Dom na Smrekovcu - Črno jezero (Končnikova mlakuža)

Access to starting point:
From Mozirje, Gornji Grad or Luče we drive to Ljubno ob Savinji, from there we follow the signs for Smrekovec. Through Ljubno ob Savinji, we initially drive on an occasionally narrower road in Rastke, and at the crossroads among the houses, we follow the signs for Smrekovec. After the settlement the road widens, and then to Ljubenske Rastke is mostly gently moderately ascending, and from here on it gradually becomes narrower and steeper. We follow the mentioned road at the crossroads in the direction of the signs for the Dom na Smrekovcu cottage, and we park in the parking lot just before the mountain cottage.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we first walk to the mountain hut, bypass it on the left side, and continue toward Smrekovec and Raduha, then diagonally ascend through a strip of forest. A few minutes higher, the path splits, and we choose the slightly left path, marked with signs for the mountain huts Koča na Loki and Koča na Travniku (right, the peak Smrekovec). Next follows a light to moderate ascent, then we reach the pastures of Krumpaška planina, where the path flattens further, and we continue crossing the slopes of Smrekovec. A little farther, we reach the indistinct ridge of the Smrekovec mountain range, where an unmarked path from the right, leading over the peak of Smrekovec, joins us.
We continue on the marked path heading west, mostly ascending gently with occasional beautiful views. Later, we arrive at a junction before a strip of dense spruce forest, where we leave the wide, well-trodden path and continue right toward the peak Krnes.
Here, we first walk a few dozen meters along the forest edge, then instead of turning left toward Krnes, we continue along the forest to signs for lake Črno jezero (Končnikova mlakuža), which direct us left downward, where we cross the northern slopes of the peak Krnes in a gentle descent. Next follows a traverse, mostly in a gentle descent, where the path leads through some steeper and, especially when wet, slippery sections. At junctions where we cross two cart tracks, we follow the better-trodden footpath. Later, we descend into a steep ravine, where we cross an exposed stream that ends with a waterfall. On the other side of the ravine, we diagonally ascend, then the slope flattens, and we quickly reach the lake Črno jezero.

On the way: Krumpaška planina (1488m)