near left sight is dominated by the afforested Bortig Mountain which slopes quite steeply towards the Galbena Karstic Emergence, hidden by afforested slopes, but betrayed by a portal-like lime rock.
The Ponor Glade (Poiana Ponor) The Ponor Glade is a closed depression surrounded by partly afforested slopes. The glade, covered by tiny grass, climbs the neighbouring slopes to the adjacent catchments. The most remarkable feature of this glade is the way the waters are absorbed by the ground. The waters disappear in the waterbed through narrow holes, covered by sand called strainers. At low waters function two strainers. At high waters, caused by long lasting rains or snow melting, these strainers cannot cope with the whole quantity of water that overflows the normal waterbed. As the water rises and floods the lands usually dry , other strainers begin to work. But it happens that even these extra strainers are not enough to drain the waters. As a result the glade turns into a wide lake whose extra-waters violently fall down on a rocky threshhold in the North-west and hurry to the Fortress Valley. The stream which crosses the glade come to light in the Ponor Karstic Emergence below a rocky steep. The spring is very spectacular - a little pond supplied through a syphon. The water coming from the Padis Plane are, in fact, the lost waters of the Trânghiesti, Gârjoaba and other valleys. From the emergence, the stream has a short slope sector after which it suddenly turns to the right and calms down, winding 240 m through the flat and slightly sloped glade until it gets lost in the strainers (The name Ponor means a “Karstik kidnap” of the water stream). Above the strainers a limestone wall, with a few grottos completes the wonder of the glade. The Ponor Glade is one of the few typical polies of our mountains. It meets the double condition of having both the supply and the drainage of its waters underground through Karstic channels. The access to the Ponor Glade can be from Padis coming down on the marked route of the Bradetanu valley, from At Stables on a tractor road which crosses the slopes, from the Cold Spring across a bare peak or from the Fortress of Ponor crossing an afforested and marshy crest. The windings of the stream gave birth to flat terraces on which the tourists used to camp. Nowadays, the glade is declared natural reservation and the camping is forbidden. Unfortunatelly, grazing strongly persists and risks to compromise this unique site of the Romanian Karst, too.
The Fortress of Ponor (Cetatile Ponorului) The Fortress of Ponor is, undoubtfully, the Romania’ s most grandiose Karstic formation, known and praised worldwide . To begin with, we have to mention that the visiting tourists are astonished by the wonderful work of Nature who, hereabouts, went beyond all expectations creating a huge stone fortress. The Fortress of Ponor consists of three big stone circles which lie in a huge afforested depression of 300 m deep and more than 1 km in diametre at its upper level .The surrounding mountain wreath which closes the depression is cut just in a single place by the The Fortress Valley Canyon . The path begins at the forest road where placards warn the tourist that he is getting closer to a monument of nature. It gradually descends in the forest, paralely with The Fortress Valley on a quite difficult ground. In 30 min. the path reaches the first circle (Doline 1). Here is, in fact, the end of The Fortress Valley, a dead end . The lateral, more than 150 m high western wall is pierced by a more than 70 m high portal where The Fortress Valley loudly rushes out. The immense portal of The Fortress of Ponor, this obsessing image, resembles a Gothic ogive and became a symbol of the Apuseni Karst . The spruces hanging in the milky stone wall are the only comparison terms of the grandeur of the Portal and of the wall it is carved in. On the left, one can see the upper part of an even higher wall which guards Doline 3, with its two suspended beam balconies above the precipice. Below, in the Portal, roars the water which rushes down in cascades. The descent in the Portal is done, at the beginning, on scree, then between huge stone blocks on metal stairs put here some years ago by a large-hearted mountain rescuers from Stei. In dry periods, Valea Cetatii disappears permitting the access in the Portal on the very waterbed. Other times, there is water and one needs to spring from rock to rock sometimes helped by a stair put by the members of the "Apuseni Mountains" Regional Centre for Ecological Survey . Inside the Portal the sight is also amazing for the great dimensions of the room. On the right, a scree strip climbs beneath an archway to Doline 2. This is in fact a 200 m high circular aven shaped like a bucket with two holes at the bottom: the above mentioned link with Doline 1 beneath the Portal and an other link with the subterranean tunnel of the Fortress of Ponor Cave. On the left, beneath the Portal a flooded tunnel brings to light for a while the stream from the Lost World which dissapears some km upstream in the Caput cave. The tunnel with a crystal-water lake can be admired from the platform of a rock which lies at its entrance. The stream which