Racoș Geological Complex, Perșani Mountains

1. Racoș parking lot – Basalt columns (MTTC quarry)

350 m / 10 minutes / easy

With the map received at the entrance, we oriented ourselves and took a direct shortcut to the columns. I went down slowly, then followed the signposted road. It is a dirt road that leads you in about 300 meters to a place that seems unearthly. From the parking point you can go down to the base of the basalt columns (point 2 on the map).

The basalt columns

The basalt columns from Racoș are reminiscent of the Detunate geological formations in Alba County. The impressive basalt columns at Racos, a monument of nature, were formed after the rapid cooling of the volcanic lava, the fault being the nearby volcano, which we will get to, be patient. They are from the first eruption period that happened 1.3-1.4 million years ago. On a panel we read some interesting details that we then identify in the overwhelming image in front of us. 3 zones can be distinguished on the white / gray / greenish stone formations. The first ones from the base are vertical, parallel, side-by-side formations, in the form of 6-8 meter columns with an apparently pentagonal section, obviously uneven in reality. Above these are some horizontal “deposits” resulting from the solidification of the lava flow, the thickness of this basalt layer being about 2 meters. The third layer is again vertical, with columns similar to the first layer, but less high. The total height of the basalt columns measures 10-15 meters. There are several rows of columns, apart from the most beautifully highlighted ones, there are also some a little lower, like an organ, and others outside the main access road, from the same family, but less spectacular. Exploitations were carried out in the basalt quarry until the 60s of the last century.

2. Basalt columns – Emerald Lake

1 km / 30 minutes / easy

We follow the signs that really ensure the best access option. We return near the parking lot. After going up the “car” road, I went down on the other side of it in a wonderful place. There is a higher lookout (point 3 on the map) and another on the lake (point 4 on the map).

The emerald lake

The emerald lake is hidden in a corner. It is surrounded at least on one of the long sides by basalt formations, similar to columns. These give it a blue-green color, depending on how the light hits it. The lake is populated with fish and has a depth of about 18 meters, increasing. The lake was formed from the accumulation of sediments, but it also has a spring. Its level varies depending on evaporation, precipitation and snow melting.

3. Emerald Lake – Extinct Volcano (Racoș)

3 km / 1 hour / easy

From the lakeside we return to the intersection near the parking lot, then continue to the left, at a sharp angle on a road that skirts the emerald lake to the north, forming a U. In some places the area was a bit boggy, soaked in water from the snow in the process of melting. This route leads us, uphill, to a viewpoint located on the edge of the volcano’s crater (point 5 on the map). From here we can circle the volcano to the south passing by the antennas (point 6 on the map) to the northern extremity of the crater (point 7 on the map).

The extinct volcano

The Dealul Heghes basalt slag quarry worked here. The place is known as the Extinct Volcano. Yes, it really is a volcano, and it is the last volcano that erupted on the territory of Romania today. I had read about reddish soil and poor vegetation, but it didn’t seem like that at all. Maybe only on the inner cone of the volcano. On the bottom of the crater grew vegetation, trees. The terrain is straight and shows samples of volcanic slag, ash, volcanic bombs, pumice, basalts and solidified lava. The summit of the volcano has an elevation of 612 m, but its conquest is not recommended, due to the steep, undeveloped path.

4. The extinct volcano – Racoș parking lot

1.3 km / 30 minutes / easy

I stayed on the mouth of the extinct volcano for about 15 minutes. Then I went straight down through the grass, ducking down to the “car” road, on the other side of the Emerald Lake (lookout point 8 on the map), which I also photographed from this angle.