Seven Ladders Canyon

Canionul Șapte Scări is a short slot in Jurassic limestone on the Piatra Mare massif, cut by a stream, with a sequence of seven waterfalls, which give it its name, that would be impassable on foot were it not for the ladders. Steel staircases and platforms, replacing the wooden ones first installed decades ago, take walkers up beside and sometimes directly through the falls, in a gorge that narrows to a couple of metres with the rock closing overhead. The total ascent is around sixty metres over a few hundred metres of gorge, so it is short, and the whole passage takes under an hour, but it is continuously interesting and reliably wet. The approach walk from the car park takes about forty minutes through forest, and a zip line runs down the mountainside beside the canyon for those who want to descend faster. It is close to Brașov and has become one of the busiest short walks in the country.

The landscape

• The ladder sequence - steel stairs and platforms climbing beside the waterfalls.
• The narrows - sections where the walls close to a few metres apart.
• The falls - a chain of small cascades through the slot.
• The zip line - an alternative descent alongside the gorge.

When to go

May to October; the canyon is closed in winter, when ice covers the ladders. Weekdays are far better than weekends, when queues form on the ladders and the whole passage becomes a slow shuffle. After heavy rain the flow can close the route.

What to expect

Expect to get wet and expect a queue in season, since the ladders are one-way and a single slow group holds everyone up. It is much shorter than the approach walk suggests and can feel over quickly for the effort of getting there. The steps are steep and slippery, and it is not suitable for anyone unsteady or afraid of heights. There is an entry fee and parking is limited.

Nearby

Brașov is half an hour away; Râșnov citadel and Bran are a short drive west.

Key facts