Trate / Johannsenruhe - Ovčji vrh (Kozjak) / Geissberg (Kosiak) (southwest path)

Access to starting point:
A) Through the Karawanks Tunnel we drive into Austria, then we drive on the motorway towards Beljak, which we leave at the first exit. From the point where we left the motorway we follow the signs for the place Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we arrive in the mentioned place we drive on the main road past Podgorje / Maria Elend and the settlement Sveče / Suetschach to the place Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental, where before the stores Billa and Penny we turn right in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Karawanks Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 38 km.
B) Through the Ljubelj border crossing we drive into Austria, where on the main road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt am Wörtersee we drive to the second roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of the exit Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental (the main road towards Celovec we leave before we cross the river Drava). In the mentioned place immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue once again left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Ljubelj Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 32 km.
C) From Dravograd or Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, then we continue driving in the direction of the Holmec border crossing. When we enter Austria we first drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, then we follow the signs for Globasnica / Globasnitz and further Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel, Borovlje / Ferlach. Behind Borovlje at the roundabout we join the road through the Ljubelj border crossing. Here in the first roundabout we continue in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt, in the second in the direction of Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental. In the mentioned place immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue once again left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the Holmec border crossing to the starting point there is approximately 71 km.

Route description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, between the road which is closed with a ramp and the parking lot, we will notice the beginning of the marked path which leads towards Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte, Stol, Svačica, Ovčji vrh / Geissberg and other destinations. The marked path a little further joins an unmarked path which leads from the upper part of the parking lot, and we a few steps ahead join the macadam road which leads towards the already mentioned mountain hut. The road then leads us through the riverbed of a torrent and only a little further brings us out of the forest onto a meadow (Trate / Johannsenruhe), which is from the starting point only a few minutes away. From the meadow a beautiful view opens up, and the road then returns into a belt of forest. When the forest temporarily thins, in a gentle left turn an unmarked "shortcut" continues straight ahead. We continue on the road, where a yellow mountain sign also directs us. Only about a minute further the "main" road turns right, the "side" one continues straight. From the mentioned junction we continue on the footpath, which continues between both roads and further ascends with the road which leads towards Celovška koča. For some time we ascend transversely across occasionally steeper slopes, then we return to the wider macadam road. Further on, the marked path crosses the road a few more times, then at a larger rock or boulder with memorial plaques it splits into two parts.
To the right leads the climbing path to Stol, and we continue straight in the direction of Celovška koča. The path ahead crosses the road a few more times, higher it brings us from the occasionally sparse forest onto the grazing slopes of Mačenska planina / Matschacher Alm (the huts on the pasture are a few minutes to the left from the marked path). From here follows a slight ascent and the path or road takes us to Celovška koča in a few minutes.
A few steps before the hut we continue left (straight Ovčji vrh - southeastern path, right Svačica, saddle Belščica, Stol...) onto an initially poorly visible path (the beginning of the path is not marked), which crosses gentle slopes to the left. The path ahead first leads us above some springs, then it levels out completely and leads us somewhat above the huts of Mačenska planina. After a few minutes of easy walking with beautiful views of the mountains that surround the upper part of Medvedji dol / Bärental, we arrive at the place where the path ascends through a sparse belt of forest onto the indistinct southwestern ridge of Ovčji vrh, where it turns right. There follows a few minutes of moderate ascent through increasingly sparse forest, then the path becomes quite steep and ascends the unvegetated southwestern slope of the aforementioned summit. Higher the steepness eases or the path almost levels out completely. There follows easy walking along a pleasant path, to which a little below the summit also joins the path along the southeastern slope of Ovčji vrh.
From the junction to the summit with the cross there are then only a few steps of moderate ascent.
The description and pictures refer to the condition at the beginning of August 2014.
Starting point - Celovška koča 1:30, Celovška koča - Ovčji vrh 1:00.

Along the route: Trate / Johannsenruhe (1226m), Klagenfurter Hutte/Celovška koča (1664m)

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