flows off the tunnel falls loudly in the darkness of the Fortress of Ponor Cave. The cave, in contrast with the grandeur of the Portal, begins with a narrow section mostly occupied by the waterfall. The bold tourist can descend in the cave on the right side and can explore the cave led by the subterranean river. The subterranean sector is on about 400 m accesible for tourist but only at low waters. After tresspasing the entrance waterfall, one can carefully continue climbing on boulders and avoiding the intimate contact with the water. After about 100 m the gallery widdens and brightens up by the light which comes from the window (aven) of Doline 2. But before this place, on the right wall of the cave there is an impressive subterranean Karstic emergence of water which gushes under pressure from two “nostrils” like the endings of two pipes. These are the waters of the Ponor Glade and the Fortress Valley. Under the window, after a deafening waterfall, the stream turns to the left. It goes straight for about 100m in a huge gallery with another beam of light at its end. Looking back to the window we can see outside the spruces hanging on the rocks which close Dolines 2 and a little spot of sky. The stream flows in the more than 20 m high and about 10 m wide gallery, heading to the foot of a scree which descends from another window which lets the light in. This is the ascendant tunnel which leads to Doline 3. A winding pathway assures the access to this doline. From this place the stream turns to the right and continues impetuosly its way in the grandiose gallery. The tourists equiped with some source of light can penetrate about 200 m downstream where is Sala Taberei (The Hall of Camping). This could be sufficient for tasting the aspect of this subterranean gallery which drains almost entirely the waters of Padis to the Galbena Karstic Emergence. The total length of this gallery is 1850 m and its completely passage requires special training and equipment because of its numerous lakes and cascades which must be overcome. At high waters for the downstream syphon connections (the passages from the underground through the Galbena Karstic Emergence), the waters flood the gallery, lifting the floating logs on the Fortress Valley. Thus, part of them are trapped in the cracks of the walls, at a considerable height. Beside the subterranean access to Doline 3, there is another one from Doline 1 climbing on a metal stairway on the left of the Portal and passing the threshhold which separates the two circles. Doline 3 is triangle-shaped with a 300 m long side, having in the middle a hollow where descend immense scree strips. In its western part, above the subterranean access, raises a 200 m hygh perfectly vertical wall. It has narrow vegetated passages and two suspended wooden balconies on the top. The white of the limestone, in contrast with the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sky gives this realm of giants an outstanding beauty. In the South the tourist route climbs straight ahead on the steep of a water-washed glen, up the balconies. Big level difference and unstable ground make this route very tiresome. Beside the Doline 3 access, the balconies can be reached from the forest road, too. There are two possible routes: on the path which goes around the Fortress Depression (the yellow point marked route from the crossing which goes down to the Portal) or straight from “At Stables “ (the blue point marked route, in around 30 min). The four balconies (two above Doline 3 and two about Doline 2) offer to contemplation the imposing dimensions of the Fortress of Ponor Karstic Complex. The excelent see sites can also delight with the afforested slopes which surround the Fortress of Ponor Depression. But the most impressive are the suspended spruces, grown in special conditions, symbolizing the everlasting power of the living nature. The ant-like tourists seen below at Doline 3 are also impressive and thoughtful in comparison with the surrounding nature. The Fortress of Ponor has been declared natural reservation since 1952 and after that obtained the status of natural monument, being in the custody of the Romanian Academy. Unfortunately, the authorities have shown a very low interest in capitalizing the outstanding touristic potential of this site. This has led to the continuous degradation of the zone which unavoidably means the decrease of the touristic potential. The massive deforestations on the Bortig Mountain and Glavoi, together with the tractor route constructions which expose the soil to erosion, water polution and waste, are all threatening Romania’ s most important Karstic complex. Studies done in the early summer of 1997 have shown that the forest above the Fortress of Ponor is highly infested and in a couple of years it could dry out, the zone turning into a desert. The lack of touristic arrangements has pros and cons. It seriously questions the managerial ability of the legal administrators of this site but, on the other hand, it preserves the objective from the uncotrolled invasion of tourists. One thing is sure: in other countries such a natural treasure would be an important source of income for the legal administrators and state.
