Gozdec - Vrh Osojnic

Access to starting point:
We drive to the center of Bovec, where from the intersection at the main square we continue along the ascending road, which past the post office begins to climb towards the nearby church. We bypass the mentioned church on the left side, then arrive in Kaninska vas. Bovec then ends, and the road leads us westwards for some time longer. At a small junction, we leave the main asphalt road leading towards the village of Plužna and continue driving along the slightly right road (after the intersection, signs for Gozdec road). Behind the nearby homestead, the road forks once more, and this time we choose the slightly left road (slightly right Zavrzelno and the trailhead for Rombon). We then ascend along the gravel road, which higher up brings us to the B station of the Kanin cable car. At the B station, the road turns sharply left, then in a traversing ascent after approximately 1 km of further driving brings us to the next intersection. From this intersection, we continue left or straight ahead (sharply right to planina Krnica), following the road from the intersection only for a short while. Soon by the road we notice signs for Kanin, and we park about 20 meters further on, at a small parking area by the road.

From the Trg Golobarskih žrtev to the starting point is approximately 9 km.

Path description:
From the starting point, we go back a few steps, then head onto the marked path in the direction of Visoki Kanin and Vrh Laške planje. The path immediately starts to ascend steeply, mostly leading us through dense forest, with occasional glimpses of the surroundings. During the ascent, the path takes us below the cliffs of Turn v Skednju (1555 m). When the cliffs end, we reach an unmarked junction, where we continue slightly right on the marked path (slightly left unmarked path leading to Veliki Babanski Skedenj 2121 m); this soon steeply climbs over a short steep slope, where there is a greater risk of slipping especially when wet. The steepness soon eases, and we arrive at the abandoned Planina Gozdec, which we bypass on the right side.

Continuing, we ascend through increasingly sparse forest, so we get some views from the path towards the Bovec Basin and Krn Mountains. A fairly even ascent follows, and while looking at the walls of Veliki Skedenj, we reach a small spring located to the right of the path. Even further on, the easy-to-follow path is covered with grass that can be quite wet after rain, in the morning, and in the forenoon. After a while, the path turns more towards the west and gradually becomes less steep. A few more minutes of scenic ascent follow, and we reach the ruins of the old Petra Skalar hut, which burned down in 1972.

We bypass the hut on the left side, then ascend gently to moderately for some time through more grassy terrain. The path then turns more southwards, giving the feeling that we are going in the wrong direction. A somewhat steeper ascent follows, and the path slowly turns right, so we mostly walk westwards. A few more minutes of easy walking follow, and we reach a marked junction, where we continue right downwards in the direction of Dom Petra Skalarja na Kaninu (straight to Visoki Kanin and Vrh Laške planje).

After a short descent, the path levels out, then crosses the basin terrain. An ascent follows through the high mountain landscape of Kaninskih podov, where there is mostly no trail, but the markers are fairly frequent, so orientation in good weather is not difficult, though it is completely different in fog. The path ahead leads over scree and among sinkholes, pits, and cracks, so caution is advised, and in wet conditions the smooth slabs can be quite slippery. Continuing, we traverse upwards for some time along the slopes of Velika Gnila glava (2114 m), and the path brings us to the next marked junction.

We continue slightly right (left returns to the path towards Vrh Laške planje) and carefully follow the faint trail and markers further on. We follow this path, which offers really beautiful views of the Kanin massif, all the way to Dom Petra Skalarja na Kaninu, from where we get an even nicer view to the east.
We bypass the hut on the right side, and behind it at the junction we choose the left path in the direction of Visoki Kanin (slightly right D station of the Kanin cable car). We quickly ascend to the nearby bivouac, which we bypass on the left side, then continue roughly northwestwards, following the markers. The path, which occasionally dips slightly, mostly leads along an indistinct ridge, and soon we reach the false summit of Vrh Osojnic (2348 m). Here the ridge narrows somewhat, and we continue following the marked path. When we reach the next somewhat more pronounced summit with a cairn, we are at Vrh Osojnic (2371 m).

Gozdec - Planina Gozdec 0:45, Planina Gozdec - Stara koča 1:25, Stara koča - Mali dol 0:30, Mali Dol - razpotje pod Gnilo glavo 0:40, razpotje pod Gnilo glavo - Dom Petra Skalarja 0:55, Dom Petra Skalarja - Vrh Osojnic 0:25.

The description and photos refer to the conditions in 2019 (July).

On the way: Planina Gozdec (1305m), Old mountain hut on Kanin (1814m), Mali dol (1959m), Razpotje pod Gnilo glavo (2045m), Dom Petra Skalarja na Kaninu (2260m)

Trip can be extended to: Visoki Kanin (2 h 10 min)