Pasul Bâlea is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.042m (6,699ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary of Argeș and Sibiu counties of Romania.
Set high in the Făgăraș Mountains, the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, the road to the summit is totally paved. It’s called Transfăgărăşan (DN7C National Road).
Constructed between 1970 and 1974, during the rule of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the road is closed from late October to late June, but snowfall can also occur during the rest of the year. It's the highest point of the road. At the summit there’s a very beautiful alpine lake (Lacul Balea) and souvenir shops, restaurants...