Križe - Koča na Kriški gori (Ovčja pot)

Access to starting point:
a) From the Ljubljana - Jesenice motorway, take the Naklo exit, then continue driving towards the villages of Žeje, Spodnje and Zgornje Duplje to the village of Retnje, where you turn right towards the settlement of Križe. Continue past the NOB monument, the Križe sports ground to the parking lot next to the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
b) From the Jesenice - Ljubljana motorway, take the Podbrezje exit, then continue driving towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol filling 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 drive along the main road leading towards Zgornje and Spodnje Duplje, leave the mentioned main road at the settlement of Retnje, where you continue left towards the settlements of Križe and Golnik. Continue past the NOB monument, the Križe sports ground to the parking lot next to the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Route description:
From the parking lot, continue along the road eastwards, where the path first leads past the church, then past the post office, the inn pri Benk and the bakery to the junction at the chapel, where you continue left towards Pristava. The road then leads past the Tušek market Markič store, after which you notice the first hiking signs for Gozd, Kriška gora and Storžič, which lead you right onto Planinska pot street. At junctions through the settlement, follow the markers, then the road loses its asphalt surface and enters the forest. A few minutes higher, at the junction of gravel roads, continue right, then gradually emerge from the forest, from where a nice view opens towards Gorenjska. After the scenic section, the road becomes asphalted and leads to the point where you join the road leading towards Gozd. Follow the road left, but walk on it only briefly, as the markers lead you right onto a cart track.
Leave the road at a small information board informing about the opening hours of the Zavetišče v Gozdu shelter. From the cart track, immediately turn left twice, so continue the ascent on a forest path, which soon joins another cart track, along which you return to the asphalt road in a few minutes. Walk a few steps along the road, then a path from Tržič joins from the left, and to the right the footpath or cart track continues towards Zavetišče v Gozdu (straight along the road Koča na Kriški gori - steep path).
Continue along the right path (cart track), which initially runs parallel to the road and then leads past a water trough. A little further, leave the cart track, as the markers lead left onto a somewhat steeper crossing path, which soon returns to the cart track, and this to the asphalt road. Follow the road right, walking along it for a few more minutes, or until you notice a large parking lot on the right side and next to it the Zavetišče v Gozdu shelter.
From the shelter, walk to the nearby church, then reach a marked junction where a path from Golnik joins from the right. Continue left upwards along the increasingly poor road, which brings you to a junction in a few minutes. Here, take the left path (right Tolsti vrh, Mala and Velika Poljana and Storžič), which passes a water intake and continues along a cart track. Just a few meters further, the cart track brings you to the next junction. Continue straight along the cart track towards Kriška gora (forest path), right the usual marked path. At this junction, an information board warns that you will continue along a path exposed to snow avalanches in winter. The cart track ascending through the forest brings you to grassy slopes 20 minutes from the junction. Follow a short ascent to the point where the path leads to the scenic side ridge of Kriška gora. Here you encounter an orienteering loop. Continue along the right path, which ascends along the indistinct side ridge, along the southern slope of Kriška gora. A little higher, the path leads to the point where you cross grassy slopes with a slight ascent, after which the path leads into a short stretch of forest. A little further, you reach a clearing, above which you notice the path of the cargo cableway. The path ahead ascends under the cableway all the way to the Koča na Kriški gori hut.

PS: In case any object falls from the cableway and injures us, the cableway owner is not responsible for our accident, as the information board informs us that we walk at our own risk!

Starting point - junction before Gozd 0:55, junction before Gozd - Zavetišče v Gozdu 0:20, Zavetišče v Gozdu - sv. Miklavž 0:05, sv. Miklavž - junction above Gozd 0:10, junction above Gozd - Ovčja pot junction 0:10, Ovčja pot junction - Koča na Kriški gori 1:05.

Along the route: Zavetišče v Gozdu mountain hut (703m), Razpotje pred Gozdom (782m), Zavetišče v Gozdu (891m), Sveti Miklavž (Gozd) (890m), Gozd (890m), Razpotje nad Gozdom (950m), Odcep Ovčje poti (1008m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Vrata, Tolsti vrh

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