Dravograd (Meža) - Hunting lodge LD Gradišče

Access to starting point:
A) From Slovenj Gradec or Ravne na Koroškem we drive to Dravograd, and then still before we cross the Drava River we continue right (we turn right at the first right turnoff). Next follows crossing the railway track, and then we are already at the beginning of the described path at the Agricultural Forestry Cooperative Koroška (Kmetijsko gozdarska zadruga Koroška). At the starting point there are no designated parking spaces for hikers.
B) From Maribor we drive to Dravograd, where we continue left towards Slovenj Gradec and Ravne na Koroškem. After the bridge over the Drava River we continue on the second street to the left. Next follows crossing the railway track, and then we are already at the beginning of the described path at the Agricultural Forestry Cooperative Koroška (Kmetijsko gozdarska zadruga Koroška). At the starting point there are no designated parking spaces for hikers.

Path description:
On the other side of the railway track we go right, and then before the Agricultural Forestry Cooperative Koroška left onto an ascending asphalt road. On the asphalt road we continue to the nearby right hairpin turn, from where we continue straight in the direction of the marked path (near the junction there are a few parking options). Next follows an ascent on the macadam road to the nearby house, behind which the road turns into a cart track along which we continue the ascent through the forest. For a few minutes we ascend along the cart track, then we arrive at an area damaged by the windstorm. Here we leave the cart track to the right onto a nicely maintained path that ascends across the slope with fine views, the slope slowly becoming overgrown. The exemplarily repaired path makes a few hairpin turns, then ascends transversely to the vantage point Skala, where there is a stamping box and from where a fine view opens towards Dravograd.

We continue on the marked path, which a little higher brings us to a cart track where the path forks. We head left towards Šisernik (also possible right towards Vinkler), while the cart track shortly ahead turns sharply right. Next follows a shorter transverse ascent, then the cart track ends. Next follows a short steep ascent, then we reach another cart track, which we follow to the right (on this section a trodden path leads somewhat aside from the old marked path).

Next follows a shorter traverse to the right, then we join the path past Vinkler.

We continue left, where first a nice view opens, then the path ascends along the cart track, continuing straight at junctions. Higher up the path levels out, and the cart track with occasional views brings us to a junction at the Ošlovnik farm.
We continue right in the direction of Šisernikova pot and begin to descend transversely along the road. During the descent the path takes us past a few houses at the Kržečnik farm, then through the forest to Cvitrško sedlo, where we exit the forest amid several successive junctions. We follow the road to the shrine; from the shrine we take an initially hard-to-follow path towards Golarjev vrh, ascending along the edge of the hay meadow or indistinct ridge. Looking back here, a nice view opens onto Mežnarjev vrh and the church of St. Daniel; higher up the path enters the forest and leads us to a macadam road.
We follow the road right (straight to Golarjev vrh), and after a few minutes reach the Kljuk homestead with a nice view towards Peca. Behind the farm the path turns gently left into the forest, continuing transversely along an easy-gradient cart track. In the forest we follow the markers; on exiting the forest we quickly descend to a road which we follow left. Along the road, reached at the Gnamuš farm, we soon arrive at a chapel on the saddle between Golarjev vrh and Potoški vrh. We continue along the road, which descends transversely for some time, with occasional views of the church of St. Anne on Anski vrh. Somewhat beyond the Lubas homestead, signs for Šisernikova pot direct us left onto a cart track continuing through the forest. After crossing a spring the path climbs to a minor saddle where a shrine is visible on the right.
Here we continue straight down the marked path (right to Anski vrh), descending to the next macadam road, along which we continue to a junction by a larger chapel.
Here we cross the asphalt road (left to Trbonje and the Škorjanc ecological farm, right to Mislinjska dolina) and continue past the NOB monument into the forest. We ascend the road to the Škratek farm, bypassing it on the right side where the path crosses pastures and is harder to follow. On the far side of the pasture the path enters the forest and continues along a cart track. At a minor junction we go right (straight to the hunting observatory) and ascend to the next hay meadow, from which a nice view reopens over the surrounding hills. The path soon re-enters the forest, and we reach a macadam road where we see the NOB monument and a shrine on the left.
We continue gently right; the road brings us to a junction by the next chapel, where we go left. We walk along the road for a few more minutes, then the markers direct us gently left onto a cart track leading to the saddle below Jesenkov vrh, where there is a cross and chapel.
We continue straight (left to Osirnik farm) and proceed along the road. Soon a nice view opens to the right towards Uršlja gora and Peca; when the path re-enters the forest we go gently right onto a parallel marked path which after a short ascent rejoins the road (if continuing on the road, go right at the nearby junction). We follow the road right to the nearby hunting lodge LD Gradišče.
Dravograd - Skala 0:25, Skala - Cvitrško sedlo 1:00, Cvitrško sedlo - hunting lodge LD Gradišče 2:45.
The description and photos refer to conditions in 2019 (May).

On the way: Skala (nad Dravogradom) (525m), Cvitrško sedlo (677m)

Trip can be extended to: Koča pod Kremžarjevim vrhom ( 50 min) , Kremžarjev vrh (1 h)