Gozd - Storžič (through southwest groove)

Access to starting point:
A) From the highway Ljubljana - Jesenice, we take the exit Kranj - west and follow the road ahead in the direction of Golnik. Only a little after Golnik (more precisely after the settlement Senično), a steep road branches off right upwards, which leads towards Zgornje Vetrno and Gozd. After the village Zgornje Vetrno, the road mostly continues through the forest, and we follow it to a marked parking lot, which is located right next to the shelter Zavetišče v Gozdu.
B) From the highway Jesenice - Ljubljana, we take the exit Podbrezje, and then we continue driving towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol gas station in Bistrica pri Tržiču, we turn right and then drive into Tržič. When the road descends into the valley, we continue sharply right in the direction of Pristava and Križe, and further we drive on the main road which leads towards Zgornje and Spodnje Duplje; we leave the mentioned main road at the settlement Retnje, where we continue left in the direction of the settlements Križe and Golnik. Further, we drive towards Golnik, and after the settlement Križe we soon arrive at a smaller crossroad, where a steep road branches off to the left, which leads towards Zgornje Vetrno and Gozd. After the village Zgornje Vetrno, the road mostly continues through the forest, and we follow it to a marked parking lot, which is located right next to the shelter Zavetišče v Gozdu.

Route description:
From the shelter, we walk to the nearby church, then we arrive at the marked junction, where the path from Golnik joins us from the right. We continue left upwards along an increasingly poor road, which brings us to a junction in a few minutes.
We continue along the right cart track in the direction of Storžič, Tolsti vrh and Mala and Velika Poljana (left Koča na Kriški gori). The cart track, which ascends diagonally towards the east, has some junctions in the lower part, but they are well marked, so there are no major orientation problems. Higher up, the cart track turns into a gradually steeper footpath, which brings us out of the forest onto panoramic grassy slopes. After a while, the path levels out and brings us to a pleasant viewpoint with a bench, next to which we notice a memorial plaque.
Ahead, the path crosses a steep grassy slope (danger of slipping and in winter also avalanche risk) and then enters dense forest, where we reach a marked junction. We continue straight in the direction of Velika Poljana (left Tolsti vrh), where we cross forested slopes for a short time, then the forest gradually thins and turns into steeper slopes of Štajnarica, where it continues with some shorter ascents and descents, and on more difficult sections, a few steel cables assist us. In the last part of the crossing over Štajnarica, we cross another steep grassy slope, from where the first close-up view of Storžič opens up. After the bench, the path enters the forest, then begins to descend diagonally towards Mala Poljana, which we reach after a few minutes. When we step out of the forest, we also step onto the cart track, along which we descend to the hunting hut on Mala Poljana.
From Mala Poljana, where the path from Tolsti vrh, Dom pod Storžičem and Zaloga joins us, we continue on the left side of the hunting hut along the path in the direction of Velika Poljana. The path, which continues along the cart track, quickly enters the forest, where it then ascends diagonally. After a few minutes of walking, we reach a panoramic slope from which a nice view opens onto the surrounding mountains. A little further on, the cart track turns right and after a short ascent brings us to the upper edge of Velika Poljana, where there is a marked junction.
We continue straight into the forest along the path in the direction of Storžič via Psica (right Koča na Veliki Poljani 1 minute). The path ahead begins to ascend quite steeply, then turns slightly right and the gradient eases somewhat. This path soon brings us out of the forest and to the junction below Psica.
At the mentioned junction, a very demanding path continues left along the ridge of Psica, while we continue right in the direction of the easier path to Storžič. From the junction onwards, the path descends and ascends diagonally several times, leading us across the slopes of Psica, from which occasional views open up, though the first part of the traverse mostly runs through the forest. After a further 30 minutes of walking, we arrive at a junction where the traverse ends, and we join the path leading to Storžič via the southwestern gully.
We follow the mentioned path left upwards (right downwards mountain pasture Javornik, Povlje; we can also reach the hamlet Laško and the village Bašelj) and begin to ascend steeply along the path that leads through the southwestern gully of Storžič. Along the mentioned gully, from which increasingly beautiful views open towards Gorenjska, we ascend for a good hour more, then the path turns slightly right and brings us onto the southwestern ridge of Storžič, where an unmarked path joins from the right, leading along the mentioned ridge.
We continue along the ridge; the marked path then turns slightly right, and soon other paths from Dom pod Storžičem and Kališče join us. From here to the summit, which we can already see ahead, only a short ascent remains amid wonderful views.
Zavetišče v Gozdu - Mala Poljana 2:00, Mala Poljana - Velika Poljana 15 minutes, Velika Poljana - Storžič 2:35.

Along the route: Mala Poljana (1325m), Velika Poljana (1410m)

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