End of road on Vogar - Velika Zelnarica (via Štapce)

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana-Jesenice motorway, take the Lesce exit and follow the road towards Bled and further towards Bohinjska Bistrica. Continue driving towards Lake Bohinj (Ribčev laz), where we reach a junction and continue right towards Stara Fužina. In Stara Fužina, at the junction by the chapel, turn sharply left onto the ascending road towards planina Blato, planina Vogar and Voje valley. The road then takes us to the toll and parking fee collection point, from which we continue to the next junction, turning left (right to Voje). Then follow the road to the next junction (after driving for quite some time), continuing straight (sharply right to planina Blato). Then follow the road past planina Vogar and drive along it to the parking lot at the end of the road.

From the toll collection point to the starting point is less than 11 km of driving, the last half or slightly less is entirely a macadam road.

Path description:
At the parking lot, we notice signs for Planina Viševnik, directing us right onto a wide and initially quite steep tractor track. After a few minutes of steep ascent, the track levels out and then continues through the forest without major changes in elevation. When the track turns right, we continue straight on the marked hiking path, which initially ascends gently for a short time. When the path becomes steeper, we will notice a cairn on the left side and a path next to it leading to Pršivec (the path later joins the usual path from Vogar), but we continue straight on the steep mountain path. The path continues steeply ascending through the forest for some time, then temporarily levels out and takes us to Brezno pri Gamsovi glavici (the sinkhole has been explored to a depth of 817 m). Above the sinkhole, the path enters an indistinct and in the upper part also steeper valley, up which we ascend to a small pass between Pršivec (1761 m) on the left and Gornji Viševnik (1722 m) on the right. Here the path completely levels out, then continues for some time across the pastures of Gornji Viševnik. On the other side, the path returns to the forest and descends in a few minutes to Planina Viševnik, in the middle of which stands Bregarjevo zavetišče.
From Planina Viševnik, continue slightly left (sharply left Pršivec, left Črno jezero, slightly right Planina pri Jezeru past Krištofojce, right Planina pri Jezeru) on the path towards Planina Ovčarija and Triglav Lakes. The path first ascends transversely to the left across a steeper slope, then gradually levels out and takes us into a more plateau-like terrain. Continue southwest of Griva (1758 m) for some time without major elevation changes. A bit further, precisely at the direction signs, an unmarked path continues straight towards Planina Dedno polje, but we turn sharply left towards Planina Ovčarija. From the direction signs, the path descends slightly, then turns right and continues for some time along a kind of ledge or hollow. On the other side of the ledge, the path begins to ascend moderately again, then levels out and takes us to the shepherds' huts on Planina Ovčarija.
Continue between the huts on the marked mountain path, which begins to descend moderately. A bit lower, the path leads past a few more huts, then in a few minutes of further walking takes us to the point where the wider path from Planina Dedno polje joins. Here continue left and in a few steps reach the next junction.
From the fork, follow the signs for the path over Štapce (straight path over Prode), both leading towards Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih, the right one, which we will follow, also towards Mala Tičarica and Zelnarice. We soon leave Planina Ovčarija and the path ascends moderately to steeply through increasingly sparse forest, which higher up is replaced by dwarf pines. After a half-hour ascent, the path levels out and takes us to Štapce, where the next marked junction is.
At Štapce, continue slightly right towards Tičarica and Zelnarica (slightly left Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih) and continue the ascent on the path that first climbs through a band of dwarf pines, then takes us to a short steep and especially slippery when wet step. Above the step, the path levels out and turns to moderately steep grassy slopes, up which in a few minutes of further walking we ascend to a small saddle, where a marked path branches left to Mala Tičarica, about ten minutes ascent.
Continue towards Zelnarica on a relatively easy path that first crosses the slopes of Mala and then Velika Tičarica. Just a few tens of meters behind the sign "Ne trgaj cvetja!" (sign on the wall), a passage opens to the left towards Velika Tičarica, about 15 minutes demanding ascent, but we continue straight on the marked path, which north of Velika Tičarica reaches the main ridge.
Beyond Velika Tičarica, the path turns onto a wide grassy ridge along and on which we then ascend. After a few minutes of easy walking, the path begins to ascend steeply on a partly grassy slope. The steepness quickly eases, and the path takes us to expansive meadows south of the precipitous and overhanging Kopica. Across the expansive meadows, we walk to the foot of the summit slope of Kopica, then, upon reaching the edge of the wall, the marked path turns right and ascends transversely across a small scree. Behind the scree, the path turns left, then begins to ascend steeply in a transverse ascent. The marked path approaches the ridge at a small indistinct hollow and turns slightly right.
At this point, a passage opens to the left to Kopica, about five minutes to the summit, but we continue on the marked path, which approaches the ridge and turns right. The path gradually turns onto a very steep and slippery slope, after about 30 meters of somewhat exposed section, the slope becomes somewhat less steep. A transverse ascent to the right follows, the path leading somewhat below the ridge, a bit further reaching the summit slope of Mala Zelnarica. Here the path begins to ascend more steeply again and after about 15 minutes of increasingly scenic walking takes us to the summit of Mala Zelnarica, from which an exceptional view opens towards the Valley of Triglav Lakes.
From Mala Zelnarica, continue slightly right, further on the marked path that begins descending towards the Vrata pass, leading us across a short section on scree, where due to considerable steepness there is increased risk of slipping. Lower down, the path levels out and turns somewhat left, soon taking us to the notch or saddle between the two Zelnarice. From here, along the marked path towards Vrata, we continue only a few tens of meters, but when a nice passage opens to the left, we leave it and head left onto easier pathless terrain.
Continue on pathless terrain, or initially a faint track, which in a few minutes of moderate ascent takes us to the somewhat exposed southern ridge of Velika Zelnarica. The path further leads on or slightly right of the ridge, the track disappears in places, but we follow the ridge to the summit of Velika Zelnarica about 15 minutes away, from which a nice view opens to the surrounding mountains and valleys.
Hebed parking lot - Brezno pri Gamsovi glavici 0:55, Brezno pri Gamsovi glavici - Gornji Viševnik 0:10, Gornji Viševnik - Planina Viševnik 0:15, Planina Viševnik - Planina Ovčarija 0:50, Planina Ovčarija - junction on Planina Ovčarija 0:05, junction on Planina Ovčarija - Štapce 0:35, junction below Mala Tičarica 0:25, junction below Mala Tičarica - branch to Velika Tičarica 0:20, branch to Velika Tičarica - branch to Kopica 1:00, branch to Kopica - Mala Zelnarica 0:45, Mala Zelnarica - Saddle between Zelnarice 0:15, Saddle between Zelnarice - Velika Zelnarica 0:20.

On the way: Brezno pri gamsovi glavici (1608m), Gornji Viševnik (1680m), Planina Viševnik (1625m), Smodlakov brlog (1714m), Planina Ovčarija (1660m), Štapce (1851m), Razpotje pod Malo Tičarico (2008m), Odcep za Veliko Tičarico (2020m), Odcep za Kopico (2168m), Mala Zelnarica (2310m), Sedlo med Zelnaricama (2222m)