Zagrad - Grmada above Celje (gentle path)

Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana - Maribor we go to the exit Celje and follow the road ahead in the direction of Laško. Soon after Celje (still before Laško) left (at the traffic light) over the bridge, the road towards Celjska koča branches off. On the other side of the bridge over the river Savinja, we continue right and we follow the road for good 200m to the underpass under the railway track, behind which we park on a parking lot near the fire station in Zagrad.

Path description:
From the parking lot at the fire station, we go on a marked footpath in the direction of Celjska koča, which after a short ascent brings us on an asphalt road which we then follow for quite some time. When the asphalt road makes a right turn (by the cross), we leave it and we continue the ascent straight on a wide footpath which ascends by the edge of a meadow. In the upper part of the meadow, the path turns left and it brings us on the road which we follow to the right, but only to the spot, where a wide path towards Celjska koča and Grmada branches off left upwards (sharply left Grmada, steep path). The path higher again brings us on the road, where in a gentle descent runs past Trobiš beech tree. After few minutes of walk on the road, marked cart track branches off to the left upwards, which in a diagonal ascent soon brings us to the crossing. Here we continue left in the direction of the mountain hut Pečovniška koča (right - Celjska koča) on the path which in a gentle ascent in five minutes brings us to the mentioned mountain hut.
From the mountain hut, we continue on a wide path, which is at first ascending gently towards the summit of Grmada. After a good five minutes of walking the path narrows and ascends on a secondary peak, from which the path slightly descends. Next follows few minutes walk on vegetated east ridge of Grmada, from which occasionally a view opens up a little into a valley. A pleasant path then steeply ascends and after few minutes of additional walking brings us to the summit.

On the way: Pečovniška koča na Grmadi mountain hut (620m)

Trip can be extended to: Hotel Celjska koča , Tolsti vrh above Celjska koča