Apuseni Natural Park

The Apuseni Natural Park (Parcul Natural Apuseni) is a protected area (natural park category V IUCN) situated in Romania, in the administrative territory of counties Alba (28%), Bihor (32 %), and Cluj (40%).

Location
The Natural Park is located in western Romania in the central-northern side of the Apuseni Mountains, comprising part of the Bihor Mountains to the south and Vlădeasa Mountains to the north. It is situated on the administrative territory of 16 communes, which include 53 localities fully and 8 others partially. The Park features 3 resorts: Boga, Fântânele, and Vârtop.

Natural reserves
The Apuseni Natural Park with an area of 75784 ha was declared natural protected area by the Law Number 5 of March 6, 2000 (published in the Monitorul Oficial of Romania, Number 152 of April 12, 2000) and represents a mountainous area (mountain peaks, cirques, caves, valleys, karst areas, forests, and pastures), with flora and fauna specific to the Western Carpathians.

Natural reserves included in the park:
 * Alba County
 * Avenul din Hoanca Urzicarului, 1 ha
 * Coiba Mare Cave, 0.5 ha
 * Ghețarul de la Vârtop Cave, 1 ha
 * Izbucul de la Cotețul Dobreștilor, 0.2 ha
 * Izbucul Mătișești, 2 ha
 * Izbucul Tăuzului, 1 ha
 * Scărișoara Cave, 1 ha
 * Bihor County
 * Avenul Borțigului, 0.1 ha
 * Bears' Cave, 1 ha
 * Cârligați Peak, 10 ha
 * Cerbului Cave - Avenul cu Vacă, 45 ha
 * Cetatea Rădesei Cave, 20 ha
 * Cetățile Ponorului, 14.9 ha
 * Ciur Izbuc Cave, 0.1 ha
 * Fâneața Izvoarelor Crișul Pietros, 1 ha
 * Ghețarul Focul Viu Cave, 0.1 ha
 * Groapa de la Bârsa, 30 ha
 * Groapa Ruginoasa - Valea Seacă, 20.4 ha
 * Micula’s Cave, 0.1 ha
 * Pietrele Boghii, 38.4 ha
 * Pietrele Galbenei, 6.3 ha
 * Platoul carstic Lumea Pierdută, 39 ha
 * Platoul carstic Padiș, 39 ha
 * Poiana Florilor, 1 ha
 * Săritoarea Bohodeiului, 32.9 ha
 * Smeii de la Onceasa Cave, 0.5 ha
 * Valea Galbenei, 70.5 ha
 * Valea Sighiștelului, 412.6 ha
 * Vârful Biserica Moțului, 3 ha
 * Cluj County
 * Molhașul Mare de la Izbuc, 8 ha

Rivers and lakes
The surface waters of the Apuseni Natural Park belong to the hydrographic basins of the rivers:
 * Arieșul Mare and its tributaries, Gârda Seacă, Popasele, and Cobleș.
 * Someșul Mic and its left headwater, the Someșul Cald, together with the latter's tributaries, Alunul Mare, Alunul Mic, Beliș, Ponor (river), Valea Firii, Barna (river), Valea Izbucului, and Călineasa.
 * Crișul Negru and its tributaries, Crișul Pietros (together with its headwater, Galbena (Crișul Pietros), and its tributaries, Valea Mare Cărpinoasa and Căuși) and Crișul Băița (together with its tributaries, Hoanca Moțului and Sighiștel).

In the northern part of the park, there is the Beliș-Fântânele Lake, a reservoir in the Gilău Mountains, built between 1970 and 1974. Located at an altitude of 1050 m, the reservoir covers an area of 826 ha and has a volume of 225 - 250 e6m3 of water. It was formed after the damming of the Someșul Cald downstream of its confluence with the Beliș stream; the dam has a height of 92 m and a length of 410 m. From the reservoir, the water is diverted through a 8.475 km tunnel to the turbines of the Mărișelu Hydroelectric Power Station.