The Gorges of Galbena (Cheile Galbenei) Located in the South-western and western part of the Padis-Fortress of Ponor closed bazin, outside of it, the Galbena Valley is in fact the drainage way of its waters towards the Beiusului depression. On all its 6 km the Galbena Valley is but a succession of narrow gorges with vertical walls and steep slopes, having many cascades and being very difficult to explore. The upstream sector is the most spectacular. From the Galbena Karstic Emergence to the confluence with Luncsoara, it is a narraw canyon with more than 100 m high walls, a lot of cascades and an underground tunnel. The downstream sector from the Flower Glade to the confluence with Crisul Pietros, a sector also called Cheile Jgheabului is very spectacular, too. It has many cascades at the left tributaries' confluence points. These gorges are not accessible. On both sides above there are forest roads which allow in some places the contemplation of their wilderness. The Galbena Karstic Emergence is the resurgence of the subterranean river of the Fortress of Ponor, which collects in fact the greatest part of the water of the Padis-Fortress of Ponor closed basin. The emergence is a 7 m diametre pond at the foot of a rock. The water falls in cascade downstream between the vertical walls . The path is on the left slope having difficult sectors of scree and suspended passages above the precipice of the canyon. Caught in a narrow canyon the Izbucul Galbenei Valley creates unaccessible pipes and pot-holes discending 100 m level difference on around 700 m air-line distance. After the suspended sector, the fixed helping cable equiped path reaches the waterbed heading to a hole in which the water falls loudly. It is the beginning of the subterranean tunnel of the Gorges of Galbena, more than 100 m long and very difficult to explore. But the path avoids this entrance passing near a second cave hole in which a scree strip goes underground. Through this second entrance the subterranean sector can be visited. Going farther downwards the path descends steeply crossing the scree and boulders on a glen which comes down on the left, through the forest from below the walls of the canyon. On the right, the subterranean tunnel ends with a very picturesque 7 m high fan-cascade where the water falls into a pond. Here the stream turns to the right and passes a narrow sector between water-washed walls. There is a suspended bridge across the stream and than the path continues on the right side on the level curve. A variant of the tourist route climbs straight to two balconies suspended at circa 200 m heigh from the stream. These provide an exquisite sight of the canyon and the opposite, more than 300 m high stone wall. On this route, one can avoid the sector of canyon arriving in a saddle from which the path climbs the Bortig Mountain to the Fortress of Ponor balconies. Going downwards through the forest on the suspended path above the valley, one reaches a metal stairway which leads down to a forest road. It is the road from Pietroasa. Here it crosses the Galbena Valley and follows its tributary - Luncsoara. The route continues for about 1 km on the forest road till the forester house built in the Southern part of the Ponor Glade. On the left, there is the precipice of the Galbena Valley and across the stream a steep rocky slope. Quite downstream the stream passes near the Cave with Alluvia whose portal can be seen from the road. In dry periods the water gets lost from place to place between the blocks of rock crumbled at the construction of the road.
