Lake Vinderel

Lake Vinderel lies in the far north-east of Maramureș County, in the Farcău-Mihailecu massif of the Maramureș Mountains, within Repedea commune. It occupies the saddle separating Farcău peak (1,957 m) to the north-west from Mihailecu peak (1,918 m) to the south-east, at an altitude of 1,684 m according to the morphohydrological study published by geographer Marcel Mîndrescu in 2001. It takes its name from the Vinderel stream, a tributary of the Repedea river, in whose basin it lies. According to the same study, the lake is about 140-155 m long and about 80 m wide, covers roughly 0.90 ha and has a maximum depth of 5.5 m. It is fed by precipitation, snowmelt and a few marshy patches on its southern shore, with no permanent inflow. The author considers it of glacial origin, set in an ice-shaped saddle next to the Groapa Julii glacial cirque, and describes it as the largest glacial lake in the Eastern Carpathians by surface area. The lake belongs to the Farcău Peak - Lake Vinderelu - Mihăilecu Peak mixed nature reserve, a 100 ha protected area designated by Law no. 5/2000, which spans the communes of Poienile de sub Munte and Repedea and is part of the Maramureș Mountains Natural Park. The reserve includes alpine meadows and glacial landforms (Groapa Julii, Groapa Lupilor, Groapa Bologhii), with species such as edelweiss, cotton grass, bog bilberry and mountain crocus. A trail marked with a red stripe climbs from the Coșnea cabin via Piatra Socolău, Stânișoara and the Mihailecu ridge to the lake in about 4-5 hours.