Koča na Šumiku - Sveti Trije kralji

Access to starting point:
A) From the Ljubljana - Maribor highway, we take the Slovenska Bistrica - south exit, then follow the signs for Šmartno na Pohorju, and from there we drive to the settlement Smrečno. Further on, we drive on forest roads on Pohorje, where we drive alongside Bistrica. Higher up, we join the road that leads past the mountain hut Ruška koča na Pohorju. Here we go left towards Osankarica, and at the next crossroad we go slightly right in the direction of the Šumik estate (slightly left - Osankarica). When we arrive at the mentioned estate, we park on a macadam parking lot in front of the estate.
B) We leave the Štajerska highway at the exit for Slivnica and Rogoza, then we follow the signs for Pohorje and Areh. The road ahead leads us through Spodnje and Zgornje Hoče, Slivniško Pohorje, and after the settlements we follow the signs for Areh. From Areh we follow the signs for Cojzerica and Šumik and Osankarica. After a few kilometers, we go slightly right in the direction of the Šumik estate (slightly left - Osankarica). When we arrive at the mentioned estate, we park on a macadam parking lot in front of the estate.
C) We drive to Ruše, then we follow the road towards Fala. After crossing Lobnica we go left in the direction of Smolnik and Šumik, then we follow the signs for the Šumik estate, where we park on the parking lot in front of the Gozdarska koča na Šumiku.

Route description:
From the starting point, we head onto the marked path towards Osankarica and Koča na Klopnem vrhu (there is a somewhat shorter unmarked path along the road), where through a strip of forest we ascend back onto the road. When we reach the road, we continue straight (right - Ruše), and at the nearby road junction we choose the slightly left road (slightly right - Klopni vrh), along which we quickly arrive at a marked junction.
From the junction, we continue left downhill (straight - Koča na Pesku and Tiho jezero, right - Klopni vrh) and on a moderately steep path we descend back onto the road, where we join the somewhat shorter path which leads along the road. We only cross the road, a little lower we also cross Lobnica, after which we return onto the road. Along the road we continue left and pass the turn-off of the path towards Ruše - Holcarska pot along Lobnica, which leads past both Šumik waterfalls, and walk along the road to the next nearby marked junction, where we go right in the direction of Črno jezero, sv. Trije kralji and Osankarica (straight - Ruška koča na Arehu), where we ascend through the forest. Next follows the crossing of a stream, a little higher also the crossing of the road Areh - Osankarica. We continue ascending through the forest, at the junctions following the blazes. Higher, the path levels out and for a short time we continue through sections of sparse forest, then moderately ascend through the forest again.
After the indistinct peak Trije studenci the path gently descends to a marked junction, where the path splits.
We continue straight in the direction of sv. Trije kralji (right - Osankarica and Črno jezero), where the path in a gentle ascent leads past Urškin križ, when we approach Veliki vrh the path turns slightly left and crosses the slopes of the mentioned peak. Next follows the crossing of two ski slopes and two ski lifts, and we follow the blazes and signs for sv. Trije kralji. Next follows some descent along the ski slope and partly through a strip of forest, then in a gentle descent through a fairly grassy area we reach the church of sv. Trije kralji, below which is Hotel Jakec.
Description and pictures refer to the state in June 2022.

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, summit register