The Flower Glade (Poiana Florilor) Located on the slope which descends from below the Stone of Galbena to the Galbena Valley, the Flower Glade consist, in fact, of a group of galdes lying like isles on the beech sea. Deserving its name, the Flower Glade is in summer the Heaven on Earth: hundreds of many-coloured flowers decorate the sunny slopes delighting the eye and the heart. The hay fields are very rich hereabouts. People make hay twice a summer. The charm of the glades is the same, if mown or not, the mown hay giving a very pleasant smell to the non-alergic nose. The tragedy of this place has begun in the late seventies when the construction of the so-called "strategic" road has completely destroyed the wilderness of the Galbena Gorges on the sector between the confluence with Pauleasa. The Romanian Academy, as the legal administrator of the Gorges of Galbena Natural Reserve, has agreed to this felony against this site of outstanding touristic and scientific value. For years many explosions had cast great quantities of stone from the slopes in the waterbed, causing its partial clogging and destroyng the vegetation. The bare spoles favoure the erosion while the forester lorries still continue to carry the recklessly felled logs from the wildest places. The road that was meant to link Pietroasa and Arieseni has never been finished. Now it is in a rapid degradation. Why?... In the lower part of the glade, near the forest road, on the Galbena Valley there is a forester house with a Karstic emergence with cold water a little upward. Here is the nodal point of the zone’s tourist routes and of course a pleasant place for halt. The landscape is dominated to the North by The Stone of Galbena whose white steeps shine in the sun. The opposite slope is an afforested steep split by the Bad Valley which cames down from the Tapu Mountain, bringing loessic alluvia from the Rust Pit. At floodings, the water is yellowish for the turbulence, hence the name Valea Galbena - The Yellow Valley. On the right side of the Bad Valley the Vârseci hill shelters the Vârseci cave which has an imposing portal and a 440 m long concretion gallery. Although the zone is protected, the hay fields are parcelled to owners from Pietroasa. More recently these have leased (or just tried to do it) parts of them to persons who try to build weekend houses here. Anyhow, during the summer these illegal “owners” of the natural reserve camp here affording even to catch the water in plastic pipes. At hay making, the peasants build temporary shelters which can be used by the tourist when it rains. The steep slope of the Flower Glade makes difficult the yellow point and red strip-marked route to the Stone of Galbena. The 400 m level difference is climbed on an about 2 km long distance which requires additional effort in dry, sunny days. A couple of rivulets marked by strips of trees and shrubs cross the upper part of the glade forming at the end a considerable stream. Hence, from place to place the earth is quite marshy, covered with a veritable moss layer. The Flower Glade is unique in the Padis landscape and undoubtfully deserves the status of natural patrimony which claims protective measures. The easy acces by car from Pietroasa is a certain stimulent for those who want to “grab” this quiet peace where the beauty of nature is thoroughly affordable.
The Lost World (Lumea Pierduta) The name of this place comes from the past wilderness of its landscape. The Lost World is in a fact a Karstic plateau bordered by the Izbucul Ursului stream, Valea Seaca (The Dry Valley) and the Southern slope of the Gârdisoara Peak. The hidrography consists of two streams: Izvorul Ursului and Pârâul Sec. These two streams have their sources close to each other and merge downstream separating an isolated Karstic plateau between them. In the past it was completely afforested by a deep and thick forest which, nowadays, is partly cut and traversed by many forest roads which have ravished its appeal. The cuts are now covered by raspberry bushes and other typical herbaceous cut vegetation, the natural regeneration of the forest being endangered. Some surviving spruces stand above this thick vegetation as lonely witnesses of the massive felling from the near past. The Last World plateau hides in its belly a widespread network of active galleries signed on the surface by dolines covered with vegetation. Two of these are entrances in the underworld on two avens which are unique for the Romanian Karst. The Twin Aven (Avenul Gemanata) with a 92 m deep vertical is crossed on the surface by a bridge which divides it in two (hence its name). The descent on the aven is stopped at about 40 m by a long-and-ice plug. After this plug the vertical hole continues until it reaches the stream which communicates with the Black Aven forming a complicated network. Warning! Getting close to these avens is dangerous for the slippery ground! Another aven is the Covered Aven (Avenul Acoperit). This one is less spectacular having just a 35 m deep vertical. It does not communicate with the active underground network. The underground network drains the waters of Pârâul Sec (The Dry Stream) which enters underground and flows here a 2.7 km length (1,7 km of this route are accessible for the speleologists via the Twin Aven ). After the underground sector the waters emerge in the Izvorul Rece Karstic Emergence locate in the Izbucul Ursului Valley on the western border of the plateau. Valea Seaca is thus dry (according its name) being crossed only by the forest rode made for the cuts on the Glavoiu Mountain which has already been entirely deforested. The Izbucul Ursului (Bear` s Emergence) Valley has its source in some little springs on the Gârdisoara Mountain. After meeting the forest road it receives on the right a tributary which emerges like a fountain beside the ride. This emergence is the Bear` s Emergence. Circa 500 m downstream the Cold Spring (Izvorul rece) enriches the flow of the stream. Hence, the streams begins to get lost on the waterbed. Very seldom, only at floodings it manages the flow one more kilometre until the Caput Cave. This cave is the collector of the whole catchment. It is a more than 200 m long down stair gallery with many cascades. The waters are drained towards the underground gallery of the Fortress of Ponor. The regeneration of the forest began, on the Lost World, plateau two years ago when Romsilva set up here a forest reserve. Unfortunately, Romsilva` s interests do not meet the local people` ones. The last ones continue to play havoc in the forest, capitalising the closeness of the forest road and defying the barrier put at At Stables.
