All about Bihar

Itinerary

• From the branch below Varasó (Vărăşoaia), follow the blue stripe marking through the Kopott csapás saddle (Şaua Cumpănăţelul) to the ridge, then turn right there and continue all the way to Tolvajos-kő (Piatra Tâlharului).
• At Tolvajos-kő (Piatra Tâlharului), turn right onto the officially discontinued but passable and GPS-trackable yellow stripe trail, which we follow to the branch at the edge of Oncsásza-rét (Poiana Onceasa).
• At the edge of Oncsásza-rét (Poiana Onceasa), turn right onto the red dot marking, which we follow down to the Meleg-Szamos (Someșul Cald) valley.
• From the Meleg-Szamos (Someșul Cald) valley, ascend to the right on the officially discontinued but actually passable and GPS-trackable red dot trail, which leads to the far end of the Aragyásza Cave (Cetățile Rădesei).
• At the end of the Aragyásza Cave (Cetățile Rădesei), stay on the left branch of the red dot marking, which leads to the end point where the route started.

Detailed description of the route

Pine graveyard beneath the snowfields

Crossing the Varasó saddle (Şaua Vărasoaia), the landscape is somewhat imbued with an archaic Carpathian atmosphere: one of the meadows bordered by pine forests is dotted with numerous shepherd huts, jingling flocks, and barking shepherd dogs provide the soundtrack, while an elderly shepherd with a furrowed face waves at the few parked cars. The wide dirt road's bend marks the start of the short Szamos-bazár circular route, but those aiming only for the ridge usually arrive later and thus most likely encounter only shepherds in this part of the plateau.

The signposts and markings on trees are abundant, and among the large, easily visible pictograms, we must rely on the blue stripe this time, as it shows the correct direction all the way to the end of our ridge route. The tour warms up muscles with forested 'rollercoaster'-like ups, mostly ascending – during the short climbs we unknowingly overcome much of the elevation gain. Soon we reach a wide meadow from which we have a view straight ahead to the steeply dropping side of the turf-covered ridge region, and behind us, the mountains surrounding Pădis fill the landscape. In the distance, the main peak of the range, Great Bihar (Nagy-Bihar), also appears; looking right, the ridges of the Transylvanian Alps blend into the mist behind one another. After an abandoned shepherd's hut, steepness increases, and we bend toward a wide pasture at Égett-kő (Piatra Arsă) through juniper and pine woods, observing the view from higher and higher.

Looking more closely, it becomes evident that above the Meleg-Szamos valley and on the Magura ridge bordering Pădis and its karst water system, a large 'pine graveyard' spreads: here the pine forest has died en masse over an extensive zone. At this altitude, the monoculture pine forest results from earlier logging and subsequent reforestation, and the warming and drying climate destroys it massively despite Bihar being Transylvania's rainiest region (due to its location and moist air masses coming from the west).

Highland pasture trampling

The rocky cart road makes a left turn and leads up to the Kopott csapás saddle (Şaua Cumpănăţelul), accompanied by a panorama opening onto the forested wilderness divided by Boga-katlan valleys and the stark limestone cliffs dwarfing it. The saddle itself, whose name alone is storied, is essentially a gateway to a new world: the ridge marking the boundary of Pădis's karst watershed, being the highlight of the tour in view, atmosphere, and terrain relationships. The broad, plateau-like mountain ridge is broken by gently sloping peaks, with jagged rocky towers shaped by periglacial processes on the edges. Looking north, the Vlegyásza mountains join the Bihar peaks; to the south, the ranges of the Southern Carpathians also appear shimmering on the horizon beyond the forested mountain sea.

The flat grassy ridge lawn is intersected by numerous wheel tracks near the saddles; otherwise, the peace reminiscent of the Carpathians' most deserted mountain ranges reigns over the uninhabited terrain overlooking the surrounding mountains. Solitary pines and dark patches of junipers color the terrain around the stone seas and peak points, and in the summer half-year, one often meets shepherds herding their flocks or cattle diligently with their dogs. Grazing takes place from spring to mid-October and has been present on these ridges for centuries – thanks to this, neither pine forest nor dwarf pine exists on the ridge. The squashed forest edge offers continuous panorama, and following the blue stripe marking, only gentle ascents must be overcome, allowing attention to be paid to the sight.

After leaving the dome of Sík-havas (Varful Briţei), slopes lined with junipers and blueberry carpets and richer in pines flank the road. Standing above, at about 1700 meters (the tour's highest point), the Tolvajos-kő (Piatra Tâlharului) appears on the right, both in name and appearance a wild, bastion-like jagged peak. The hiking trail bends under the rock, but do not stop here: a difficult, rocky path leads up to the top of the rock formations sculpted by water frozen in cracks. It's worth finding a way to the rock balcony, because from there, one can see the constantly collapsing stone sea of the southern face and the vast slice of the Transylvanian Alps. On the right, in the distance, the Magura ridge marks the end point of our route, the far closure of the Szamos-bazár, and, opposite, our next destination, Oncsásza-rét (Poiana Onceasa), breaks the vast – and unfortunately nearly completely dried-up – pine forest. To the north, the Bocsásza and Néma-havas domes gently rise above the more or less continuous ridge level.

