Krvavec

At the top station of the Krvavec cable car you will notice numerous mountain signposts. Head towards Dom na Krvavcu and Marija Snežna (Our Lady of the Snows) on a faint path that climbs the grassy slope almost straight up. Higher up, the faint path leads across a pasture fence, beyond which it becomes somewhat easier to follow. The fairly steep path then brings you to Dom na Krvavcu, which is already visible from the cable car top station. From the mountain hut, continue towards Zvoh along the road, which takes you past a chapel and the transmitters on Krvavec to the Razor saddle (the saddle between the summit of Krvavec and Veliki Zvoh), where there is a road junction. Take the right-hand road, which brings you to the summit of Krvavec after a further 5 minutes’ walk.

At the end of the car park, where the road turns left and another road branches off right towards the nearby Jezerca pasture, you will notice red mountain signposts directing you straight ahead onto a marked footpath towards Kriška Planina, Vrh Korena, Košutna, Kompotela and Mokrica, which climbs across the grazing land of the pasture. After a short climb you reach a cart track; follow it to the left, crossing the slopes of Kržišče (1,658 m). The cart track soon forks; continue straight ahead on the lower branch. For a while there is a fine view towards Kranj, the Škofja Loka Hills and Storžič, after which the path begins to descend gently. A few more minutes’ walking brings you to the car park at the lower part of Kriška Planina.

Here the marked path towards Koren pasture continues slightly to the right, but you carry straight on to the other side of the valley, where you begin to climb a grassy slope towards a nearby cluster of huts. After a short climb you reach the Pr Florjan dairy hut (planšarija), which you skirt on the right. Above the dairy hut, you gradually join a well-trodden but poorly waymarked path that starts to climb the grassy slope more steeply. Higher up you reach a rougher, partly grassy cart track; climb along it to the point where it turns right. From this bend, continue straight ahead on a somewhat less distinct path, which brings you up to Dom na Krvavcu in a few minutes.

At Dom na Krvavcu, join the gravel road and start climbing along it towards the summit of Krvavec and Zvoh. The road first takes you past a transmitter tower, and then, enjoying fine views, you arrive at a completely unmarked fork, where a waymarked pathless route branches off the road to the right, leading towards the summit of Krvavec.

From here there are two options for the ascent: either continue right and climb to the summit of Krvavec along the edge of the ski area, right beside the fence, on which you will notice a few waymarks, or continue straight ahead and follow the road to a small junction. In the latter case, turn sharp right at the junction and in a few minutes climb to the panoramic summit with its summit box, summit register and stamp. The route along the road is a few minutes longer but less steep than the one along the edge of the ski area. While the ski resort is operating, walking on the section of the route that crosses the ski piste is prohibited.

At the end of the car park, where the road turns left and another road branches off right towards the nearby Jezerca pasture, you will notice red mountain signposts directing you straight ahead onto a marked footpath towards Kriška Planina, Vrh Korena, Košutna, Kompotela and Mokrica, which climbs across the grazing land of the pasture. After a short climb you reach a cart track; follow it to the left, crossing the slopes of Kržišče (1,658 m). The cart track soon forks; continue straight ahead on the lower branch. For a while there is a fine view towards Kranj, the Škofja Loka Hills and Storžič, after which the path begins to descend gently. A few more minutes’ walking brings you to the car park at the lower part of Kriška Planina.

From the car park, head towards Koren pasture and continue along a rough gravel road that passes through an underpass beneath the ski run. Just past the underpass, the marked path leaves the road slightly to the left and runs parallel to it alongside a kind of avenue of spruce trees. After a few minutes of gentle climbing you reach the eastern edge of Kriška Planina, where there is a small watering place for livestock; here continue slightly left over the pasture fence (to the right are Osredek pasture and Kamniški Vrh), keeping to roughly the same direction as you carry on climbing gently. Beyond the pasture, the path moves onto the somewhat steeper slopes of Krvavec, which you traverse diagonally up to a viewpoint offering a fine view towards Kržišče (Pokovše), the Kamniški Vrh ridge, the Korošica valley, Velika Planina and the nearby Košutna and Veliki Zvoh.

From the viewpoint, which lies a few steps to the right of the path, begin a steeper descent towards a hunting hut above the Korošica valley. Where the descent ends and the path continues without any major changes in height, you come to a clearly visible but poorly signposted junction, where a path branches off to the right to the hunting hut mentioned above and on towards the Korošica valley and the Kamniška Bistrica valley. At this junction, continue slightly left and begin a gentle climb through the forest. The path soon leaves the forest for scrub and dwarf pine, then crosses a pasture fence and gradually brings you to the next unmarked junction, which lies right in the middle of a sharp right-hand bend.

