Vulcan Pass (, ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

connecting the Gorj and

Hunedoara Hunedoara (; ; ) is a municipiu, city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southwestern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boș (''Bós''), Groș (''Grós''), Hășdat (''Hosdát ...

counties of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, on the

Jiu River The Jiu (; ; ; ) is a river in southern Romania. It is formed near Petroșani by the confluence of headwaters Jiul de Vest and Jiul de Est. It flows southward through the Romanian counties Hunedoara, Gorj, Mehedinți and Dolj before flowing ...

valley. The pass is located in the

Vâlcan Mountains The Vâlcan Mountains are a chain of mountains in the Southern Carpathians in Gorj County, Romania. They are part of the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group, and run for approximately . The highest point is Oslea Peak at , and the second highest is ...

, at an altitude of , and is crossed by the

national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

, part of

European route E79 European route E 79 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Miskolc, Hungary and ends in Thessaloniki, Greece, also running through Romania and Bulgaria. The road is long. Itinerary The E 79 routes through ...

. The

Defileul Jiului National Park The Defileul Jiului National Park () is a protected area (national park category II IUCN) situated in Romania on the administrative territory of counties Gorj (92%) and Hunedoara (8%). Location The National Park is located along the gorge for ...

is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

that encompasses the Vulcan Pass. The nearby city of Vulcan is named after the pass.

References

Mountain passes of Romania Mountain passes of the Carpathians {{hunedoara-geo-stub