# Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Maramureș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/maramures) › [Maramureș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/maramures) › [Groșii Țibleșului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/grosii-tiblesului)

> Two tracts of primeval beech forest on the slopes of the Țibleș Mountains, Izvorul Șurii and Preluci, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2017, with trees two to three centuries old and bears, wolves and lynx.

[UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage)

**At a glance:** National parks and reserves in Groșii Țibleșului, Maramureș County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. The visit takes 7½ – 8 hours. Information verified on 21 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — An open-air forest with no opening hours. The Arcer refuge, on the trail to the ridge, is only usable in the warm season; in winter the mountain road and trails may be under snow.
- **Visit duration:** 7½ – 8 hours — Izvorul Rău – Arcer – Țibleș
- **With kids:** No — long hike, bear country
- **Best season:** June – October — refuge only in the warm season
- **Address:** North-western slope of the Țibleș Mountains, north-east of Groșii Țibleșului village, on the mountain road towards Cabana Țibleș and the Izvorul Rău valley, Groșii Țibleșului, Maramureș County
- **Coordinates:** 47.54972, 24.18583
- **Phone:** +40 262 388 775
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C8%99ii_%C8%9Aible%C8%99ului_(sit_SCI)
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133042511
- **Categories:** [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii), [Mountains and trails](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/munti-si-trasee)

## About Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests

The Groșii Țibleșului ancient forests are beech woods untouched by human hands, on the slopes of the volcanic Țibleș massif, in the Lăpuș Land of northern Romania. They were placed under protection in 2005 at the initiative of the commune's forestry district, and in 2017 two of the tracts, **Izvorul Șurii** (210.5 ha) and **Preluci** (135.8 ha), were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the site "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". Both lie within a shared buffer zone of 563.6 ha and belong to the 927-hectare Groșii Țibleșului Natura 2000 site.

The forest climbs from about 980 to 1,450 m, on acid soils formed on andesite. Beech dominates, alongside silver fir and sycamore maple, and in places there are small oligotrophic bogs, rare in the north of the Romanian Carpathians. The stands have regenerated only naturally: they hold trees two to three centuries old and plenty of deadwood, left to rot where it falls. Together with the Strâmbu-Băiuț forest to the west, they link Romania's UNESCO beech forests with those of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

Bears, wolves, lynx, wildcats and Carpathian red deer live in the forest, along with birds such as the black stork, the black woodpecker and the Ural owl. Local lore also tells of a hollow beech in the Preluci area where Gheorghe Pașca, a game warden and anti-communist fighter, is said to have hidden in 1949.

### What you can see

The area is explored along the mountain road that leaves the end of Groșii Țibleșului village towards Cabana Țibleș and the Izvorul Rău valley, then on the waymarked trail that climbs to the Arcer refuge and Țibleș Peak (1,839 m). The way leads through dense beech and fir forest, with thick trunks, fallen timber and cold springs, while the ridges look out over the Țibleș crests, often wrapped in cloud.

### Good to know

The UNESCO components are strictly protected zones: nothing is cut and no visitor paths through them are advertised. Stay on the forest road and the waymarked trails; the area is also bear country.

## Don't miss

- The primeval beech forests on the slopes of Țibleș, with trees two to three hundred years old and deadwood left untouched.
- The mountain road from Groșii Țibleșului to Cabana Țibleș, through beech and fir forest.
- The waymarked trail from the Izvorul Rău valley to the Arcer refuge and Arcer Peak (1,828 m).
- Țibleș Peak (1,839 m), with its iron cross and views over the Lăpuș Land and Maramureș.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Târgu Lăpuș take the DJ109F and DJ171 through Dămăcușeni and Suciu de Jos, then the DJ171A to Groșii Țibleșului (~23 km, ~30 min). From Baia Mare it is ~66 km (~1h15), on the DN18B via Târgu Lăpuș. From the end of the village a mountain road of ~10 km climbs towards Cabana Țibleș (almost an hour's drive); a further ~3.5 km up the Izvorul Rău valley lead to the geological exploration tunnel (IPEG), where the path waymarked with a blue stripe and blue dot sets off for the Arcer refuge.

**Public transport:** buses from Baia Mare and Târgu Lăpuș to Groșii Țibleșului; from there to the forest you go on foot or by your own car.

### Where to park

There is no proper car park. For the Arcer trail, cars are left in the Izvorul Rău valley, downstream of the tunnel, without blocking the forest road.

