Romania Photo of the Day by Dreamstime: Red Lake
The Romania Photo of the Day created in partnership with stock photo provider Dreamstime aims to highlight the best of Romania. From stunning landscapes and popular tourist destinations and landmarks to people, traditions, and food, this series helps you discover Romania one photo at a time. This week, we put the focus on Romanian mountain lakes.
Formed at an altitude of 983 m in a depression with a sub-alpine climate, between the Şuhardul Mic (1,352 m) and the Şuhardul Mare (1,507 m) peaks, the Red Lake, also known as the Killer Lake, is one of the largest natural gorges in Romania. (Photo source - click on the number to get to the photo 14448330 © Attila Tatár | Dreamstime.com)
It is said to have formed in 1838, after an intense earthquake caused the collapse of a portion of the Ghilcoș mountain at the foot of the Şuhard massif, blocking the valley of the Bicaz river. The forest of fir trees was thus flooded, and over time the trees petrified, giving the lake its strange appearance: here and there, throughout, you can see dark petrified stumps piercing the water.
The lake’s name comes from its reddish-brown hue – a shade created by the iron oxide-rich clays brought here by the Red Stream that feeds it.
However, its nickname has a darker explanation for the water’s unique color: legend says that when the Ghilcoș (Killer) mountain collapsed, it covered a village, killing all of its inhabitants, and the water that then filled the valley mixed with their blood.
Whether you are drawn here by its unique origin, or by the beautiful landscapes of the Cheile Bicazului-Hășmaș National Park that surround the lake, it is certainly a place worth visiting.
The most popular trail in the area is the Red Lake - Little Hill (1,345m), starting from the Red Lake Tourist Hotel, according to Discover-romania.ro. For nature lovers, there is a trail through the forest and over forgotten hills to the Ghilcoș Stone (1,378 m), with a starting point at Pension Teo near the lake.
The Via Ferrata route requires special climbing equipment, and some courage, as it requires crossing a suspension bridge at 160m. For the less experienced, there is a marked trail through the forest leading to the top, from where there is a stunning view of the Red Killer Lake.
