After
passing the resort areas on the banks of the Karaj river and an
artificial lake, created by an impressive hydro-electric dam, the
highway winds up along deep and beautiful gorges of the Alborz mountain
range then turns into a hairpin road carved in the mountains abrupt
slopes before reaching the summits.
Alborz
Mountains Heights
At the
heights of the mountain range on a clear day, Karaj-Chalous highway
offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Alborz massif; occasionally
pockets of clouds can be seen trapped between mountains reminding
us of the olympian scale of the mountain chain.
Natural
Rock Formations
The
shapes of rocks in the high mountains are a geological curiosity.
Unusual shapes standing out along the highway form natural columns
constructed on steep cliffs, and layers of rocks stacked over each
other to create these formidable mountains are typical examples
of the most remarkable Jurassic rock formation.
Descending
Before
crossing the thin line bisecting the densely forested northern slopes
of the Alborz massif from the southern side covered with Juniper
forests, the highway abruptly drops in altitude over a short distance
and turns into a hairpin road offering colorful views. Eventually
it reaches a river rushing through rocks at the foot of the mountain
and follows its course toward Kelardasht and Marzanabad.
