# Lake Trei Ape

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Banat](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/banat) › [Caraș-Severin County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/caras-severin) › [Brebu Nou](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/brebu-nou)

> A 53-hectare reservoir in the Semenic Mountains, at 837 m, ringed by spruce and beech right beside the Transsemenic road; in summer it is the mountain Banat's spot for swimming, boating and camping.

**At a glance:** Lakes in Brebu Nou, Caraș-Severin County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 4 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — An open-air lake, accessible at any time from the DJ582. Since September 2026 the lake has been drained for works on the dam: the level stays at its minimum until mid-November, and refilling should be complete around February 2027. The lido, boat hire and guesthouses keep their own hours, usually in summer.
- **Ticket:** Free — no ticket for the lake
- **Visit duration:** 1 – 1½ hours — the dam and a walk along the shore
- **With kids:** Yes — easy walk on the dam and shore
- **Best season:** June – September — drained Sept 2026 – Feb 2027
- **Address:** DJ582 (Transsemenic), at the dam, between Gărâna and Brebu Nou, Brebu Nou, Caraș-Severin County
- **Coordinates:** 45.2138, 22.1448
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trei_Ape
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28726082
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri)

## 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.

## Don't miss

- 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

## Details

- **Lake type:** reservoir
- **Area:** 53 ha
- **Altitude:** 837 m

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Trei Ape

**How much is a ticket to Lake Trei Ape?**

Admission to Lake Trei Ape is free (no ticket for the lake). 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.

**What are the opening hours of Lake Trei Ape?**

Opening hours at Lake Trei Ape: daily open 24 hours. An open-air lake, accessible at any time from the DJ582. Since September 2026 the lake has been drained for works on the dam: the level stays at its minimum until mid-November, and refilling should be complete around February 2027. The lido, boat hire and guesthouses keep their own hours, usually in summer.

**How long does a visit to Lake Trei Ape take?**

A visit to Lake Trei Ape takes about 1 – 1½ hours (the dam and a walk along the shore).

**Can you visit Lake Trei Ape with kids?**

Yes, Lake Trei Ape is suitable for children (easy walk on the dam and shore).

**How do I get to Lake Trei Ape?**

Lake Trei Ape is located at DJ582 (Transsemenic), at the dam, between Gărâna and Brebu Nou, Brebu Nou, Caraș-Severin County. 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.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Trei Ape?**

The best season for Lake Trei Ape: June – September (drained Sept 2026 – Feb 2027).

## Nearby attractions

- [Transsemenic](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/transsemenic) — Scenic roads · Caraș-Severin County · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 7 km
  County road DJ582 crosses the Semenic Mountains for 58 km, from Reșița through Văliug and the Prislop Pass to Slatina-Timiș, past mountain lakes, pastures and the villages of Gărâna and Brebu Nou.
- [Comarnic Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-comarnic) — Caves · Iabalcea, CS · 35 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 21 km
  A wild, unlit cave in the Anina Mountains with more than 6 km of passages on three levels, 1,750 m of which you explore with a helmet and head torch, led by the national park's rangers.
- [Bigăr Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-bigar) — Waterfalls · Bozovici, CS · ~12 lei · 45 min · Top 100 · 36 km
  The moss-covered tufa waterfall in the Miniș gorge, exactly on the 45th parallel and once famous worldwide; it partly collapsed in 2021 and is regenerating naturally, a few steps from the DN57B road.
- [Vânturătoarea Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-vanturatoarea) — Waterfalls · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 49 km
  A two-tier waterfall of about 50 m in the Cerna Mountains, with Romania's longest free drop (~40 m), above Lake Prisaca; reached by a steep 1.5 km path from the Cerna valley road, 13 km from Băile Herculane.
- [Cerna Valley Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-vaii-cernei) — Scenic roads · Caraș-Severin County · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 51 km
  The DN67D links Baia de Aramă to Băile Herculane in about 65 km: it climbs to the Arșasca saddle at ~900 m and drops down the Cerna Valley, between limestone walls, through Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park.
- [Beușnița Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-beusnita) — Waterfalls · Caraș-Severin County · ~12 lei · 2½ – 3 hours · Top 100 · 53 km
  A moss-clad tufa waterfall whose water fans out in dozens of threads over green steps, in the beech forest of the Cheile Nerei–Beușnița National Park, an hour's walk beyond Ochiul Beiului Lake.

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Last updated: 4 October 2026
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