About Lake Trei Ape
Lake Trei Ape ("Three Waters") lies in the Gărâna basin, in the heart of the Semenic Mountains, between the villages of Gărâna and Brebu Nou. It is named after the three streams that meet here, the Semenic, the Grădiște and the Brebu, which leave the lake as the Timiș river. The dam was completed in 1976: a rockfill embankment with a clay core, holding back a lake of about 53 ha and 4 million cubic metres of water, at around 837 m above sea level.
The lake is not just for the scenery. Its water is pumped into the Semenic hydropower scheme, supplies drinking water to Reșița and helps regulate the flow of the Timiș valley. In the 1970s it was one of the most popular holiday spots in the area, drawing visitors from Reșița, Timișoara and even Serbia, and a small local resort grew up on its shore, with guesthouses, chalets and a campsite.
What you can see
The Transsemenic road (DJ582) runs right past the dam, so you can see the lake from the car. The best view is from the top of the embankment, with the water stretching away to the west between slopes covered in spruce and beech. On the shore by the dam are the lido, the jetties and the boats, while further along the banks stay wooded, with clearings good for a picnic or fishing. The lake combines easily with Gărâna, with its old houses and jazz festival in the Poiana Lupului meadow, and with the open pastures near Brebu Nou.
Good to know
Since September 2026 the lake has been drained in a controlled way for the first rehabilitation of the dam's equipment since it was commissioned. The level stays at its minimum until mid-November, and refilling, estimated at about 105 days, should be complete around February 2027. In dry summers too, as in 2025, the water level can drop noticeably, leaving the banks exposed.
- The view from the top of the embankment, with the lake stretching west between spruce-covered slopes.
- A trip on the lake by rowing boat or pedalo in summer, from the lido next to the dam.
- The clearings and wooded banks at the far end of the lake, good for a picnic or fishing.
- The village of Gărâna, a few kilometres away, with its old houses and the jazz festival in the Poiana Lupului meadow in summer.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the lake lies on the Transsemenic (DJ582). From Reșița it is ~42 km (about an hour), via Văliug, the Prislop Pass and Gărâna; from Timișoara, ~150 km (~2h30). From the east, it is ~19 km from Slatina-Timiș, on the DN6, via Brebu Nou, and ~40 km (about 55 minutes) from Caransebeș. The road is paved and open all year round, but in winter you need winter tyres.
Public transport: there are no known scheduled services to Trei Ape. The nearest you can get is the Reșița – Văliug – Crivaia metropolitan bus line; from there it is still about 20 km uphill, by car.
- Where to park
We found no information about a dedicated car park for the lake. People stop by the dam, in the wider spots along the DJ582, and at the guesthouses and lido on the shore. On summer weekends the area by the dam is the busiest.
- Fees & discounts
Access to the lake and its shore is free. The lido by the dam, boat hire and the organised campsites are paid separately, to their operators; prices are not published.
- Rules
Fishing requires a valid permit. Only light fires in designated places and leave no litter on the shore. The dam is working water infrastructure: respect any access restrictions around the works, especially until the 2026 rehabilitation is finished.
- Facilities
Guesthouses, chalets and restaurants on the shore and in Gărâna · paid lido by the dam in summer · rowing boats and pedalos in summer · campsites · toilets only at the guesthouses and lido
Reviews
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