The Cârligate Mountain Range (Culmea Cârligate) Located in the North-western part of Padis, this range has a great touristic appeal for the large perspectives which offers both on Padis and on a great part of the Apuseni Mountains. The range consists of the Cârligate Peak (1694 m) continued both toward west by the Cornul Muntilor Peak (1652m) and the Braiesei Steep and toward east by the Cumpanatelul Saddle and Cumpanatelul Peak. Looking from Padis these peaks seem little knolls put on level place which, after Cornul Muntilor suddenly breaks up in the Braiesei Steep. The access on this range is from Padis, on the red strip route to Stâna de Vale. The climbing path crosses the Cuciulata Glade and than winds on among boulders and knee pine fields. The range is in fact on east-west oriented plateau, very steep to the South (Padis) and much more settled to the North (Valea Draganului). A chariot route crosses this plateau going round above the source of Valea Draganului and heading to Vladeasa and Stâna de Vale. The plateau`s vegetation is in an advanced process of degradation because of the overgrazing, and the Northern slopes are eroded. On the Southern slopes and the rocky glens the black chamois are to be seen quite often. Seesites from the range: - to the North: Valea Draganului, guarded to the right by the Vladeasa range (with the Buteasa, Britei peaks and the Vladeasa Mountain - 1836m which dominates the horizon) and to the left by the Bohodei (1654 m) and Poieni (1627 m) peaks where heads the route to Stâna de Vale; - to the west: the Aleu Valley and the two peaks which limits it from the Beius Depression (Gurani and Ferice). Then, the Beius Depression with its scattered localities and estates and the towns of Beius and Stei, and the embattled tops of the Codru Moma range beyond; - to the east: the Somes Valley and its catchment, the scattered hamlets on the tops of the mountains, Magura Calatele of the villages of Rachitele, Magura and Belis and, in “backstage”, almost horizontally, Muntele Mare with tens of hamlets; - to the South: the Padis Basin with its bassinets, then the peaks which close this depression on its eastern and Southern side (Biserica Motului, Magura Vânata, Gârdisoara, Glavoiu, Bortig, Piatra Galbenei). It follows the Valley of Galbena and the chain of peaks which close it at its Southern end. From these, the Rust Pit (dug in the Tapu Mountain) can be easily noticed. Finally, develops the Vârtop Mountain with the Arieseni ski track and the Cucurbata Mare Peak (1848 m) with the TV relay. Underneath the Cârligate Steep lies the Bad Valley which steeply rushes to the Boga Valley and reaches it near the Boga holiday village. One can also see the winding road which climbs in the Plaiu Glade to Padis and the Bulz Valley passing beneath the Stone of Bulz and getting out of sight on the top toward Pietroasa. Closer the steeps of the Stones of Boga dominate the Boga Valley. This tour of horizon from Cârligate ends our list of outstanding natural sites of the Padis area. Those omitted are let to be discovered by the coming tourists themselves. Next, some touring proposals...
