# Cerna Valley Road

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Banat](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/banat) › [Caraș-Severin County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/caras-severin)

> The DN67D links Baia de Aramă to Băile Herculane in about 65 km: it climbs to the Arșasca saddle at ~900 m and drops down the Cerna Valley, between limestone walls, through Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park.

**At a glance:** Scenic roads in Caraș-Severin County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 2½ – 3 hours. Information verified on 29 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — A national road open all year, with no opening hours. In September 2026 the CNAIR road authority had a width restriction (3.5 m) on km 89+700 – 108+390, between Valea Cernei and Băile Herculane, for stabilisation works, and speed and width restrictions due to landslides at Obârșia Cloșani (km 58+930) and Godeanu (km 70+790). On 22 September 2026 the road was closed for a few hours between Valea Cernei and Herculane because of rocks and trees fallen on the carriageway. Check CNAIR announcements before setting off.
- **Ticket:** Free — free road, park visitor fee
- **Visit duration:** 2½ – 3 hours — the whole stretch, with stops
- **With kids:** Yes — many bends, short trails
- **Parking:** Yes, free — on the roadside, at trailheads
- **Best season:** May – October — open all year
- **Address:** DN67D, between Baia de Aramă (km ~43) and Băile Herculane (km 108, junction with the DN6); the map point is on the shore of Lake Prisaca, ~15 km from the DN6, Caraș-Severin County
- **Coordinates:** 44.9479, 22.4679
- **Phone:** +40 255 560 582
- **Website:** https://domogled.ro/
- **Categories:** [Scenic roads](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumuri-panoramice)

## About Cerna Valley Road

The Cerna Valley Road is the roughly 65-kilometre stretch of the DN67D between Baia de Aramă and Băile Herculane, the way from northern Mehedinți into the Banat without the detour through Drobeta-Turnu Severin and Orșova. The first half crosses the Mehedinți Mountains, via Obârșia Cloșani and over the Arșasca saddle, the highest point, at about 900 m. The second half drops down to the Cerna and follows it to Herculane along the left bank, with the Cerna Mountains on the other side of the river.

Almost all of the road along the Cerna lies in Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park, an area of more than 61,000 hectares spread across Gorj, Mehedinți and Caraș-Severin counties. The park's beech forests, in three separate areas, have been part of the UNESCO site of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe since 2017.

The valley is narrow and deep, with forested slopes topped by white limestone walls, and on its lower part the road passes hot springs and the Prisaca reservoir.

### What you can see

From Baia de Aramă, the DN67D heads west through Obârșia Cloșani, then climbs in hairpins to the Arșasca saddle. The descent towards the Cerna runs through the Bobot gorge and reaches the valley where the DN66A branches off, the road that climbs towards the source of the Cerna. From here towards Herculane, the trail to Vânturătoarea Waterfall starts by the road, then the road runs past Lake Prisaca and the hot springs at Șapte Izvoare. Near the resort is the Ghizela cross, where the paths to Cociu Waterfall and the Țăsna Gorge begin, and the last kilometres run beneath the walls of Domogled.

### Good to know

Since 2023 the Valea Cernei – Băile Herculane section has been undergoing stabilisation works, with single-lane traffic in places. Rockfalls can close the road temporarily.

## Don't miss

- The Arșasca saddle, at ~900 m, the highest point of the road, between Obârșia Cloșani and the Cerna Valley.
- The limestone walls of the Cerna and Mehedinți Mountains above the forest, on the descent towards Herculane.
- The Prisaca reservoir, which the road follows for a few kilometres.
- The trail to Vânturătoarea Waterfall, which starts by the DN67D.
- The hot springs at Șapte Izvoare, right by the roadside, above the resort.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from the east you come from Târgu Jiu, on the DN67D via Tismana to Baia de Aramă (~43 km), where the stretch begins; from the west and south, from Băile Herculane, where the DN67D leaves the DN6 (E70) at Pecinișca. Herculane is ~20 km from Orșova and ~45 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. The Baia de Aramă – Herculane stretch is ~65 km of mountain road with hairpins; allow at least an hour and a half without stops and fill up in Baia de Aramă or Herculane.

**Public transport:** Băile Herculane has a railway station on the Timișoara – Craiova line. To drive the road, stopping at viewpoints and trailheads, you really need a car, motorbike or bicycle.

### Where to park

There are no large car parks: you stop in the wider spots on the roadside and at the trailheads, for example at the Ghizela cross, where there is a parking spot for the trail to Cociu Waterfall. Do not stop on the roadworks section or under slopes signposted for falling rocks.

### Fees & discounts

The road is public and free; the road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory on national roads outside built-up areas. The Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park administration charges visitors a fee of 2 euros + VAT per person, valid for 7 days across the whole park, paid at the visitor centre in Băile Herculane (Strada Uzinei 9) or by text message to 7473, with the text Domogled1, Domogled2 or Domogled5, depending on the number of people. The park's website does not say whether the fee also applies to those just driving through.

### Rules

Follow the signs on the roadworks sections with single-lane traffic and do not stop under slopes signposted for falling rocks. You are in a national park: keep to the marked trails, dogs on a lead only, no picking flowers, and camping and fires are allowed only in designated places. Keep your rubbish until the first bin in a village.

### Facilities

Petrol stations, shops and restaurants in Baia de Aramă and Băile Herculane · the park visitor centre, on the way out of Herculane towards Baia de Aramă · no public toilets along the road

## Details

- **Road number:** DN67D
- **Length:** 65 km
- **Maximum altitude:** 900 m
- **Mountain range:** Mehedinți and Cerna Mountains

## Frequently asked questions about Cerna Valley Road

**How much is a ticket to Cerna Valley Road?**

Admission to Cerna Valley Road is free (free road, park visitor fee). The road is public and free; the road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory on national roads outside built-up areas. The Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park administration charges visitors a fee of 2 euros + VAT per person, valid for 7 days across the whole park, paid at the visitor centre in Băile Herculane (Strada Uzinei 9) or by text message to 7473, with the text Domogled1, Domogled2 or Domogled5, depending on the number of people. The park's website does not say whether the fee also applies to those just driving through.

**What are the opening hours of Cerna Valley Road?**

Opening hours at Cerna Valley Road: daily open 24 hours. A national road open all year, with no opening hours. In September 2026 the CNAIR road authority had a width restriction (3.5 m) on km 89+700 – 108+390, between Valea Cernei and Băile Herculane, for stabilisation works, and speed and width restrictions due to landslides at Obârșia Cloșani (km 58+930) and Godeanu (km 70+790). On 22 September 2026 the road was closed for a few hours between Valea Cernei and Herculane because of rocks and trees fallen on the carriageway. Check CNAIR announcements before setting off.

**How long does a visit to Cerna Valley Road take?**

A visit to Cerna Valley Road takes about 2½ – 3 hours (the whole stretch, with stops).

**Can you visit Cerna Valley Road with kids?**

Yes, Cerna Valley Road is suitable for children (many bends, short trails).

**Where can I park at Cerna Valley Road?**

There is free parking at Cerna Valley Road (on the roadside, at trailheads). There are no large car parks: you stop in the wider spots on the roadside and at the trailheads, for example at the Ghizela cross, where there is a parking spot for the trail to Cociu Waterfall. Do not stop on the roadworks section or under slopes signposted for falling rocks.

**How do I get to Cerna Valley Road?**

Cerna Valley Road is located at DN67D, between Baia de Aramă (km ~43) and Băile Herculane (km 108, junction with the DN6); the map point is on the shore of Lake Prisaca, ~15 km from the DN6, Caraș-Severin County. By car: from the east you come from Târgu Jiu, on the DN67D via Tismana to Baia de Aramă (~43 km), where the stretch begins; from the west and south, from Băile Herculane, where the DN67D leaves the DN6 (E70) at Pecinișca. Herculane is ~20 km from Orșova and ~45 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. The Baia de Aramă – Herculane stretch is ~65 km of mountain road with hairpins; allow at least an hour and a half without stops and fill up in Baia de Aramă or Herculane. Public transport: Băile Herculane has a railway station on the Timișoara – Craiova line. To drive the road, stopping at viewpoints and trailheads, you really need a car, motorbike or bicycle.

**When is the best time to visit Cerna Valley Road?**

The best season for Cerna Valley Road: May – October (open all year).

## Nearby attractions

- [Vânturătoarea Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-vanturatoarea) — Waterfalls · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 3 km
  A two-tier waterfall of about 50 m in the Cerna Mountains, with Romania's longest free drop (~40 m), above Lake Prisaca; reached by a steep 1.5 km path from the Cerna valley road, 13 km from Băile Herculane.
- [Băile Herculane](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-herculane) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 9 km
  Romania's oldest spa resort, recorded as early as AD 153, in the Cerna valley: hot sulphur springs, a Habsburg old town around the Hercules statue and free thermal tubs on the riverbank.
- [God's Bridge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/podul-lui-dumnezeu) — National parks and reserves · Ponoarele, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 30 km
  Romania's largest natural bridge and the only one in the world carrying a public road: a 30 m limestone arch left standing after a cave roof collapsed, in the village of Ponoarele on the Mehedinți Plateau.
- [Rock Sculpture of Decebalus](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/chipul-lui-decebal) — Monuments and historic sites · Eșelnița, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 48 km
  The face of the Dacian king Decebalus, carved between 1994 and 2004 into a 55 m rock at the mouth of the Mraconia, on the Romanian bank of the Danube: the tallest rock sculpture in Europe.
- [Danube Gorge Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-clisurii-dunarii) — Scenic roads · Mehedinți County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 48 km
  The DN57 runs about 100 km along the Danube from Orșova to Moldova Nouă, through the Great and Small Cauldrons, past the rock face of Decebalus, with Serbia on the far bank.
- [Lake Trei Ape](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-trei-ape) — Lakes · Brebu Nou, CS · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 51 km
  A 53-hectare reservoir in the Semenic Mountains, at 837 m, ringed by spruce and beech right beside the Transsemenic road; in summer it is the mountain Banat's spot for swimming, boating and camping.

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Last updated: 29 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania