Križe - Mala Poljana

Access to starting point:
A) From the motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice, we take the Naklo exit, then continue driving towards the settlements Žeje, Spodnje and Zgornje Duplje to the settlement Retnje, where we turn right towards the settlement Križe. Further on, we drive past the NOB monument, Križe sports field to the parking lot by the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
B) From the motorway Jesenice - Ljubljana, we take the Podbrezje exit, then continue driving towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol petrol station in Bistrica pri Tržiču, we turn right and then drive into Tržič. When the road descends into the valley, we continue sharply right in the direction of Pristava and Križe, further on the main road which leads towards Zgornje and Spodnje Duplje; we leave this main road at the settlement Retnje, where we continue left in the direction of the settlements Križe and Golnik. Further on, we drive past the NOB monument, Križe sports field to the parking lot by the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the road towards the east, where the path leads first past the church, then also past the post office, the inn Pri Benk and the bakery to the intersection at the chapel, where we continue left in the direction of Pristava. The road then leads us also past the Tušek market Markič store, then we already notice the first hiking markers for Gozd, Kriška gora and Storžič, which lead us right onto Planinska pot street. At intersections through the settlement we follow the blazes, then the road loses its asphalt surface and enters the forest. A few minutes higher, at the intersection of gravel roads we 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 brings us to the place where we join the road leading towards Gozd. We follow the road left, but walk on it only briefly, as the blazes lead us right onto a cart track.
We leave the road at a small information board informing us about the opening of the Zavetišče v Gozdu hut. From the cart track we continue immediately twice left, so that the ascent continues on a forest path, which soon joins another cart track, on which we return to the asphalt road in a few minutes. We walk a few steps on the road, then a path from Tržič joins from the left, and to the right the footpath or cart track towards Zavetišče v Gozdu continues (straight on the road Koča na Kriški gori - steep path).
We continue on the right path (cart track), which initially runs parallel to the road and leads us further past a water trough. A little further on, we leave the cart track, as the blazes lead left onto a shortcut somewhat steeper path, which soon returns to the cart track, and that to the asphalt road. We follow the road right, walking on it for a few more minutes, or until the place where we notice a large parking lot on the right side and next to it Zavetišče v Gozdu.
From the hut we walk to the nearby church, then reach a marked junction, where the path from Golnik joins from the right. We continue left uphill on the increasingly poor road, which brings us to a junction in a few minutes.
We continue on the right cart track in the direction of Storžič, Tolsti vrh and Mala and Velika Poljana (left Koča na Kriški gori). The cart track, which ascends diagonally towards the east, has some junctions in the lower part, but they are well marked, so there are no major orientation problems. Higher up, the cart track turns into a gradually steeper footpath, which brings us from the forest onto panoramic grassy slopes. After a while, the path levels out and brings us to a pleasant viewpoint with a bench, next to which we notice a memorial.
Further, the path crosses a steep grassy slope (danger of slipping and in winter also avalanche) and then enters dense forest, where we reach a marked junction. We continue straight in the direction of Velika Poljana (left Tolsti vrh), where we cross wooded slopes for a short time, then the forest gradually thins and turns into steeper slopes of Štajnarica, where it continues with some shorter ascents and descents, and on more difficult spots some steel cables assist us. In the last part of the passage across Štajnarica we cross another steep grassy slope, from where the first close-up view of Storžič opens. After the bench, the path enters the forest, then begins to descend diagonally towards Mala Poljana, which we reach after a few minutes. When we step out of the forest, we also step onto a cart track, on which we descend to the hunting hut on Mala Poljana.

On the way: Zavetišče v Gozdu mountain hut (891m)

Trip can be extended to: Velika Poljana ( 15 min) , Dom na Kališču , Tolsti vrh , Storžič