SOME TOURISTIC ROUTE PROPOSALS
Links between the starting points:
* Padis Chalet - “At Stables” (3/4 h) Cabana Padis - La Grajduri * “At Stables” - Padis Chalet (1 h) “At Stables” - Cabana Padis * Padis Chalet - Varasoaia Glade (3/4 h) Cabana Padis -PoianaVarasoaia * Padis Chalet - Padis Plane (1/2 h) Cabana Padis -Platoul Padis * Padis Chalet - Boga Village (2 h on foot, 3/4 h by car) Cabana Padis -Satul Boga
Routes starting from Padis:
* Church of the Mot circuite (2 h) Circuitul Vârful Biserica Motului * Magura Vânata Mountain circuite (5 hours) Circuitul Muntelui Magura Vânata * Magura Mare Peak (to and from 2 hours) Vârful Magura Mare * Padis plane - Stones of Boga - Sura Boghii Cave - Fence of Boga - Varasoaia Glade - Padis Cave ( 6 hrs) Sesul Padis - Piatra Boghii - Pestera Sura Boghii - Gardu Boghii - Poiana Varasoaia - Pestera Padis * Warm Somes Springs Circuite (6 hrs) cCircuitul Izvoarelor Somesului Cald * Cârligate Mountain Range - Varasoaia Peak (6 hrs) Culmea Cârligatelor - Poiana Varasoaia * Varasoaia Peak - Boga Valley - Boga Village - Plaiu - Scarita - Balileasa - Padis Plane (7 hrs) Vârful Varasoaia - Valea Boga - satul Boga - Plaiu - Scarita - Balileasa - Sesul Padis * Balileasa - Barsa Pit - Stone of Galbena - Living Fire Iceblock Cave - At Stables (6 hrs) Balileasa - Groapa de la Barsa - Piatra Galbenei - Pestera Ghetarul Focul Viu - La Grajduri * Ponor Glade - At Stables - Stone of Galbena - Living Fire Iceblock Cave - Barsa Pit - Balileasa (7 hrs) Poiana Ponor - At Stables - Piatra Galbenei - Pestera Ghetarul Focul Viu - Groapa de la Barsa - Balileasa * Ponor Glade - the Fortress of Ponor (full circuite) - At Stables (6 hrs) * Poiana Ponor - Circuitul complet al Cetatilor Ponorului - La Grajduri * Ponor Glade - Bortig Mountain - Galbena Karstic Emergence - Gorges of Galbena - Flower Glade - Living Fire Iceblock Cave - Stone of Galbena - At Stables (9 hrs) Poiana Ponor - Muntele Bortig - Izbucul Galbenei -Cheile Galbenei - Poiana Florilor - Pestera Ghetarul Focul Viu - Piatra Galbenei - La Grajduri * At Stables - Stone of Galbena - Flower Glade - Gorges of Galbena - Galbena Karstik Emergence - Bortig - Fortress of Galbena Balconies - At Stables ( 8 hrs) La Grajduri - Piatra Galbenei - Poiana Florilor - Cheile Galbenei - Izbucul Galbenei - Bortig - Balcoanele de la Cetatile Ponorului - La Grajduri * Cold Spring - Lost World (avens) - Dry Valley - Fortress of Ponor (full circuite ) - At Stables (7 hrs) Izvorul Rece - Lumea Pierduta (avene) - Valea Seaca - Cetatile Ponorului (circuit complet) - La Grajduri * Cold Spring - Lost World - Caput Cave - Ponor Glade (5 hrs) Izvorul Rece - Pumea Pierduta - Pestera Caput - Poiana Ponor * Balileasa - Flower Glade - Dry Valley - Rust Pit (to and from 2 days) Balileasa - Poiana Florilor - Valea Seaca - Groapa Ruginoasa si retur * Dry Gârda - Stone House (to and fro 6 hrs) Gârda Seaca - Casa de Piatra
We remind you that all these routes start from the Padis Chalet. Using the map you can imagine other routes in Padis and its surroundings but taking into account the features of the zone (in great part described in the previous chapters) and the existing tourist marks.
MARKED TOURIST ROUTES
1. Red strip: Padis Chalet - Varasoaia Glade - Cuciulta Glade - Cumpanatelul Saddle - Bohodei Saddle - Poieni Peak - Stâna de Vale (20 km, 5 hrs). A top route which offers large perspectives to the Bihor Mountains, Vladeasa and the Beius Depression. From Stâna de Vale one can go further on Iadului or Draganului Valley (Valea Iadului, Valea Draganului).
2. Blue strip: Padis Chalet - Varasoaia Glade - Cuciulata Glade - Onceasa Glade - Robber's Stone - Ferice Stone - Red Peak - White Stones - Vladeasa Chalet (32 km, 9 hrs). It is route that follows the peak and offers great perpesctives. It could be continued to the Bologa Halt or Draganului Valley (halta Bologa, Valea Draganului).
