Stogovci (Vabča vas) - Jelovice

Access to starting point:
A) We leave the Štajerska motorway at the Slovenska Bistrica - south exit, then follow the road towards Poljčane, from there towards Makole, Majšperk and Ptuj. At the end of Majšperk, from the roundabout, we turn in the direction of Žetale and Jurovci. We continue on the main road to the settlement Stanečka vas and a little further. At the end of the settlement Stanečka vas we continue right towards Žetale and Naraplje. At the mentioned crossroads, we already notice the first signs for Jelovice, but we drive a little further to the hamlet Vabča vas, where the described path begins by the bus stop. At the starting point, there are no arranged parking spaces.
B) We leave the Podravska motorway at the Lancova vas exit, then follow the signs for Podlehnik and Jurovci. At the end of the settlement Tržec, from the roundabout, we go right towards Jurovci and then drive towards Majšperk. In the settlement Stogovci we turn left towards Žetale and in the direction of the mountain paths to Jelovice and Kupčinji Vrh. A little further from the crossroads we arrive at the hamlet Vabča vas, where the described path begins. At the starting point, there are no arranged parking spaces.

Path description:
From the hamlet Vabča vas we continue on the asphalt road, which leads us along the Jesenica stream and quickly brings us to the beginning of the settlement Naraplje. A little further, from the marked crossroads, we continue right in the direction of the marked path to Jelovice (straight - centre of the settlement Naraplje), where we continue on the slightly ascending asphalt road, which brings us to a few houses. At the houses the road turns right, but we continue straight onto the cart track, which takes us to the Vondušek stream, which we cross over a small wooden bridge. On the other side of the stream the path goes into the forest and steeply ascends the slope. For some time we steeply ascend through the forest, then return to the asphalt road, along which we continue the ascent; it leads us below the nearby hamlet. At the smaller crossroads we continue straight (if we go left we join the marked path from the settlement Naraplje), and then we also pass the chapel. Higher up the path turns left, and at the right bend we join the marked path from the settlement Naraplje.
For a short time we still continue on the asphalt road; when the road forks we continue straight onto the footpath, along which we ascend to the church of sv. Bolfenk in a few minutes.
From the church we continue southwards and descend along the macadam road to the nearby chapel, where we reach the asphalt road.
We continue left towards the top of Jelovice and Donačka gora (right descends to Stogovci) and continue along the asphalt road, which turns right. After a few minutes we reach the logbook box (control point no. 8 on the Haloška planinska pot), but we continue along the road with the path, which leads us along the eastern slopes of Kerješetov vrh. At the next crossroads, by the NOB monument, we continue right, then the signs for the top of Jelovice direct us right onto the footpath. This is followed by an ascent through the forest; after a few minutes we join a cart track, along which we continue the traversing ascent. When we reach the ridge connecting the top of Jelovice with Kerješetov vrh, we go left (right - Kerješetov vrh) and step onto a poorer road. We continue along the poorer road, which first ascends gently, then moderately. We bypass the nearby meadow, from which a nice view opens up, on the left side; behind the nearby hut we arrive at a marked junction in the immediate vicinity of the top of Jelovice.
Here we go right onto a poor unmarked path, along which we reach the highest peak of the Haloze in a few steps.
Stogovci - sv. Bolfenk 1:00, sv. Bolfenk - top of Jelovice 0:40.
Description and pictures refer to the situation in April 2022.

On the way: Church of St. Bolfenk (Jelovice) (537m)