Arpașul Mare

Arpașul Mare (Romanian Vârful Arpașul Mare, also Arpașu Mare or Vârtopul) is a 2,468 m summit on the main ridge of the Făgăraș Mountains, on the border of Sibiu and Argeș counties. It rises above the head of the Arpaș valley, which drops north towards Transylvania, while to the south lies the cirque with Lake Buda. Its nearest neighbour, Mircii, is only a few hundred metres to the east; to the west a jagged crest runs to Arpașul Mic and Fereastra Zmeilor.

According to Romanian Wikipedia, Arpașul Mare is climbed either from Mircii or from Arpașul Mic. It is one of the summits of the rockiest stretch of the main ridge, between Lake Capra and the Podragu saddle, a section especially loved by climbers.

How to get there / routes

Most people come from the west, from the Transfăgărășan road: by path to the Fereastra Zmeilor shelter and then onto the main ridge at the Portița Arpașului saddle, where the rock arch of Fereastra Zmeilor (“the Dragons' Window”, 2,175 m) stands. From here the red stripe of the ridge crosses the section called “Three Steps from Death” (La Trei Pași de Moarte) – a narrow, exposed crest with chains and cables – and skirts Arpașul Mic on its northern side. This section can be bypassed by a blue-cross path through the Căldarea Pietroasă cirque to the Podragu hut, though Munții Noștri advises against it in fog.

The path then passes the Nerlinger memorial (2,291 m), recalling the Nerlinger–Ruzicka expedition of 1934, and the rocky Parul de Fier spur (2,316 m), drops to the Vârtopului saddle (2,287 m) and climbs at length towards Mircii. According to Munții Noștri, about 200 m before the Mircii summit it is worth turning 130 m north – that is how you reach Arpașul Mare, whose views differ slightly from its neighbour's. The Transfăgărășan – Fereastra Zmeilor – Podragu loop that includes this stretch is, according to the same source, about 17 km with 1,500 m of ascent and takes 9–11 hours.

What you see from the summit

Photos by Munții Noștri taken on Arpașul Mare show Negoiu and Lespezi to the west; from just below the top you see Lake Podu Giurgiului in its cirque to the east. From the Vârtopului saddle, the same source says, you see Buda peak, the head of the Podu Giurgiului valley and Arpașul Mare itself. The sources give no wider description of the panorama; by its position, the Arpaș valley lies to the north and the ridges above the Transfăgărășan to the south.

Nature and history

Munții Noștri calls the Arpășel–Vârtopel crest west of the summit the most rugged alpine section of the whole ridge. That beauty has its price: on the shore of nearby Lake Capra stands a memorial to four climbers swept away by an avalanche in 1963 on their way to the Arpășel crest. Romanian Wikipedia singles out Portița Arpașului with the Fereastra Zmeilor arch as an example of the narrow crests and notched saddles carved by frost weathering in the Făgăraș.

The northern slope of the peak belongs to the “Alpine zone of the Făgăraș between Podragu and Suru” nature reserve, which protects cirques, lakes and alpine meadows; the Arpaș valley below, according to Munții Noștri, is wild and hard to access, with rock steps and waterfalls.

Safety, season and rules

The Făgăraș ridge is the Natura 2000 site “Munții Făgăraș” (ROSCI0122), not a national park; follow its regulations and keep to marked paths. “Three Steps from Death” needs a sure foot and dry weather; Munții Noștri considers the ridge route inaccessible in winter, when snow hides the waymarks and the slopes are prone to avalanches – follow the bulletin at meteoromania.ro. Also check whether the high section of the Transfăgărășan is open: it is closed in the cold season. In summer beware of thunderstorms – on a ridge with steel cables they are especially dangerous.

Bears live in the Făgăraș: stay on marked paths, call out, do not keep food in your tent and do not run from dogs near sheepfolds. In an emergency call the national dispatch 0SALVAMONT – 0725 826 668 or 112; advice is on the Salvamont România website.

Photos: Cioboata Andrei, CC BY 3.0; Cioboata Andrei, CC BY 3.0; Hardsr, Public domain; Hardsr, Public domain; Cioboata Andrei, CC BY 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.