Gozd - Tolsti vrh (steep path over Kriška gora)

Access to starting point:
a) From the Ljubljana - Jesenice motorway, take the Kranj - west exit and continue following the road towards Golnik. Just a little after Golnik (more precisely after the settlement of Senično), a steep road branches off to the right upwards towards Zgornji Vetrni and Gozd. Soon after the village of Zgornje Vetrno, we reach a parking lot located on the left side of the road. At the end of the parking lot, the road turns right, and at the beginning of the bend, there are also mountaineering direction signs.
b) From the Jesenice - Ljubljana motorway, take the Podbrezje exit, then continue driving towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol petrol station in Bistrica pri Tržiču, turn right and then drive into Tržič. When the road descends into the valley, continue sharply right towards Pristava and Križ, then continue along the main road leading towards Zgornje and Spodnje Duplje, leave the mentioned main road at the settlement of Retnje, where we continue left towards the settlements of Križe and Golnik. Further on, drive towards Golnik, after the settlement of Križe we soon arrive at a small junction, where a steep road branches off to the left towards Zgornji Vetrni and Gozd. Soon after the village of Zgornje Vetrno, we reach a parking lot located on the left side of the road. At the end of the parking lot, the road turns right, and at the beginning of the bend, there are also mountaineering direction signs.

Route description:
From the parking lot, continue in the direction of the steep path to Kriška gora. For a short time, we walk on a fairly gentle path, then it becomes increasingly steep. A steep ascent follows on a more or less forested path, then we reach an indistinct ridge where the path becomes even steeper. A few more minutes of walking through the forest follow, then the forest ends quickly and the ascent continues on an increasingly scenic grassy slope. With beautiful views of the Julian Alps, a large part of Gorenjska, part of the Ljubljana Basin and the Inner Carniola, Polhograjske and Škofjeloške hills, we arrive at a bench on the upper part of the grassy slope. Above the bench, the path returns to the forest, and from the left, the path from Tržič via Mala and Velika Mizica joins us.
Here, continue right, then in a moderate ascent, first still through the forest, in the last part on the grassy slope, in about 15 minutes we reach the Koča na Kriški gori hut.
From the Koča na Kriški gori hut, continue on the marked path towards Tolsti vrh. The path turns slightly left just a few meters behind the hut (slightly right to Gozd) and begins to ascend gently across the grassy slope. After three minutes of walking, a path to Grahovše branches off almost imperceptibly to the left, but we continue on the well-trodden hiking path that runs along the main ridge of Kriška gora. Further on, the path moves away from the ridge several times to the right side, but the scenic path mostly leads across grassy slopes. A bit further, the path returns to the ridge, which we reach exactly at a distinct saddle, where a pathless trail to Grahovše branches off to the left downwards.
The path ahead leads across a pasture fence, then bypasses Vrata (1591 m) on the right side. Higher up, the path returns to or along the ridge and ascends gently for a while. After a few minutes of traversing, we arrive at the point where the path begins to ascend steeply towards the forepeak of Tolsti vrh. From the forepeak, a beautiful view opens up in all directions, and the path leads us further along a narrower ridge for a short time. A short descent through the forest follows, then the path begins to ascend again. Higher up, the forest thins out, and the increasingly scenic path brings us to Tolsti vrh.

Starting point - junction on the ridge of Kriška gora 1:25, junction on the ridge of Kriška gora - Koča na Kriški gori 0:20, Koča na Kriški gori - Tolsti vrh 1:00

Along the route: Koča na Kriški gori mountain hut (1355m), Koča na Kriški gori (1471m), Odcep v Grahovše (1482m), Pod Vrati (1562m), Jircek (1662m)

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