Content tagged:
r539

This short tarred pass is an easy one and is located on the R36/R539 between eNtokozweni [Machadadorp] (6km) in the SW and Lydenburg in the NE (70km). It traverses commercial timber plantations and open grasslands and plays host to two historical sites. The pass has an easy average gradient of 1:18 with the steepest section being at 1:11 

This lovely pass packing a substantial descent of 225 vertical metres is located on the R539 between eNtokozweni (Machadodorp) in the south west and Nelspruit in the east. It is the second pass of a quartet of passes on the R539, the other three being the Crossroads Pass at the start of the R539, Patata Nek 15 km further east and finally, Schoemanskloof Pass which follows shortly after Patata Nek. The 3,6km long pass summits at 1595m ASL producing a fairly steep average gradient of 1:16. The pass is suitable for all traffic.

This pass bisects the wide Schoemans Poort on the R539 between eNtokozweni (Machadodorp) and Montrose, which lies 35km to the east. It is located approximately 12km south-east of the Kwena Dam (previously known as the Braam Raubenheimer Dam). It descends a substantial 196 meters over 5.2 km producing an average gradient of 1:26 with the steepest parts being at 1:8. It is a fairly straight-forward pass with no obvious dangers. Other than a few gentle S-bends near the summit, the road is virtually dead straight for 80% of it's length.

The N4 is a national highway which connects Pretoria in the west with Nelspruit and Komatipoort in the east. Soon after passing Machadodorp, the road splits into two and offers travellers a choice of routes, both of which are wonderfully scenic drives. The southern route (designated as the N4) bypasses Waterval Boven then plunges down Elands Passand on towards Ngodwana; the northern route (designated as the R36/R539) traverses a series of four separate passes, which are, in order from west to east, Crossroads Pass, De Beersnek, Patatanek, and lastly Schoemanskloof Pass. The roads, which are almost exactly of equal length (62 km) and which are both in excellent condition, join up again near Elandshoek and Montrose, about 30 km from Nelspruit.

 The Sudwalaskraal Pass is to all intents and purposes a southern extension of the slightly longer Sudwala Pass on the same road (R359) and together form one long pass of 16 km. At 7,4 km the Sudwalaskraal Pass is well above the national average and displays a substantial altitude variance of 285m. The pass is named after the Sudwalaskraal farm near the foot of the pass. The road was in good condition at the time of filming and has nicely radiused corners and well engineered gradients never exceeding 1:11.

The famous Sudwala Caves lie near the southern foot of the pass and offer visitors a glimpse into the dark and distant past of Africa millions of years ago. The pass contains 17 bends, corners and curves of which two are U bends exceeding an angle of 130 degrees. The usual Mpumalanga pass cautionaries apply of heavy mountain mists and slow moving logging and mining trucks.

This gravel road pass should be viewed in conjunction with the Mokobulaan Pass as they follow each other from south to north towards Lydenburg. It rises 296 vertical meters over 7,62 km to summit at 1251m producing an average gradient of 1:26. There are however, some very steep sections at 1:4. The start of the pass can be located on the R593 about midway between Machadodorp and Montrose.