Route Băile Herculane-Uzina Electrică-Cheile Șaua Padina-La Marginea
Distance: 3.8 km;
Duration: 5 hours;
Marking: Yellow tape;
Degree of difficulty: Medium.
You can enter the route from Hotel Roman, by following the road that leaves Băile Herculane resort and intersects with national road 67 D. At this intersection, turn right, cross the bridge over Cerna, and then turn left to the old Power Plant . About 100 m upstream from the factory is an alley marked with a yellow tape, then from a forest canton we turn right onto a tractor road. A little higher, the path begins, which unfolds in wide and easy serpentines, up to the limestone walls of the slope. At this point the path forks. On the right, it climbs in ever tighter serpentines, steep and in some places with a roar; after about 2 hours through the beech and linden forest you reach the saddle between the Hurcu (1088 m) and Şuşcu (1192 m) peaks; from here go down to the left to Valea Șaua Padina, upstream of the gorge, then climb it to Poiana Șaua Padina. The branch on the left goes to Valea Șaua Padina, enters the Șaua Padina gorge where it crosses two bridges suspended at a height, then at the exit of the gorge it joins the other path and heads towards Poiana Șaua Padina.
From Poiana Șaua Padina you walk along the road that passes by the forest bypass cabin and climbs up a calcareous and arid plateau to the place called La Margina, located next to the ridge road of the Mehedinţi Mountains. From this point we can go to Podeni on the road that separates from the one on the ridge or return to Băile Herculane on Valea Jelărăului.
Duration: 5 hours;
Marking: Yellow tape;
Degree of difficulty: Medium.
You can enter the route from Hotel Roman, by following the road that leaves Băile Herculane resort and intersects with national road 67 D. At this intersection, turn right, cross the bridge over Cerna, and then turn left to the old Power Plant . About 100 m upstream from the factory is an alley marked with a yellow tape, then from a forest canton we turn right onto a tractor road. A little higher, the path begins, which unfolds in wide and easy serpentines, up to the limestone walls of the slope. At this point the path forks. On the right, it climbs in ever tighter serpentines, steep and in some places with a roar; after about 2 hours through the beech and linden forest you reach the saddle between the Hurcu (1088 m) and Şuşcu (1192 m) peaks; from here go down to the left to Valea Șaua Padina, upstream of the gorge, then climb it to Poiana Șaua Padina. The branch on the left goes to Valea Șaua Padina, enters the Șaua Padina gorge where it crosses two bridges suspended at a height, then at the exit of the gorge it joins the other path and heads towards Poiana Șaua Padina.
From Poiana Șaua Padina you walk along the road that passes by the forest bypass cabin and climbs up a calcareous and arid plateau to the place called La Margina, located next to the ridge road of the Mehedinţi Mountains. From this point we can go to Podeni on the road that separates from the one on the ridge or return to Băile Herculane on Valea Jelărăului.