OFF50 Șureanu – Petrila

I discovered this road by looking at Google Maps, at the satellite image. There was a road I saw but it was not marked on the map. Not totally. I looked for videos to see if I could find some information and I discovered a few people who climbed from Petrila to Șureanu with off-road vehicles. I wasn’t sure if they got on this road I found, so I said we had to go and check.

The route starts from the Poarta Raiului tourist area, at the foot of the Șureanu ski area. We climbe the road to the ski area. Then from the parking lot of the Apres-ski Ada we enter a road on the left that climbs slightly, goes under the cables of  a ski lift then turns right and enters the forest.

After a few hundred meters through the forest we go out into the alpine area on the southern side of the Șureanu Mountains and the landscape we have in front of us is simply impressive. On the right side you can see Șureanu Peak with its 2059m and to the left in the distance you can see the Parâng Mountains.

We will reach an intersection where the road on the right descends and the one on the left continues along the level line. We’ll take the one on the left. We are at over 1800m altitude, and from now on we will only have to go down. The first 3-4 kilometers we descend smoothly along the level line until we reach a saddle. From here you can already see the town of Petrila in the valley and somewhere further the town of Petroșani.

We will reach a gate that blocks the road but you should not be worried because it is only for animals. You can open it, pass it but don’t forget to close it back. On this route you will encounter 3 more such gates.

We pass an abandoned sheepfold and then the road enters the forest. Beware of bears, we intersected with one and on this road there is very little chance that someone else will help you. The recommendation would be that you do not go alone on any off-road route.

The road descends quite quickly, some parts being a bit steeper, sometimes there are  ditches and sometimes there is a lot of gravel. The open areas alternate with wooded areas so we have beautiful views all the way down.

We will reach the asphalt in the village of Cimpa, near Petrila.

We liked this road very much because in addition to the beautiful landscapes, here you can find almost all types of off-road: parts with earth, grass with sand or gravel. There are parts of an alpine road, parts through a coniferous forest and then potions with deciduous forests, many open areas from where you can admire the landscapes. You have steep slopes, with ridges, very narrow potions on the edge of the ravine, streams of water that cross the road. It’s a road with everything. And maybe we liked the feeling of wildness the most.