Gornji Grad - Cave Jespa (via Strmčnik)

Access to starting point:
From the Savinja Valley or from Kamnik through the Črnivec pass, we drive to Gornji Grad, where on a well-maintained parking lot next to the main bus station we also park.

Route description:
Signs for Menina planina, the path past Strmčnik from the parking lot directs us along the main road towards the mountain pass Črnivec, but soon we turn left, carefully crossing the main road into the street Podsmrečje. Here on the left side we bypass a nearby company, and the road gradually turns to the right, where it initially continues without significant changes in altitude. When the road enters the forest, it begins to ascend noticeably; when it turns sharply to the left, we turn right onto a side road marked with signs for Dom na Menini planini. Again, some traversing follows, and after a few minutes, the road ends; we continue in the same direction along a cart track that starts ascending and crosses a torrent. Next follows a steeper ascent, where at several crossroads we follow older blazes. Higher up, we cross a macadam road and continue the ascent on a wider cart track that soon splits. We choose the left cart track, where blazes continue, but soon turn right onto a footpath overgrown with wild garlic in spring months. Higher up, we also follow older blazes, and the path partly leads along a cart track and partly along a parallel mountain path. Higher, the cart track ends, and the path becomes slightly steeper, continuing for some time through the valley between Prag (1109 m) on the left and Greben (1145 m) on the right. The valley, overgrown with wild garlic in spring months, we leave higher up with a diagonal ascent to the left, where, in a part with thinner forest, a beautiful view opens towards the highest mountains in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.
Next follows the crossing of a wider macadam road, after which we carefully follow blazes on numerous new forest logging trails. Further on, two successive crossings of a forest road follow; from the cart track on which we continue, we turn left onto a footpath, which leads to a marked crossroads where paths via Borovnica and past Semprimožnik join from the left.
We continue towards Dom na Menini planini past Jespa, ascending through the forest to a grazing fence, where we leave the forest. Here on the left, we notice a hunting cottage, but we continue straight uphill, following the blazes and a fainter footpath. During the ascent, a beautiful view opens up when looking back; higher up, the path enters a strip of forest, where we still carefully follow the blazes. When we leave the forest again, the path flattens; we then gently descend to a macadam road leading towards Dom na Menini planini, which we cross and ascend along a marked path. Next follows a walk across the Menina planina plateau, where we continue following blazes; the fairly gentle path leads us to a junction for the path to the cave Jespa.
Here, with the help of fixed safety gear, we descend into a karst sinkhole from which there is an entrance to the ice cave Jespa.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in April 2024.

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