Rădesei Fortress Tour, Apuseni Mountains

1. Padiș slopes (1240 m) - Măgura Vânătă - Poiana Vărășoaia (1320 m) - branch-off

distance 3.2 km / duration 60 minutes / easy / red lane

From Șesul Padiș follow the forest road to Poiana Vărășoaia. It has in order the following forks; blue stripe to the right towards Padiș, red dot to the left towards Șura Boghii, yellow triangle to the right towards Măgura Vânătă and Padiș (at the point called Măgura Vânătă). On the left side we will have Tăul Vărășoaia, and towards the end of Poienia Vărășoaia that we cross all the way is the place called La Groapă where we can see other karst phenomena such as dolines and lapiezuri. After 1 hour we reach a well-marked branch. We are at point 6 on the map. This stretch of road can also be traveled by car. On both sides of the road we come across isolated houses, shelters and huts.

2. Branching - Rădesei Fortress Cave (1300 m) - Rădesei Poiana (1230 m)

distance 1,2 km / duration 30-60 minutes / difficult / red point

From the fork, continue straight ahead, but change the marker, cross the red point. All other markers lead to the left. We begin to descend through a rare forest towards the Rădeasa stream. Admire the snowdrops, snowdrops and patches of snow. Up to the cave entrance the trail is easy. I recommend entering right on the stream, not on the chained path down a cliff.

We're at point 8, Babylon Gate. We take the group photo and begin our adventure. The cave is an active one and the marked path leads through it. We encounter various obstacles that must be overcome carefully. I'm referring to 2 drop offs and a rock climb, all 3 vertical and a canyon type passage, all equipped with safety chains. The cave has several natural chimneys through which light penetrates in places. The ascent and descent of the large boulder can be by-passed by water when the stream flow is low. It is the most spectacular portion of our route. The crossing of the Rădesei Fortress Cave remains one of my favorite routes.

We leave the cave through point 9, pass the confluence of the Rădeasa and Feredeului streams and immediately stop in Poiana Rădesei (point 10).

3. Poiana Rădesei (1230 m) - the right slope of the Someșului Cald circuit - Poiana Rădesei (1230 m)

distance 2.3 km / duration 60-90 minutes / medium / medium / red dot

Two spectacular circuits converge in Poiana Rădesei, the Rădesei Fortress and the Someșului Cald Gorges. The gorges can also be walked on your own responsibility and on the water trail, which in several parts means through water, but is recommended only for experienced walkers, in dry, warm weather and low water flow.

We'll follow the arrows that lead us to the right flank of the steep slopes of the gorge. We ascend through a rather sparse forest, but with very few trees felled by a storm. We cross the Moloch stream and come to a lookout point overlooking the Cuciulate Wall on the left slope of the gorge. Here at point 12 we take a snack break. We don't pop in for long because a very nasty cloud has approached us and scraped splashes of rain are escaping. The trail continues steeply down through the forest on unstable ground. There are no steel cables in the area to hold on to and not much vegetation to cling to. It's here that I decide to return the same way back to Poiana Rădesei, given the threat of the black cloud. In the end it rained very lightly, but prudence never hurts.

4. Poiana Rădesei (1230 m) - -  - above the Rădesei Fortress Cave - Poiana Vărășoaia branch (1320 m)

distance 1,5 km / duration 45 minutes / difficult / red dot, unmarked, red dot

Return towards the exit of the Cave of the Fortress of Rădesei, a little upstream of the confluence of the streams. Here begins the loop of the Cetatea Rădesei circuit, which will pass over the cave. The first part is a steady climb up the cliff, which requires caution. Once at the top, the path winds along the mountain ridge under which the cave is located and passes 2 vertical mouths (chimneys) of the cave. At one point an unmarked path goes left in a semicircle and reaches a point where the portal of the main entrance to the cave can be seen. We return to the marked path and then descend this to near the entrance where the loop closes. We follow a section of the same path as the one from the outward to the branch at the end of the Vărășoaia Poen.

5. Branching - Tăul Vărășoaia (1260 m) - Padiș Cave (1270 m) - Padiș Slope (1240 m)

distance 3.2 km / duration 60 minutes / easy / red lane, unmarked

In order to vary the route a little from the morning's, we partially walked on a wide, unmarked road, parallel to the forest road, which runs right along the banks of the Vărășoaia Tăului. From here we cut short, still on the unmarked road, past another smaller ditch that leads through wide and inviting glades, then through wide corridors through the forest to the Padiș Cave. The cave is hardly accessible and we didn't try to visit it especially as there was still a big patch of snow at the entrance.

We descend smoothly down the forest lane until we come out in the Padiș Pass, where we pass through 3 other small lakes to close this wonderful trail.