Cheile Geogelului

Cheile Geogelului is a protected area of national interest (a geological nature reserve) in the central-western part of the Trascău Mountains, on the territory of Ponor commune in the north of Alba County, near the village of După Deal, at altitudes between 630 and 1,000 m. The reserve covers 5 hectares and was declared a protected area under Law no. 5 of 2000. It includes two limestone ridges, made of Tithonian limestone and flysch (conglomerates, sandstones and marls), with steep walls cut by the waters of a stream. Beech, sessile oak and service tree grow on the slopes, while the rocks and meadows host rare or endemic species, including Arabis alpina, yellow flax (Linum flavum), Saxifraga paniculata, the alpine aster (Aster alpinus), Transylvanian liverleaf (Hepatica transsilvanica) and Taraxacum hoppeanum, a Carpathian-Balkan species. The area has little tourist infrastructure.