Not every ruin in the Orastie Mountains is a famous one. Comarnicel III sits on the same forested massif as the great Dacian capital of Sarmizegetusa Regia, a few kilometres east of it as the crow flies, and the number in its name tells you that archaeologists have found several sites by that name, each a patch of terrace, wall or platform on a ridge. What I can say is that the Dacians, before the Roman conquest in the early second century, shaped these mountains with terraces cut into the slopes, with houses, workshops, shrines and defensive walls, and that the remains are scattered across many hillsides.
The land is rugged, steep, forested and cut by narrow valleys, with rushing streams and clearings where shepherds still graze flocks in summer. To the south, beyond the ridge, lies the Jiu valley, a mining country around Petrosani, where Petrila, the nearest large town on the map, was a coal town for more than a century. The contrast is striking: a high green mountain on one side and a landscape of mines and colliery villages on the other. Both are real Romania.
The roads are small and demanding. Forest tracks, gravel and potholed asphalt lead up into the mountains, with steep gradients, tight bends and the occasional stream crossing. After rain they can be slippery, and in winter they are often closed. This is a place for a lightweight bike, a careful rider and a day without hurry. Fuel is to be found in Petrila and the neighbouring towns of the Jiu valley, and in Orastie on the other side, and nowhere in between, so fill the tank beforehand.
Wildlife is rich. The forests hold bears, wolves, lynx, red deer and capercaillie, and the meadows hold orchids. Bears are usually shy, but never leave food in a tent or beside your bike.
The best months are June to September. Even then the weather can turn quickly, with fog and hail, so pack a waterproof. Local shepherds make smoked cheese, burduf, packed in pine bark, and will sometimes sell a piece to a polite visitor.