# Focul Viu Ice Cave

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Crișana](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/crisana) › [Bihor County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/bihor) › [Pietroasa](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/pietroasa)

> An ice cave in the forests of the Galbena Valley near Padiș, reached on foot along a marked trail. Around midday, light pours in through a hole in the roof and falls on the ice.

**At a glance:** Caves in Pietroasa, Bihor County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. Information verified on 29 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — Free access at any time, as far as the metal gate at the cave entrance; walk only in daylight. The Galbena Valley circuit (yellow dot), on which the cave lies, is closed in winter, according to the Apuseni Natural Park Administration.
- **Ticket:** Free — viewing only from the gate
- **With kids:** Yes — forest path, can be muddy
- **Address:** Galbena Valley, on the yellow-dot marked circuit, ~1 hour's walk from Poiana Glăvoi, Pietroasa, Bihor County
- **Coordinates:** 46.5753, 22.6799
- **Phone:** +40 372 702 242
- **Website:** https://www.parcapuseni.ro/turism/obiective-turistice/39-ghetarul-focul-viu
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C8%99tera_Ghe%C8%9Barul_de_la_Focul_Viu
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12737945
- **Categories:** [Caves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pesteri), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii)

## About Focul Viu Ice Cave

At 1,165 m, on the side of the Galbena Valley at the edge of the Padiș Plateau, a cave mouth in a limestone wall opens into a chamber almost 50 m high. Its roof is broken by a wide skylight, through which snow, leaves and tree trunks have fallen over time. Cold air collects in the chamber in winter and, with no draughts to carry it out, stays there all year: this is how a block of ice formed on the floor.

The name, Romanian for "Living Fire", comes from the play of light: around midday the sun shines in through the skylight and lights up the ice and the ice stalagmites at the back of the chamber. The Apuseni Natural Park Administration describes it as the third-largest underground glacier in the country by volume, after Scărișoara and the Borțig Pothole, with about 25,000 m³ of ice. The cave is a speleological nature reserve and part of Apuseni Natural Park.

The glacier has been losing ice for years, however, and in 2024 several hikers reported that only a white patch was left. We found no recent official measurement, so we do not know how much remains.

### What you can see

Visits are only allowed as far as the metal gate at the entrance, where a wooden stair and platform bring you out above the chamber. From there you see the great chamber, the light falling through the skylight, the mound of snow and fallen wood beneath it and, depending on the year and the season, the ice on the floor.

### Good to know

You cannot drive to the cave: it is reached on foot along a marked trail, and the Galbena Valley circuit it lies on is closed in winter.

## Don't miss

- The wide skylight in the roof of the chamber, through which light enters and snow and wood have fallen over time.
- The midday light falling on the ice, which gave the cave its name.
- The view into the great chamber from the wooden platform at the gate.
- The walk through the beech forest of the Galbena Valley, part of the circuit that continues to Poiana Florilor and the Galbena Gorge.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the cave is in the Padiș area, reached from Oradea via Beiuș, Sudrigiu and Pietroasa (~100 km), or from Cluj-Napoca on forest roads via Răchițele or via Poiana Horea. Leave the car at Cabana Padiș or in Poiana Glăvoi and continue on foot. Wikipedia also gives an approach along the Bălăleasa – Valea Seacă forest road to the forestry lodge in the Cetăților Valley, leaving ~1.5 km on foot; ask in Padiș first whether the road is open.

**On foot:** from Poiana Glăvoi, on the Galbena Valley circuit (yellow dot), it takes ~1 hour; allow 2–3 hours there and back. From Cabana Padiș it is ~5 km. The full circuit (Glăvoi – Focul Viu Ice Cave – Poiana Florilor – Galbena Gorge – Borțig Pothole – Glăvoi) takes 8–9 hours. Cetățile Ponorului are in the same area and can be visited on another day.

**Public transport:** there is no scheduled service to Padiș.

### Where to park

There is no car park at the cave. People park at Cabana Padiș or in Poiana Glăvoi, where the trails start; we found no official information on parking fees.

### Fees & discounts

There is no admission charge: the cave can only be seen from the gate, and the Apuseni Natural Park price list does not include it. On the same circuit, the park fee for the Galbena Gorge (Galbena Valley Canyon) was 15 lei in the 2018 list; check at the Padiș information point.

### Rules

The cave entrance is closed by a metal gate; do not go past it and do not throw anything inside. Keep to the marked trails, and in winter do not set out on the Galbena Valley circuit, which is closed in the cold season. Bring hiking boots, rain gear and an extra layer: it is cold at the cave mouth even in summer.