### Rules

The UNESCO zones are under strict protection (IUCN category I): no wood is cut, no plants are picked and you must not leave the roads and waymarked trails. Fires are allowed only at designated spots, litter goes back with you and dogs stay on a lead. The area is bear habitat and there are sheepfolds with dogs on the meadows: walk in a group and make noise on the path. You need hiking boots, rain gear and water; trekking poles help.

### Facilities

Cabana Țibleș, a forestry lodge, by prior booking · Arcer refuge, a basic shelter with plank beds and a stove, warm season only · spring ~350 m from the refuge · guesthouses in Groșii Țibleșului · no toilets or shop in the forest · weak mobile signal in the valleys · not accessible to people with disabilities

## Details

- **Protected area type:** nature reserve
- **Part of:** the Natura 2000 network
- **Difficulty:** moderate–difficult
- **Trail marking:** blue stripe, blue dot
- **Mountain range:** Țibleș Mountains

## Frequently asked questions about Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests

**What are the opening hours of Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests?**

Opening hours at Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests: daily open 24 hours. An open-air forest with no opening hours. The Arcer refuge, on the trail to the ridge, is only usable in the warm season; in winter the mountain road and trails may be under snow.

**How long does a visit to Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests take?**

A visit to Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests takes about 7½ – 8 hours (Izvorul Rău – Arcer – Țibleș).

**Can you visit Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests with kids?**

No, Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests is not recommended for visits with children (long hike, bear country).

**How do I get to Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests?**

Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests is located at North-western slope of the Țibleș Mountains, north-east of Groșii Țibleșului village, on the mountain road towards Cabana Țibleș and the Izvorul Rău valley, Groșii Țibleșului, Maramureș County. By car: from Târgu Lăpuș take the DJ109F and DJ171 through Dămăcușeni and Suciu de Jos, then the DJ171A to Groșii Țibleșului (~23 km, ~30 min). From Baia Mare it is ~66 km (~1h15), on the DN18B via Târgu Lăpuș. From the end of the village a mountain road of ~10 km climbs towards Cabana Țibleș (almost an hour's drive); a further ~3.5 km up the Izvorul Rău valley lead to the geological exploration tunnel (IPEG), where the path waymarked with a blue stripe and blue dot sets off for the Arcer refuge. Public transport: buses from Baia Mare and Târgu Lăpuș to Groșii Țibleșului; from there to the forest you go on foot or by your own car.

**When is the best time to visit Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests?**

The best season for Groșii Țibleșului Ancient Beech Forests: June – October (refuge only in the warm season).

## Nearby attractions

- [Strâmbu-Băiuț Ancient Forests](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/padurile-seculare-strambu-baiut) — National parks and reserves · Băiuț, MM · 3½ – 4 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 15 km
  A primeval beech and beech-fir forest in Băiuț commune, Maramureș, part since 2017 of the UNESCO site of the ancient and primeval beech forests of Europe.
- [Saint Demetrius Wooden Church in Larga](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-larga) — Churches · Larga, MM · 30 min · 16 km
  A wooden church of 1802 (listed monument) on a hill in the village of Larga, with a bell tower with an open gallery and interior paintings of the Wheel of Life and the Last Judgment.
- [Ieud Hill Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-ieud-deal) — Churches · Ieud, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 19 km
  The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Ieud's rocky hillside, built in 1611–1621, painted inside by Alexandru Ponehalschi and the place where the Ieud Codex was found. A UNESCO site.
- [Wooden Church of Poienile Izei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-poienile-izei) — Churches · Poienile Izei, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 23 km
  An early 17th-century wooden church in the village cemetery, with the best-known depiction of Hell in Maramureș: devils, torments and village sins, painted in 1793–1794.
- [Rogoz Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-rogoz) — Churches · Rogoz, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 28 km
  The Church of the Holy Archangels in Rogoz, built in 1663 and part of the Maramureș UNESCO site, has an asymmetric roof over the 'table of the ancestors', horse-head eaves brackets and paintings from 1785.
- [Vaser Valley Forest Railway (Mocănița)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mocanita-valea-vaserului) — Monuments and historic sites · Vișeu de Sus, MM · 136 lei · 5½ – 6 hours · 35 km
  The last working forest railway in the Carpathians: a steam-hauled train climbs 21.6 km up the Vaser valley, through the Maramureș Mountains Nature Park, to Paltin station.

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Last updated: 21 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania