Located in the Bihor Mountains, within the superior hydrographic basin of Galbena, Dry Valley (Valea Seacă) gathers its waters from the huge ravine of Groapa Ruginoasă. In its turn, it fuels the debit of the Galbena Valley (“Yellow Valley”). From a geological standpoint, The Dry Valley (Valea Seacă) basin is very important due to its awning structure, where the Paleozoic deposits cover the Mezozoic chalkstone set at the bottom of the valley. The name is not random, as during periods of low precipitation, the valley goes dry.
Due to the hill exfiltration and a continuously active erosion process, the valley keeps increasing its reception basin. Downstream, its depth in the limestone clamp has sculpted an impressive gorge section, of such tempestuous beauty that words cannot properly describe. An ideal landscape for speleologists and alpinists, the surroundings offers high and narrow walls, gigantic river indentations, active and fossilized snags, lofty heights, waterfalls, as of yet undiscovered caves and enormous blocks of cliffs, set as if to block an unitiated’s access into this monumental space.
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Travelling through the 14 valley crosses, which during rainfall became real waterfalls, stretching at least a kilometer long, employs the use of rappel equipment. Regroups are well equipped with safety devices and chains. The track can be surmounted both during summer or winter, taking some 3 to 4 hours. The access to the valley gaps, on the Groapa Ruginoasă side, can only be made with the help of ropes, by rappelling or freestyle, but keep in mind to be extremely careful, as it can become very steep and dangerous.
Remember to respect these regions and not leave waste behind. They’re not very easily accessible and polluting them can be hard to overcome!
Activities in Apuseni Natural Park: Canyoning | Caving | Trekking
We’re left with the duty to respect these parts at our every step, keep them clean and pristine for generations to come, and for us as well, because in Nature, “the tourist comes to gladden his eyes, the thinker encounters a grand book where every rock is a letter, where every lake is a phrase, where every village is an accent and from whence a smoke of ancient memories emerges”. (Victor Hugo)