The Somesul Cald tour

GPS Coordinates:
46.63918 N, 22.71798 E

Duration: 4 h only the tour Length: 8 km only the tour Height difference: +500 m / -500 m Note: Difficult, practicable only in the summer

Our blaze starts from the Vărășoaia tourist hostel along with 3 other blazes.

Stâna de Vale-Vărășoaia Piatra Tâlharului-Padiș Stâna de Vale-Vărășoaia

Where the other signs turn left, we follow only the red dot blaze.

Some important information:

Turn right! The circuit is composed of two circuits: a smaller loop (the Radda circuit) and a larger loop (the circuit Cheilor Someșului Cald).

Do not leave the markings, because you are going the fastest and safest way!

Double-ended bifurcations do not go on, go back to the trail!

We start the Rădesei tour. Descending on the path we cross the small stones and get down to the water at the entrance of Cetatea Rădesei cave. This can be crossed only at law water level. It can be reached via the left side. Its entrance is 15m high, which leads us to a hall, which is enlighted with four wholes. Here we can hear the bang of water coming from huge rocks. After a narrow, somber part we get some beams of light from the window number I.

Afterwards there is a narrow canyon, with small water-filled bazins, and suddenly we get huge light and warmth. We get to the Rădesei clearing. We have already done 260 m underground. There are two roads coming from the celaring. One belongs to the Someșului Cald tour, and goes downwards. The other one goes upwards between the brooks Rădeasa and Feredeu, and closing the Rădeasa tour. Here we shall decide where to go. Those who continue the Rădeasa tour to Vărșoaia, go on the serpentine. After 10 min they get the first by-pass blazes, taking people 15m downer.

We get onto a limestone fringe, above the Rădesa canyon. The view is amazing! Going back to the path we continue climbing. On the left side we will see a small hill, with a vertical cave at the bottom. This we have already seen from the cave, as being the big window of the Cave. After the hard climbing we get to four other vertical caves too, then climbing 100 level difference in the forest, get to a clearing, where we start to descend to the Rădesa cave. This circle-tour takes 2 hours over the cave, and back again on the top of it.

It is harder to patrol the Somesul Cald circuit as for its length and its big difference of height. The blaze starts on the bank of an affluent of the Somes. Where we get through the river we climb a little to the left and a loop-way gets us to a lookout having a height of 1349 meter.

After we get through a big blaster area we get to the Cuptor cave. After another blaster region we get to the Somes vale. We get on its other side. Attention! The blaze takes here to the forest and its followed by a hard slope up! Rightwards we may see the Palace of Balcazar cave, with a length of 75 m, without any concretion. After another stone-slide of 200 meter a loop-way gets us down to the water of Somes. From there we may see the Somes pass as the water forces its way through the narrow pass.

We get back and soon get to another by-pass, taking us to a natural balcony, where we can see the Moloh waterfall and the gorge.

We get back to the blaze and after a while another loop-way goes to the Small Tunnel cave. In this also disappears a stream! We may follow only a 100 meter section of it, then it disappears under the tower rock. We get back to the path and after a short period of time we get the Somesul Cald vale and the Radeasa circuit is closed.

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