Padiș Plateau

Padiș (Hungarian: Pádis) is a karst plateau in the Bihor Mountains, part of Romania's Apuseni (Western Romanian Carpathians), in the south-east of Bihor County. Romanian Wikipedia gives an average altitude of about 1,200 m, the Hungarian one 1,280 m. It is a closed basin with no surface outflow: streams cross the meadows, vanish into sinkholes and resurface in neighbouring valleys. The relief is made of dolines, rock walls, caves, shafts, gorges and meadows set among spruce forests.

Padiș is not a single pasture but several mountain meadows. The central plain is called Șesul Padiș; around it lie Poiana Ponor, Poiana Glăvoi, Poiana Vărășoaia, as well as the Bălileasa and Florilor meadows. Horses and sheep graze there in summer. The plateau belongs to Apuseni Natural Park (75,784 ha), and 39 ha form the floristic and landscape reserve "Padiș Karst Plateau", which protects, among others, the globeflower.

What to see and do

• The Cetățile Ponorului loop — blue dot, 11.3 km, about 6 h 30 min, difficult: across Poiana Ponor to the karst complex with a 74 m high portal. The route has cables and metal ladders and is not walked in winter.
• The Cetățile Rădesei loop — red dot, 5.6 km, about 2 h from the Vărășoaia hut; the cave is passable only in summer at low water.
• The Măgura Vânătă ridge (1,641 m) — yellow triangle, 7.7 km, about 3 h from Padiș to the Vărășoaia saddle, with views over the whole basin.
• Poiana Florilor — a flower meadow near the Galbena Gorge (Cheile Galbenei), crossed by the Galbena loop (11.1 km).

How to get there

From the west, drive from the town of Beiuș via Sudrigiu to the village of Pietroasa, then on road DJ763 through Boga up to the plateau; from the city of Oradea it is about 100 km. From the east the forest road Răchițele – Ic Ponor – Padiș (53 km through to Pietroasa) leads in; according to Romanian Wikipedia, the unpaved section from Poiana Horea is best driven in an off-road vehicle. Marked paths also reach the plateau from Stâna de Vale, the Vârtop saddle, Arieșeni (16 km) and Gârda de Sus.

Season, rules and safety

According to Hungarian Wikipedia, snow may fall on the plateau as early as November and lies until April, and the mean annual temperature is about 3 °C. The best time is June to September. Wild camping is banned in the park; ask the Apuseni park administration where tents are allowed (parcapuseni.ro). Keep away from the edges of sinkholes and shafts, and do not start the cable-equipped routes in rain.

Bears live in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on the marked paths, never leave food by a tent or a car, and near flocks do not run from the sheepdogs — stop and walk calmly around the herd. Salvamont mountain rescue: national dispatch 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112; advice for hikers is on salvamontromania.ro.

Nearby

Poiana Ponor and Poiana Glăvoi lie south of the central plain, Poiana Vărășoaia to the north. The highest summit of the Bihor Mountains is Cucurbăta Mare.

Photos: Nicu Farcaș, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Tula, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Mihai.cosmin.pascariu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.