# Lake Tarnița

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Cluj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/cluj) › [Gilău](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/gilau)

> A reservoir almost 9 km long on the Someșul Cald, about 30 km from Cluj-Napoca, with wooded slopes, a 97 m arch dam and sailing or kayaking on the water.

**At a glance:** Lakes in Gilău, Cluj County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. Information verified on 4 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The lake and the area around the dam are in the open air and can be visited at any time. Opening hours of the clubs that hire out boats vary and are usually limited to the warmer months.
- **Ticket:** Free — no ticket to visit the lake
- **Best season:** May – October — water sports in summer
- **Address:** DJ107P, at the Tarnița dam, near the village of Someșu Cald, Gilău, Cluj County
- **Coordinates:** 46.7274, 23.3012
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tarni%C8%9Ba
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13534398
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lakes)

## About Lake Tarnița

Lake Tarnița fills the Someșul Cald valley between the communes of Gilău, Râșca and Mărișel, west of Cluj-Napoca. It formed behind the dam completed in 1974 and stretches for almost 9 km, covering about 215 ha and reaching depths of more than 70 m near the dam. The banks are steep and covered in broadleaf forest, and the lake winds between them in bays and tight bends.

The dam is a double-curvature concrete arch, 97 m high and about 237 m long at the crest, regarded as the slenderest dam of its kind in Romania. The power station at its foot has an output of 45 MW. The lake is not only there for electricity: next to the dam is the intake that supplies Cluj with drinking water, and the reservoir also helps hold back floods on the Someș.

For people in Cluj, Tarnița is the weekend escape from the city, with holiday homes, guesthouses and jetties scattered along its shores.

### What you can see

From beside the dam you see the curved concrete wall and, upstream, the lake enclosed by wooded hills. On the water there are sailing boats, kayaks and SUP boards, hired out by the clubs on the shore; petrol motorboats are banned, so the lake stays quiet. Waymarked trails start near the dam: one up to the Piatra lui Lucaci rock, with a view towards the far end of the lake, and one along the northern shore past the Râșca bay to the head of the lake.

### Good to know

Within 200 m of the dam all activity on the water is forbidden, as drinking water is drawn there. The Romanian Waters authority warns that swimming in reservoirs is dangerous: the water is deep and cold, and its level can change.

## Don't miss

- The view of the dam's curved 97 m wall and of the lake enclosed by wooded hills.
- An outing on the water by sailing boat, kayak or SUP board, hired from the clubs on the shore.
- The red-dot trail from the dam up to Piatra lui Lucaci, with a view towards the head of the lake.
- The blue-stripe trail along the northern shore, between the dam, the Râșca bay and the head of the lake.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Cluj-Napoca take the DN1 west to Gilău (~17 km), then the DJ107P up the Someșul Cald valley for another ~10 km to the dam, next to the village of Someșu Cald; about 30 km in all. The DJ107P continues along the lake towards Mărișel. After torrential rain the road has occasionally been blocked by debris (most recently in June 2026).

**Public transport:** no regular service to the dam is confirmed; the safest option is to drive or take a taxi from Cluj-Napoca or Gilău.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the lake and the dam area is free. Boat hire is paid separately at the clubs on the shore; there are no published rates that can be confirmed.

### Rules

Only boats powered by oars, sails, pedals or electric motors are allowed; fuel-powered motorboats, jet skis and seaplanes are banned. No boats are allowed within 200 m of the dam, and near the beaches the speed limit is 10 km/h. The lakeside trails have narrow, slippery sections and are not recommended in the rain.

### Facilities

Boat hire clubs (sailing boats, kayaks, SUP) · guesthouses, chalets and restaurants on the shores · Salvamont mountain rescue base and climbing wall near the dam · waymarked trails from the dam area

## Details

- **Lake type:** reservoir
- **Area:** 215 ha
- **Boat rental:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Tarnița

**How much is a ticket to Lake Tarnița?**

Admission to Lake Tarnița is free (no ticket to visit the lake). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Lake Tarnița?**

Opening hours at Lake Tarnița: daily open 24 hours. More under “Opening hours”.

**How do I get to Lake Tarnița?**

Lake Tarnița is located at DJ107P, at the Tarnița dam, near the village of Someșu Cald, Gilău, Cluj County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Tarnița?**

The best season for Lake Tarnița: May – October (water sports in summer).

## Nearby attractions

- [Roman Fort at Gilău](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/roman-fort-at-gilau) — Monuments and historic sites · Gilău, CJ · 45 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 9 km
  The auxiliary fort of the ala Siliana, one of the largest on the western frontier of Dacia, in the park of Rákóczi-Bánffy Castle, with information panels and graphic reconstructions.
- [Hoia-Baciu Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/hoia-baciu-forest) — Parks and gardens · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · 23 km
  A forest of about 300 ha on the western edge of Cluj, known for its twisted tree trunks, the Round Clearing and the "paranormal" legends that made it famous worldwide.
- [Lake Beliș-Fântânele](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lake-belis-fantanele) — Lakes · Beliș, CJ · Free · 25 km
  A reservoir about 13 km long on the Someșul Cald in the Apuseni Mountains, at almost 1,000 m; in dry summers the ruined church of the drowned village of Giurcuța de Jos rises from the water.
- [Calvaria Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/calvaria-church) — Churches · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 30 min · 26 km
  The Roman Catholic church on the site of the old Benedictine abbey of Mănăștur: a medieval Gothic choir, a bell tower designed by Károly Kós and earth ramparts of the fortification.
- [Romulus Vuia National Ethnographic Park](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/romulus-vuia-national-ethnographic-park) — Museums and memorial houses · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 10 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 26 km
  Romania's first open-air museum, on Hoia hill: farmsteads, workshops, peasant installations and three wooden churches gathered over ~16 hectares into a scattered village.
- [Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/central-park-simion-barnutiu) — Parks and gardens · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 28 km
  Cluj's historic park, laid out from 1838 on the bank of the Someșul Mic, with Lake Chios, the old Casino, the music pavilion and a central avenue between old trees; locals call it the Big Park.

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Last updated: 4 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania