Koča pri Savici - Kopica (via Štapce)

Access to starting point:
From the motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice, take the Lesce exit and follow the road towards Bled and on to Bohinjska Bistrica. Continue driving towards Bohinjsko jezero (Ribčev laz), at which you will come to a crossroads, where you will continue straight along the left (south) side of the lake in the direction of Ukanc and the Savica waterfall. Follow this increasingly narrow road to the large parking lot at the Savica cottage. There is a charge for parking.

Path description:
From the parking lot, turn right in the direction of Črno jezero, Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih and Hotel Zlatorog. The route initially leads along a dirt road, which crosses the Savica River via a bridge. Just after the bridge, the signs for Komarča direct us left (straight ahead Hotel Zlatorog) onto what is at first still a fairly wide and relatively easy forest path. However, the path soon starts to climb steeply and leads us a little higher to a place where the path to the spring Savica branches off to the left, and we continue to the right on an increasingly steep path.
The well-maintained and relatively wide mountain trail, however, soon switches to the very steep and dangerous for slipping slopes of Komarče (there is also a high risk of falling rocks). The way forward climbs steeply on the mostly forested wall of Komarče, where we are helped in the more difficult places by the fixed safety gear (mainly steel cables).
Higher up, we get some views of Bohinj from the path, and the path leads us to a short technically difficult place where we cross an otherwise not-so-exposed gully with the help of pegs and steel cable. The way forward is still steeply climbing for some time and with the help of some fixed safety gear leads us to the edge of Komarče, from where we get a nice view of our starting point. There is a short moderately steep climb, and then the path begins to descend gently towards Črno jezero, which is reached after less than 5 minutes of further walking.
Near the lake there is a marked crossroads where the path to Planina Viševnik branches off to the right, and we continue slightly to the left and follow the marked path which bypasses the Črno jezero on the right. On the other side of the lake, the path from Dom na Komni joins us from the left, and we continue along a relatively easy path that continues along the edge of the Lopučniška valley. Higher up, the path begins to climb moderately and leads us along the edge of overhanging cliffs to a small spring, which dries up in dry periods.
Continue on the marked path, which turns sharp right near Bela skala and climbs steeply. A few minutes of steep climbing follows, and then the path flattens and leads to a marked crossroads, where the path from Planina Blato joins from the right. Continue left in the direction Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih and follow the relatively easy path, which will take you to the Dvojno jezero within 10 minutes of further walking. The marked trail bypasses the lake on the right and, before reaching the other side, leads to a crossroads where the trail to Štapce and Mala Tičarica branches off to the right.
Continue right in the direction of Štapc and Mala Tičarica (straight Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih, five minutes) and climb through a belt of sparse forest, which ends among dwarf pines. There is a short climb through dwarf pines, and then the relatively steep path continues on scree. The increasingly scenic route quickly leads to the base of the Štapc walls, where it turns to the right and becomes a little more technically demanding. With the help of a ladder and steel cable, we climb crosswise over a small wall, and then the path leads us to a notch, where it turns to the left. There is a short protected steep climb and the path flattens on the Štapce pass, where there is a marked crossroads.
At Štapce continue left in the direction of Tičarica and Zelnarica (right Planina Ovčarija and Koča na Planini pri Jezeru) and continue the ascent along the path which first climbs through a belt of dwarf pines and then leads to a short steep and, especially in the wet, dangerously slippery jump. Above the jump, the path flattens out and turns to moderately steep grassy slopes, which are ascended in a few minutes' further walking to a small saddle where a marked path branches off to the left to Mala Tičarica (about ten minutes' ascent).
Continue in the direction of Zelnarica along a relatively easy path that first crosses the slopes of Mala and then also Velika Tičarica. Just a few tens of meters behind the sign "Ne trgaj cvetja!" (sign on the wall) a passage opens to the left towards Velika Tičarica, which is about 15 minutes of demanding ascent, but we continue straight on the marked path, which north of Velika Tičarica reaches the main ridge.
Behind Velika Tičarica the path passes onto a wide grassy ridge along and on which we then climb. After a few minutes of easy walking, the path begins to climb steeply up a partly grassy slope. The steepness quickly eases, and the path leads to the vast meadows south of the precipitous and overhanging Kopica. Cross the vast meadows to the foot of the summit slope of Kopica, then, when reaching the edge of the wall, the marked path turns right and climbs crosswise over a small scree. Behind the scree the path turns left, then begins to climb steeply in a traversing ascent. The marked path approaches the ridge at a small indistinct hollow and turns slightly to the right. It is exactly at this point that we leave the marked path (in fog we can easily overlook the branch) and via an easier trackless path over a moderately steep grassy slope climb in a few steps to the ridge of Kopica. Here continue left and follow the increasingly narrow but technically undemanding ridge. After less than five minutes' walk from the place where we left the marked path we reach the scenic and precipitous summit of Kopica.
Starting point - edge of Komarče 1:35, edge of Komarče - Črno jezero 0:05, Črno jezero - crossroads above Lopučniška valley 1:15, crossroads above Lopučniška valley - Dvojno jezero 0:10, Dvojno jezero - Štapce 0:30, Štapce - crossroads below Mala Tičarica 0:25, crossroads below Mala Tičarica - branch for Velika Tičarica 0:20, branch for Velika Tičarica - branch for Kopica 0:50, branch for Kopica - Kopica 0:05.

On the way: Komarča (810m), Rob Komarče (1295m), Vrh Komarče (1313m), Črno jezero (1294m), Bela skala (1575m), Razpotje nad Lopučniško dolino (1671m), Ruski grob (1686m), Dvojno jezero (1689m), Štapce (1851m), Razpotje pod Malo Tičarico (2008m), Odcep za Veliko Tičarico (2020m), Odcep za Kopico (2168m)