The name Tolvajos-kő may come from the rock formation reminiscent of a thieves' fortress, but it's not hard to imagine the bandits who settled centuries ago in this protected, remote corner far from the law. A sign at the foot of the rock warns that the tourist path leading to Oncsásza-rét is closed because many fallen trees have stopped the passage to Szamos-bazár. However, this should not scare us; let's switch to the yellow stripe marking, turning right, descending through closing, old, dark pine forest and then descending through the broken-up, picturesque pine groves. The old hiking trail is marked only continuously on the upper section and is untraceable in the groved area; therefore, using the Természetjáró app and GPS on the phone is essential for successful orientation here. We only touch the edge of Oncsásza-rét (Poiana Onceasa), a botanically rich, wet soil area once used as a pasture, but it’s worth peeking into the isolated clearing – the forest will engulf it by the end of the tour.

Dive into the wilderness

We turn right again as soon as the route leads back to the valley branch, stepping onto the red dot marking. The forest has completely dried out in just a decade, and dead standing trees easily fall in strong winds, as evidenced by the countless fallen logs. The former path no longer exists; therefore, use GPS and watch the map, or else we might get lost in the Bihor wilderness. At the bottom of the valley, we step onto a forestry road in good condition but unused for a long time, which we follow along the stream until it flows into the Meleg-Szamos (Someșul Cald) coming from the opposite side. Here we keep direction, following the river on an old, overgrown road to a signpost. The path supposedly splits, but the left branch is practically destroyed, and the right one is discontinued, yet it's passable with some effort.

On the right branch of the red dot marking, we detour around Meleg-Szamos’s deep, water-only passable gorge. For this, we have to climb over huge rock blocks edging the river. The path starts with a rocky, stair-like ascent, leading into the mouth of the Baltazár palace cave (Peştera Honu). The spring cave, which is about 75 meters long and can be followed extensively, is only seemingly entered by the hiking trail; actually, the trail bends left just before the cave and passes above the cave entrance. Here begins the most difficult section of the tour because from this point on we hike on a wide ledge between steep cliffs dropping into depths and the smooth limestone slabs rising on the other side, over desolate rocky terrain. Except for fallen trees, the trail has no other technical difficulties, but be cautious: the forest hides deadly depths on the left, and a misstep could be fatal.

At one point, we can look down from a cliff top: standing over 200 meters above the valley floor on a vertical cliff, the stream roars below, and opposite cascades the Moloch waterfall (Cascada Moloch) into the rugged basin. This is the 'Moloch's throat,' considered by some the wildest gorge in the range; for Gyula Czárán, who first explored the karst, it was no obstacle either, as he carved bridges and stairs on the walls to make the path passable. These are long gone, but the shattered tower group of the Babel rocks and the Three Archangels on the left will remain visible for a long time. The path winds gently up and down around the rocks falling and rising sharply on the valley side. Though the section is short, navigating fallen trees and repeatedly lost paths makes it time-consuming and exhausting. The hardest challenge awaits at the end: during descent, we must cross a completely fallen forest section – be careful of the stumps sticking out of the pines and the steep slopes hidden by vegetation! Finally, upon reaching the valley, we need to cross a small stream.

Walk inside the karst's stomach

The path does not continue in the riverbed but immediately crosses to the far side, climbs the bank, and after another ford, reaches the Fortuna grove (Poiana Rădesei), the lower end of Szamos-bazár (Cheile Someşului Cald). The valley promptly explains why the gorge of Meleg-Szamos reminded Gyula Czárán of a bazaar thick with natural beauties. Instead of the upward, chain-secured stairs (blasted by Czárán), follow the left branch of the red dot marking in the riverbed. The cliffs seemingly close after the first bend, and the path continues in a narrow, barely one-meter-wide fissure. The limestone walls on the lower few meters have been sculpted by flowing water, marked by arched shapes and huge basins. Climbing chains and avoiding fallen trunks, we reach further and higher. The canyon, called Medúza-zug, arches over at the top like a cave – it really was a cave entrance in the past, but it has collapsed. The upper part is still a real cave, and the hiking trail goes through it.

Crossing the Aragyásza Cave (Cetățile Rădesei) is a particularly exciting and unusual experience; it is not common to walk forward inside a cave for 20-30 minutes. Moreover, the grandiose dimensions of the cave can be experienced and not just seen due to the trail’s adventurous route: several points require climbing chains to ascend 4-6 meter-high rock thresholds and then descending the other side. Originally, bridges and ladders carved by Czárán facilitated movement inside the passage. The geologist who explored Pădis with 650 kilometers of hiking trails built Szamos-bazár in 3 months with 12 workers gathered locally. It was his second route after finishing the first in 1897.

The stream roars beside us in darkness, illuminated by the headlamp beam through 6 ruptured windows; at some points, it complements natural light entering from above. The cave consists of narrow, winding passages and spacious halls; the largest is called the Dome (Dóm in Czárán's naming), with dimensions to give an idea: 60 meters long, 38 meters wide, 25 meters high. The Aragyásza Cave is 212 meters long; one cannot get lost in it, but due to the unusual views, prepare for slow progress.

A huge oval mouth called the Gate of Babylon, 15 meters high and 7 meters wide, leads out of the cave via a rock ledge eroded into an arch by water. The stream flows here from the surface; the protruding rock block and the water's gradual deepening carved simultaneously the giant portal and cave entrance. The hiking trail forks opposite the mouth; we must turn left before the spring and then follow a path rising straight along the valley head, bending right a few meters ahead. After about 10-15 minutes’ walk through pine groves, we arrive back at the pine-crowned, green pasture plateau of Varasó-havas (Vărasoaia), where the tour started.