### Facilities

No facilities at the cave · Cabana Padiș and the Poiana Glăvoi campsite, where the trail starts · forest trail, not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible · weak or no mobile signal along the trail

## Details

- **Protected area type:** nature reserve
- **Part of:** Apuseni Natural Park
- **Altitude:** 1,165 m
- **Developed and lit:** No
- **Guided visits only:** No

## Frequently asked questions about Focul Viu Ice Cave

**How much is a ticket to Focul Viu Ice Cave?**

Admission to Focul Viu Ice Cave is free (viewing only from the gate). There is no admission charge: the cave can only be seen from the gate, and the Apuseni Natural Park price list does not include it. On the same circuit, the park fee for the Galbena Gorge (Galbena Valley Canyon) was 15 lei in the 2018 list; check at the Padiș information point.

**What are the opening hours of Focul Viu Ice Cave?**

Opening hours at Focul Viu Ice Cave: daily open 24 hours. Free access at any time, as far as the metal gate at the cave entrance; walk only in daylight. The Galbena Valley circuit (yellow dot), on which the cave lies, is closed in winter, according to the Apuseni Natural Park Administration.

**Can you visit Focul Viu Ice Cave with kids?**

Yes, Focul Viu Ice Cave is suitable for children (forest path, can be muddy).

**How do I get to Focul Viu Ice Cave?**

Focul Viu Ice Cave is located at Galbena Valley, on the yellow-dot marked circuit, ~1 hour's walk from Poiana Glăvoi, Pietroasa, Bihor County. By car: the cave is in the Padiș area, reached from Oradea via Beiuș, Sudrigiu and Pietroasa (~100 km), or from Cluj-Napoca on forest roads via Răchițele or via Poiana Horea. Leave the car at Cabana Padiș or in Poiana Glăvoi and continue on foot. Wikipedia also gives an approach along the Bălăleasa – Valea Seacă forest road to the forestry lodge in the Cetăților Valley, leaving ~1.5 km on foot; ask in Padiș first whether the road is open. On foot: from Poiana Glăvoi, on the Galbena Valley circuit (yellow dot), it takes ~1 hour; allow 2–3 hours there and back. From Cabana Padiș it is ~5 km. The full circuit (Glăvoi – Focul Viu Ice Cave – Poiana Florilor – Galbena Gorge – Borțig Pothole – Glăvoi) takes 8–9 hours. Cetățile Ponorului are in the same area and can be visited on another day. Public transport: there is no scheduled service to Padiș.

## Nearby attractions

- [Cetățile Ponorului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatile-ponorului) — Caves · Bihor County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 3 km
  A karst complex on the Padiș Plateau: three huge sinkholes with walls over 200 m high and a portal over 70 m tall where the Cetăților stream vanishes into the mountain. Seen from a marked hiking loop, not a show cave.
- [Vârtop Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-vartop) — Scenic roads · Bihor County · Free · 9 km
  The pass where the DN75 crosses the Bihor Mountains at 1,160 m, between Nucet and Arieșeni: the Vârtop holiday village, ski slopes and trails to Groapa Ruginoasă and Piatra Grăitoare.
- [Vârtop Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-ghetarul-de-la-vartop) — Caves · Casa de Piatră, AB · 15 lei · 11 km
  An undeveloped cave in the Bihor Mountains, with ice at the entrance and white formations, where a Neanderthal footprint at least 62,000 years old was found in 1974.
- [Coiba Mare Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-coiba-mare) — Caves · Casa de Piatră, AB · Free · 11 km
  An undeveloped cave in the Bihor Mountains near Casa de Piatră: a huge portal, tens of metres high, through which the Gârdișoara stream vanishes underground.
- [Bears' Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-ursilor) — Caves · Chișcău, BH · 40 lei · 45 min · Top 100 · 11 km
  Romania's most visited cave: 488 m of lit galleries beneath the village of Chișcău, full of stalactites and stalagmites, with the bones of some 140 cave bears left where they were found.
- [Bohodei Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-bohodei) — Waterfalls · Pietroasa, BH · Free · 6 – 6½ hours · 12 km
  A waterfall of about 80 m on the Bohodei stream, below the peak of the same name, regarded as the tallest in the Apuseni Mountains; reached on a demanding loop from Pietroasa with chain-equipped rock sections.

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Last updated: 29 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania