Žiarske sedlo (1916 m) is a mountain pass in the Slovak Western Tatras that feels like stepping into a textbook of glacial landscapes — cirques, moraines, tiny lakes and the towering rocky walls of the Roháče massif all at once. Connecting the Žiarska and Jamnicka valleys, it is both a rewarding destination and a natural crossroads for longer ridge walks.

The views from the pass are remarkable in every direction. To the west you look down into the upper Žiarska Valley with its stone debris and glacial hollows, while to the east the Jamnicka Valley opens up with the Rohácky Kotol cirque and the Plačlivé Lake. The peaks of Roháče, Tri Kopy, Hrubá Kopa and Banówka frame the skyline, and to the east you can spot Lopata, Jarzabci Wierch and the Otargance ridge with Raczkowa Czuba. Just below the pass sits the small Žiarsky Pond. In midsummer the grassy slopes turn a striking rusty-red, coloured by the rushes that grow here in abundance.

• Žiarska chata (Žiarska mountain hut) → green trail via Rozdroże pod Bulą → Žiarske sedlo: approx. 1 h 45 min up, 1 h 20 min down; moderate difficulty
• Zahrady junction (Jamnicka Valley) → green trail → Žiarske sedlo: approx. 1 h 40 min up, 1 h 15 min down; moderate difficulty
• Žiar via Goły Wierch, Baraniec and Smrek → yellow trail → Žiarske sedlo: Baraniec to pass approx. 1 h 30 min; demanding

• Nearest shelter: Žiarska chata — a comfortable base on the western approach
• From the pass you can continue on the yellow trail to Roháč Plačlivý summit (approx. 35 min)
• Best light for photography: morning or evening with clear skies

The vivid red-tinged slopes, caused by the rush species 'sit skuciny' already from midsummer, are a signature sight of Žiarske sedlo — unique among Western Tatra passes.