The marked footpath to Koren pasture continues sharply to the right, but carry straight on along a less-trodden yet still easy-to-follow narrow path, which then traverses leftwards across the slopes below Veliki Zvoh. Soon into the traverse you cross a small gully: when it is free of snow, crossing it poses no difficulty, but if there is still snow in the gully, which can happen in late spring or early summer, the crossing is dangerous, as the gully ends in a drop. Further on, the path climbs diagonally, and besides the fine views you can also admire a variety of mountain flowers (Carniolan lily, Turk’s cap lily...). Higher up, the path leads across a small scree slope and an interesting rocky crag. Skirt the crag, which bears a memorial, on its left side, then gradually enter a stretch where the path is temporarily somewhat more overgrown. Where the overgrown section ends, continue slightly right, then follow a less distinct narrow path for a few minutes up to the edge of the Krvavec ski slopes.

You reach the ski area at the Razor saddle, where you first have to cross a safety fence; then continue left towards Krvavec and Dom na Krvavcu (to the right are Veliki Zvoh and Dolga Njiva pasture) and follow the road, which soon forks. At the fork, take the upper, left-hand road (Dom na Krvavcu is slightly to the right) and follow it for just under 10 minutes up to the summit of Krvavec.

From the starting point, continue along the wide cart track, or rough road, which after a few tens of metres brings you to a second “car park”, or turning area, from where you continue straight on along a somewhat narrower cart track that bends to the left. After a few minutes the track forks; take the right-hand, marked branch, but you follow it for only a few minutes, as the waymarks lead you a little further right onto the marked path towards Kamniški Vrh, Krvavec and Koren pasture (the turn-off is not specially signposted, so follow the waymarks carefully), which begins to climb through the forest. The path then climbs quite steeply along the right-hand side of a nearby torrent; follow it to the next junction, which this time is somewhat better signposted.

At the junction, continue right in the direction of the sign “ZA VRATA” and carry on through gradually thinning forest, crossing the occasional clearing, meadow or short scree slope, from where there are fine views, especially of the peaks around the Korošica valley. The path then brings you to the foot of a short rock face, where an unmarked path to Koren pasture and a traversing hunters’ path towards Medvedja Jama branch off up to the right. From this junction, continue along the left-hand path, which skirts the nearby crag on its left side. A little further on there is a gentle descent, and the path brings you to a small, refreshing spring, which unfortunately dries up in dry weather. Next, cross to the left side of the spring and start climbing again. A climb through a short belt of dwarf pine follows, after which the path moves onto a grassy slope, where it becomes harder to follow, although the occasional waymarks help. About 20 minutes’ climb from the spring you reach a small hunting hut, above which the path turns left and joins the more frequented, also marked path leading from Kriška Planina to Koren pasture.

On reaching this marked path, continue right and climb diagonally through the forest. The path soon leaves the forest for scrub and dwarf pine, then crosses a pasture fence and gradually brings you to the next unmarked junction, which lies right in the middle of a sharp right-hand bend.

The marked footpath to Koren pasture continues sharply to the right, but carry straight on along a less-trodden yet still easy-to-follow narrow path, which then traverses leftwards across the slopes below Veliki Zvoh. Soon into the traverse you cross a small gully: when it is free of snow, crossing it poses no difficulty, but if there is still snow in the gully, which can happen in late spring or early summer, the crossing is dangerous, as the gully ends in a drop. Further on, the path climbs diagonally, and besides the fine views you can also admire a variety of mountain flowers (Carniolan lily, Turk’s cap lily...). Higher up, the path leads across a small scree slope and an interesting rocky crag. Skirt the crag, which bears a memorial, on its left side, then gradually enter a stretch where the path is temporarily somewhat more overgrown. Where the overgrown section ends, continue slightly right, then follow a less distinct narrow path for a few minutes up to the edge of the Krvavec ski slopes.

You reach the ski area at the Razor saddle, where you first have to cross a safety fence; then continue left towards Krvavec and Dom na Krvavcu (to the right are Veliki Zvoh and Dolga Njiva pasture) and follow the road, which soon forks. At the fork, take the upper, left-hand road (Dom na Krvavcu is slightly to the right) and follow it for just under 10 minutes up to the summit of Krvavec.