Semenic-Cheile Carașului

Semenic-Cheile Carașului National Park is located in Caraș-Severin County in the Banat Mountains of southwestern Romania, covering 36,665 hectares. Established in 1990, the park encompasses two geographically distinct but ecologically related areas: the Semenic plateau — a broad, forested highland reaching 1,446 meters at Gozna Peak — and the Cheile Carașului, a 19-kilometer limestone gorge carved by the Caraș River. The park is notable for harboring some of Romania's oldest and largest beech trees, with specimens exceeding 350 years and 50 meters in height in the old-growth areas. Its Mediterranean-influenced climate, exceptional beech forests, and dramatic gorge scenery make it one of the most important protected areas in the Carpathian foothills.