Dule - Koča pri Sveti Ani on Mala gora (via Grmada)

Access to starting point:
A) From Ljubljana, we drive towards Kočevje or vice versa. Only about a kilometer after (from the direction of Kočevje before) Velike Lašče we will get to a crossroad, where we turn left towards the village Gornje Retje (from the direction of Kočevje right). The road then through a narrow overpass over the railway track brings us to a crossroad, where we continue left (right - Gornje Retje). Only a little further, we come to the next crossroad, where we continue right upwards on a macadam road. We follow this road approximately 3 km to a crossroad, where we notice signs for Kamen vrh. We park on one of the parking lots by the road near the crossroad.
B) From highway Ljubljana - Novo Mesto we go to the exit Grosuplje (from Ljubljana direction possible also to the exit Cikava), and then we continue driving towards the center of Grosuplje. From Grosuplje we continue driving in the direction of Veliko Mlačevo, Mala and Velika Račna and Videm. From Veliko Mlačevo we continue right (straight Lobček and Luče), and then we continue driving towards Videm, and we are driving there to the settlement Zdenska vas, where we at first turn right in the direction of the settlement Videm, and few 10 meters further once again right towards the settlement Rašica. The road then leads us through part of the settlement Cesta and continues by the railway track to the settlement Predstruge, where at the crossroad at the end of the settlement, we continue straight (left Videm, right Rašica) on at first still an asphalt road which later becomes a macadam and starts ascending through the forest. When higher we get to a little bigger crossroad, where we notice the sign for Kamen vrh, we park on an appropriate place by the crossroad.

Path description:
From the crossroad, we don't continue on the road in the direction of Kamen vrh, but we return on the road few meters to a marked mountain path which leads from Ponikve towards Kamen vrh (if we came from Predstruge we continue on the right road). The marked footpath immediately goes into the forest and is at first only gently ascending. The path which is occasionally a little harder to follow higher joins the cart track, on which we continue the ascent. The cart track which gradually starts ascending steeper, higher changes into a footpath on which in few minutes of additional walking, we ascend on Kamen vrh, and from there in few 10 strides we descend to the mountain hut.
From the mountain hut, we continue on a worse macadam road which starts slightly descending. The mentioned road, we follow only few 10 meters, then signpost for Grmada points us left on a footpath. After few steps of additional walking, we get to a poorly marked crossing, where we continue right (slightly left Podgora).
The path which is still slightly descending, soon brings us to a forest road which we follow to the nearby crossroad. From the crossroad, we continue on the right road and we follow it to the spot, where a signpost points us left into a dense forest. Further, we are ascending on the path which higher brings us to a panoramic grassy slope. A poorly visible and occasionally very badly marked path then turns a little more to the right, where we come to a wide meadow. In the middle of the mentioned meadow, the marked path turns left into the forest (access on Grmada is possible also on a cart track which leads straight), through which in few minutes of a little steeper walking we ascend to the top of Grmada or to the mountain hut Dom na Grmadi.
At the hut we notice signs for Sveta Ana, which point us on a macadam road which starts descending towards a smaller village Vrh pri Poljanah. Still before we get to houses in the village, the road becomes asphalted, and after the houses we get to a smaller crossroad at a bigger built chapel.
We continue straight on the asphalt road (on the left road, or lower mountain path, we can get to Podgora or Podpeč), and from which soon a marked footpath branches off to the right towards Ortnek, and we again continue straight on a descending road which also leads towards the village Ortnek. With a view on surrounding hills, and in good visibility also on Snežnik, we quickly get to the right turn, where we continue straight on a marked cart track in the direction of Sveta Ana. The cart track or a little further, the footpath gradually passes into the forest and crosses slopes of Vrbovec. After few minutes, we reach another cart track, on which we continue in the direction of Sveta Ana, and we walk there for a short time because a marked path from there soon turns slightly to the right (this part isn't well-marked). Next follows few minutes of walking through the forest and then on another cart track we descend to a macadam road which we follow to the left (right - Velike Poljane and Ortnek).
From the spot, where we step on the road for quite some time, we still continue with a diagonal ascent through the forest and then we get to a little bigger crossroad, where we continue straight in the direction of Sveta Ana (on the road sharply left, we can get to Kompolje or Rapljevo). Next follows few minutes of a light to moderate ascent, and then the path after an indistinct saddle between the peaks Tisovec (931 meters) and Špičnik (926 meters) starts descending. Next follows few minutes of descent, and then signs for Sveta Ana point us to the left on a little worse road which starts ascending steeper (a wider road which we leave leads towards Ribnica). On an ascending road we walk few minutes, and then blazes lead us a little more to the right on a marked footpath which continues through the forest. When the path after few minutes entirely flattens, we reach the cart track and we follow it to the left, where we walk by the edge of a smaller valley, where in spring time grows a wild garlic.
Somewhere in the middle of a small valley, a relatively well-marked path turns right and passes on slopes of the peak Stene svete Ane. Few minutes we are ascending relatively steeply towards the right, and then signs for Sveta Ana from the cart track point us sharply to the left on even a little steeper footpath. Next follows a relatively steep ascent, and then after few minutes, the path flattens and in few additional strides it brings us to the spot, where a short path branches off to the left, which leads towards the nearby viewpoint.
From the viewpoint, we return to the mentioned crossing, and from there we continue in the direction of Sveta Ana. Next follows a short crossing, and then from the left joins the path from the settlement Struge, and few steps ahead, the path branches off to the right to the summit Stene svete Ane (straight - mountain hut Koča pri Sveti Ani on Mala gora).
From the crossing follows a minute of walking and we reach the peak, on which there is situated a geodetic tower.
From the top, we descend few 10 strides to the last crossing, and from there we continue in the direction of Sveta Ana, on the path which gradually starts lightly descending. The path slowly widens into a cart track, on which in good 10 minutes we get to the mountain hut Koča pri Sveti Ani on Mala gora.
For a nice view it is worth to walk also to the nearby church, from where a view opens up towards Ribnica and Velika gora.
Dule - Kamen vrh 45 minutes, Kamen vrh - Grmada 1:15, Grmada - Stene svete Ane 2:20, Stene svete Ane - Koča pri Sveti Ani on Mala gora 15 minutes.

On the way: Kamen vrh (783m), Grmada na Mali gori (887m), Stene svete Ane (964m)