Arieșeni is where the Arieș river begins its long run east across Transylvania, and where the road out of the valley starts to climb toward the Vârtop pass and the border between Alba and Bihor. The village spreads along the upper valley at around nine hundred metres, among spruce forests and high meadows, and in winter it is one of the small ski resorts of the Apuseni, with a few lifts and plenty of guesthouses. In summer it is quiet, green and cool, the kind of place where the smell of woodsmoke and cut hay hangs over the road in the evening.
It is Moți country, like the rest of the upper Arieș, and the old wooden church in the village, with its slender spire and shingle roof, is a good example of the local style. Many farms are spread out across the hillsides, with hay stacked on poles in the traditional way, and you will see horses and carts on the road more often than tractors. In the high meadows around the village, people still bring cattle and sheep up for the summer grazing.
The ride west from Arieșeni is the best of this part of the Apuseni loop. The road climbs steadily out of the valley through forest, with a series of sweeping and then tighter bends, to the Vârtop pass, a saddle in the mountains a little over eleven hundred metres high. From the top the views open out to the north and west, and the road then drops in a long descent toward Ștei and the Crișul Negru valley, through more forest and a fine flowing descent. Much of the tarmac is new, but every spring leaves a few fresh potholes, and cows have right of way whether or not anyone told them. In poor weather, fog is common on the pass, and snow can come early and stay late.
Arieșeni has several guesthouses and places to eat, mostly offering hearty Romanian mountain food, and a few small shops. Coffee before the climb tastes better here than anywhere on the far side. Fuel is not something to count on here, so plan ahead: the nearest reliable stations are in Ștei, about twenty-four kilometres to the west over the pass, or down the valley in Câmpeni. In autumn, the beech forests on the western slopes turn bright orange and gold, and that season, with clear air and empty roads, is probably the best time to ride this way.