About Transalpina
The Transalpina (DN67C) links Oltenia with Transylvania over the Parâng Mountains, running 148 km between Novaci, in Gorj county, and Sebeș, in Alba county, and crossing Vâlcea and Sibiu counties on the way. Its highest point, the Urdele Pass, is at 2,145 m, almost a hundred metres higher than the Transfăgărășan, which makes it the highest paved road in the country. Unlike its rival, which drops in tight hairpins through rocky cirques, the Transalpina keeps to the ridge: dozens of kilometres over alpine pasture plateaus, with views in every direction and sheep as the main traffic.
The road is old: shepherds used it for centuries on their seasonal migrations, under the name of the Devil's Path, and legend has it that the Roman legions passed this way towards Sarmizegetusa. King Carol II rebuilt it between 1934 and 1939 as a strategic road, drove over it at its inauguration and gave it the name of the King's Road; the German army repaired it during the war, after which it remained a dirt road for seven decades. Paving began in 2009 and, after the contractor went bankrupt, the ridge section from Rânca to Obârșia Lotrului opened only in 2015; even today, guardrails and road markings are missing in places.
What you can see
From the south, the road climbs from Novaci through forest to Rânca, a ski resort at 1,600 m, from where the hairpins emerge from the trees towards the ridge. Then come 25 km of ridge road above the treeline, with the Urdele Pass in the middle, marked by stalls and cars pulled over on the verge, then the Muntinu plateau with its glacial lake and the gentle descent to Obârșia Lotrului, at 1,400 m, the junction with the DN7A to Voineasa, with chalets and sheepfolds selling cheese. From there the road crosses the Tărtărău Pass, runs along the shore of Lake Oașa, a reservoir with blue-green water and Oașa Monastery on its bank, passes the Șureanu ski resort and descends the Sebeș valley, through Șugag, into the town.
The finest part is the ridge road between Rânca and Obârșia Lotrului: early in the morning, with the sea of clouds below you, or in the evening, with the light on the pastures. From the Urdele Pass short paths lead up to Urdele peak (2,228 m) and the surrounding summits.
Good to know
The ridge section (km 34+800 Rânca – km 79+200 Curpăț) is closed in winter, usually from the second half of October to the end of May, and in season only in daylight, with a 30 km/h limit and no vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. At 2,000 m fog and cold rain come even in August, and there are sheep, sheepdogs and cyclists on the road; on summer weekends, columns of motorbikes. There are no petrol stations between Novaci and Sebeș.
- The Urdele Pass, at 2,145 m, the highest point on any road in the country, with views over the Parâng and Șureanu ranges.
- The hairpins above Rânca, seen from above, with the sea of clouds early in the morning.
- The ridge road between Urdele and Obârșia Lotrului, over alpine pastures with sheep and horses.
- Lake Oașa, with its blue-green water and Oașa Monastery on the shore, on the way down to Sebeș.
- The cheese and pastrami from the sheepfolds and stalls at Obârșia Lotrului and in the pass.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from the south, from Târgu Jiu on the DN67 to Novaci (~45 km), then the DN67C; from the north, from Sebeș (on the A1, ~60 km from Sibiu, ~75 km from Alba Iulia) on the DN67C via Șugag and Lake Oașa. From Vâlcea, on the DN7A from Brezoi through Voineasa to Obârșia Lotrului. From Bucharest it is ~330 km to Novaci (A1 and DN67, ~4h30). The road is paved for its whole length but narrow, without guardrails in places and with a 30 km/h limit on the ridge; fill up at Novaci or Sebeș.
Public transport: there are no scheduled services over the mountains. Buses run as far as Novaci (from Târgu Jiu) and Șugag (from Sebeș); the ridge can only be reached by car, motorbike or bicycle.
- Where to park
There are no proper car parks on the ridge: you stop on the roadside, in the wider spots at the Urdele Pass, at Rânca and at Obârșia Lotrului, where the stalls are. Stop only where you do not block the road; on summer weekends the pass is full of cars and motorbikes by midday. At Rânca and Lake Oașa there is parking at the chalets and guesthouses.
- Fees & discounts
The road is public and free, with no toll or parking charge. The road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory on the DN67C outside built-up areas and on the access roads. Food at the sheepfolds and stalls is cash only.
- Rules
On the ridge: 30 km/h maximum, no vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, traffic only during the hours announced by CNAIR; at night the barriers at Rânca and Curpăț are closed. Do not stop on the carriageway for photos and do not drive off the road onto the pasture. Keep your distance from the flocks of sheep and the sheepdogs. You are in the mountains: bring warm clothes, water and food, a full tank, and check the forecast; fog can cut visibility to a few metres. Leave no litter: the area is monitored and fines are issued.
- Facilities
Chalets, guesthouses and restaurants at Rânca, Obârșia Lotrului and Lake Oașa · stalls with cheese, pastrami and souvenirs at the Urdele Pass and Obârșia Lotrului in summer · no petrol station between Novaci and Sebeș · no public toilets on the ridge; at the chalets · weak mobile signal on the ridge · Gorj mountain rescue post at Rânca · ski slopes at Rânca and Șureanu in winter, reached from Novaci and Sebeș respectively
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