3. Red strip: Padis Chalet - Padis Plane - Balileasa Glade - Living Fire - Flower Glade - Pauleasa forester house - Dry Valley - Rust Pit - Vârtop Saddle (24 km, 9 hrs). It is a very exhausting route, because you have to cover big level differences. Possible continuations to Arieseni or the the Sighistel Valley (Valea Sighistelului).
4. Blue cross: Padis Chalet - Padis Plane - Oselu Peak - Scarita Saddle - Plaiu - Bulz Valley - Between Waters - Pietroasa (16 km, 4 hrs) The Boga acces route. Possible continuations on the Boga Valley or toward Sudrigiu.
5. Blue strip: Padis Chalet - Gârda Plane - Batrâna Mountain - Calineasa Glade - Ursoaia Glade - Ocoale Hamlet - The Scarisoara Iceblock Cave (20 km, 7 hrs). Possible continuations to Gârda de Sus or Baisoara - Muntele Mare
6. Blue triangle: Padis Chalet - Gârda Plane- Dry Gârda Valley - Stone House Hamlet (10 km, 3 hrs) The access route to the caves of Gârda (Vârtop Iceblock Cave, Coiba Mare Cave). Possible continuations to Gârda de Sus or Scarisoara
7. Red triangle: Padis Chalet - Ponor Glade - Caput Cave - Bortig Saddle - Cobles Hamlet - Cobles Valley - Arieseni (16 km, 5 hrs). From Cobles Hamlet one branch goes to the Vârtop Saddle (Saua Vârtop).
8. Blue point: the Ponor Fortress Circuite: Padis Chalet - Ponor Glade - Fortress of Ponor Karstic Complex - At Stables - Padis Chalet (12 km, 6 hrs)
9. Yellow point: the Galbena Circuite: Padis Chalet - Ponor Glade - Ponor Fortress rounding - Bortig Aven - Galbena Karstic Emergence - Gorges of Galbena - Flower Glade - Living Fire - Stone of Galbena - At Stables - Padis Chalet (19 km, 9 hrs)
10. Yellow cross: Padis Chalet - Bradeteanului Saddle - Cold Spring - Lost World Karstic Plateau (Covered Aven-Twin Aven-Black Aven) (7 km, 2 hrs). Possible continuations to Fortress of Ponor or Caput- Ponor Glade.
11. Yellow srip: Barsa Pit Circuite: branch to Stone of Galbena - Black Cave - Barsa Cave - Zapodie Cave - Balileasa Glade (5 km, 3 hrs). The come back route could include the visit of the Living Fire and Stone of Galbena.
12. Red point: Padis forester house - Stone of Boga - Sura Boghii Cave (2 km, 1 h).
13. Double red point: Varasoaia Glade - Fence of Boga - Stone of Boga (2 km, 1 h). It can be done combined with route 12.
14. Yellow triangle: Magura Vânata Mountaine Range Circuite: Padis Chalet, Magura Mare Peak - Magura Vânata Crest - Magura Mica - Varasoaia Saddle (12 km, 5 hrs).
15. Red triangle: Cumpanatelul Saddle - Talking Stone - Robber’s Stone - Buteasa Peak - Devil’s Mill Cascade - Ciripa forester house - Munceilor Glade- Stâna de Vale (18 km, 8 hrs). The acces route on Draganului Valley (Valea Draganului).
16. Red point: Warm Somes Springs Circuite: Varasoaia Glade- Fortress of Radeasa- Radeasa Glade- Belvedere- Somes Valley- Cuciulata Steep- Radeasa Glade- Varasoaia Glade (8 km, 4 hrs). A branch climbs from the Gorges of the Somes to the Cuciulata Glade.
17. Red cross: Gorges of the Warm Somes - Alunu Mare Valley - Onceasa Glade - (6 km - 2 hrs). Link route - possible continuation to the Onceasa Cave.
18. Red cross: Cumpanatelul Saddle - pail of Braiasa - Onceasa Glade - Onceasa Cave (10 Km, 3 hrs). Possible contuning on the Warm Somes Valley.
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