After this stop, the road to follow is to the right in order to reach the wooden churches at Poiana Botizii.

The new church was built recently under the guidance of Bishop Justin Sigheteanul and traditional ornamentation has been chiseled onto the columns and beams.
The other church, towards South-West, it’s an old wooden church, blackened by the countless rains that washed it, and on the top of the steeple you will notice an old cross made of wrought iron, beautifully laced.

By this second place of worship the vista opens an extraordinary panorama overlooking the Botiza Valley.

From this point, you’ll head to Lapus, encountering along the way peasants working or walking to and from the fields. Leave aside the road to Rogoz – Damacuseni, driving to the left, towards the Râoaia Monastery. There’s a climb in order to reach the lake Zâmbriţa and the ponds. Originally there were about seven in number, as the locals say, being arranged in tiers by the former Department of Planning, Operation and Maintenance of Forests and Waters Maramures, in order to stimulate zoo-pastoral activities and provide drinking water for the local community. Now a couple of them have dried up.

A small pond, clogged with algae and vegetation, can be seen to the left of the road towards the monastery; another one, much bigger, privatized and better maintained, displaying a pontoon with a stylish pavilion, it’s a bit towards the North, but not too far. You will notice a dam near by, arranged in rockery and clay, and behind it it’s another pond, much larger and appreciated by amateur fishermen and by enthusiasts of swimming and sun-bathing. At the far end of this pond towards North-West, two tiny wooden chalets (cabins) can be seen. The road continues on the right of this pond, upstream of Zâmbriţa Valley and another pond immediately arises, however, invaded by weeds.

Next destination is Targu Lapus.
Climb the hill called Pietriş, then climb down to the hamlet of Cerneşti. Then, from Copalnic Mănăştur village, turn to the right to visit the beautiful wooden church of Lăschia, with its Baroque influences.

You’ll be perhaps impressed by the windows’ wooden shutters, resembling an open book. Beautiful are also the wrought iron gates of the church and the porch. Note the frescoes with St. Peter and St. Paul, flanking the door of the church, even if they are damaged by moisture and mold. Above the door note a painting on canvas representing the Resurrection.

This was the last stop, because from this point on, you will eventually return to Baia Mare via the village of Şişeşti, and its wooden church.

The landscape is full of contrasts in the Băiuţ area, because besides the traditional houses of an ancient mining village, there are also the remnants of the Mining Company of Băiuţ, together with its abandoned mining galleries from the Communist era; still visible, few mining dumps of sterile deposits, gradually altered, oxidized and covered by vegetation, in parallel with an excellent road made of concrete for the mining trucks of a more recent past, and a dilapidated cablecar line connecting the village of Băiuţ to the towns of Cavnic & Baia Sprie.

On the road to Poiana Botizii a sign announces that 800 m away there’s the Bones Cave, a hardly accessible cave even for the experienced speleologists. The formation is of tectonic origin and today there are no more bones left in it. The bones from which it received its name, were moved after the 1900s to Cluj Napoca.

The architecture and the landscape in this area are the real tourist attractions. Glade Valley (Valea Poienii), through the middle of what is called Poiana Botizii shows an intensely red-violet thalweg of multimillenary marl, shaped by waters. Nearby, geologists have discovered “klippe pienine” ( wildflysh) specific Jurassic Period & Mesozoic exotic rocks present in Romania only in this particular place. These rocks are present here since Eurasia and Africa continents were formed. Similar rocks were discovered only in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, the layers thickness varying from 2 to 20 km, according to experts.
The left side of Valea Poienii, is arid and rugged, an everywhere ancient traces of wagon roads are visible.

Țara Lăpușului: Czara Lhapush-oolooyi
Lăschia Botizii: Lhaskea Boteez-ee
Zâmbrița: Xhambree-cza
Băiuţ: Bhayoo-cz
Strâmbu Băiuţ: Strumboo Bhayoocz
Targu Lapus(= “Tg” Lapus for short): Trgoo Lhapush
Copalnic Mănăştur: Kopalneek Mhanhash-tyoor
Baia Sprie: Bayaa Spree-yeah
Baia Mare: Bayaa Maarhae

Lăpuș Region (meaning area or ‘country’; Țara Lăpușului=Lăpuș Country)churches and Lăschia Botizii Glade, then to the the lake Zâmbriţa and surrounding ponds

Route: Băiuţ – Strâmbu Băiuţ – Poiana Botizii – Lăpuş – Tg.Lăpuş (aka Târgu Lăpuş)

Objective: the Poiana Botizii churches, Lăschia Church (wooden church with baroque influences), the red marls/marly of Valea Poienii hamlet(a loose and crumbling earthy deposit consisting mainly of calcite or dolomite) and the pulsating mineral water spring

Location: the Băiuţ area – Lăpuș Village, Țara Lăpușului (Lăpuș Country)

Itinerary: Baia Mare (county capital) – Cavnic(town)- villages of Strâmbu Băiuţ – Poiana Botizii – Lăpus – Tg. Lăpus (town) – villages of Copalnic Mănăştur – Lăschia – Baia Sprie (town) – Baia Mare City (about 175 km in total)

Signposting: n/a except for regular traffic posts
Ttrail type: car circuit
Difficulty grade: n/a but considered rather easy
Equipment needed: light in general, according to season
Length and duration: 7-8 hours, 175 km
Elevatione: n/a
Recommendations: Cavnicul Turistic and Surroundings Travel Map 2014) Lăpuşului Gorge Map (2012)
Warnings: n/a
Accessibility: by Cavnic township and Rotunda Pass or Tg. Lapus township – Lapus
Means of transportation: own/rented car
Suggested accommodation: B&B in the region, quite abundant