Travel on the Alpine roads in the Parang Mountains are becoming increasingly risky with the approach of winter. The first snowfall spread on the roads of Parang, Transalpina was closed, and the snow removal machines were mobilized earlier than in the past years, to release the access roads.
DN 7A Transalpina. Photo: DRDP Timișoara and Meteoplus. Facebook
In winter it made its presence felt on several mountain roads in Parang. The rains of this weekend have turned into snow in the alpine areas, and on several roads the intervention of the snow removal equipment was required.
Alpine roads under the snow
The spectacular roads that go up to over 2,000 meters altitude have become risky for drivers.
The best known of these, Transalpina (national road 67C), the Romanian road that reaches the highest altitude (2,145 meters, in Urdele Pass), was closed to traffic from the middle of this week, on the 25 -kilometer alpine sector between Rânca (Gorj county) and Obârșului (Vârșul).
The snowfall also affected the traffic on the national road 7A (Video DRDP Timișoara), which connects, through the Parang and Lotru mountains, the cities of Petrosani (Hunedoara county) and Brezoi (Vâlcea county), and intersect with Transalpina at Obârșia Lotrului.
The mountain road climbs from the Jiu Valley, through the Jieț Gorge, bypasses Lake Vidra – located at almost 2,000 meters – and descends in the Olt Valley, in Brezoi, towards the Lotrului. In the wildest area crossed by this road with a length of over 100 kilometers, winter returned earlier.
“The first snow of this season in the mountain area of Hunedoara county, on DN 7A, at the limit with Vâlcea county. Before starting on the trip, it is important to inform you about the state of the road on the route you are going to travel and the weather phenomena. Adapt the speed to the traffic conditions!” informed the Regional Directorate of Roads and Bridges Timișoara.
On the national road 7A, but also on the national road 66, in the Jiu Valley in Hunedoara county, non -slip material was scattered.
“In parallel, the roads intervened to cut the branches with danger of breaking and for the release of the carriageway of fallen trees or alluvium”, Drdp Timișoara also informed.
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DN 7A Photo Drdp Timișoara (4) JPG
It also snowed in the Montană Parang resort, and the drivers are advised to travel cautiously on the access road in the resort (county road 709F), because of the wet road and its great declivity. Moreover, during the winter, the mountain road that climbs from Petrosani to over 1,700 meters is closed over the last six kilometers, between the Rusu cottage and the resort.
Parang Mountains, spectacular land crossed by epic roads
The Parang Mountains, the highest in western Romania, rise to the east of the Jiu Valley, not far from the cities of Petrosani and Petrila, and received the name from their highest – Parângul Mare, of 2,519 meters.
For the natives of the Jiu Valley, Parângul has always been a bridge between the regions of Hunedoara, Vâlcii, Sibiu and Gorjului, dominated by pastoral traditions. The archaic sheep adorns the slopes, away from the beaten roads, and the halls (summer dwellings) remain animated by humans and animals until the cold.
In Parang, nearly 20 massif pools exceed 2,300 meters, and the peaks of Gemănarea, Stoinița and Cârja pass 2,400 meters, being – next to the peak Parângul Mic (2,074 meters) – landmarks of the mountain trails starting from the Montană Parang resort. Beyond the often snowy peaks, the alpine area has so far retained numerous traces of glaciers.
The glacial circles in Parang are covered by the groove, they grow steep and jagged and thresholds that develop in waterfalls. The best known are the heat of the tomatoes, under Paraângul Mare, over 2,000 meters, Cârja and Câlcescu.
At their bottom, travelers discover at least 20 glacial lakes, the best known are the lakes Mija, Câlcescu, the tomatoes and the frozen Iezer. The entire Parang Massif covers almost 5,000 square kilometers and is generous in high -height tourist resorts.
