Gura Apelor Lake

Gura Apelor Lake (also called Gura Apei) is a reservoir in the Râul Mare valley, where the river meets the Lăpușnicul Mare, Lăpușnicul Mic and Șes streams, in Râu de Mori commune. It lies on the western edge of Retezat National Park, about 45 km from the town of Hațeg. The dam was built between 1975 and 1986 and is a rock-fill dam with a central clay core, 168 m high. The lake covers about 390 ha. It is part of the Râul Mare-Retezat hydropower scheme, which comprises the dam, the underground Retezat power station (335 MW) and the Clopotiva power station; the water is carried through tunnels in the mountain to the underground station. The dam is reached on county road DJ 685 from the village of Brazi. Gura Apelor is one of the park's entry points: the marked trail to Zănoaga Lake starts here, as does the forest road of about 20 km to Gura Bucurii, the starting point for Bucura Lake. Camping is allowed in the lake basin, from the dam to the Gura Apelor forestry cabin, and recreational boats with combustion engines are banned on the lake.