Križe - Velika Poljana

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 field 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 towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol petrol 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 continue left towards the settlements of Križe and Golnik. Continue past the NOB monument, the Križe sports field 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 continue left towards Pristava. The road then leads past the Tušek market Markič store, then we notice the first hiking signs for Gozd, Kriška gora and Storžič, which lead us right onto Planinska pot street. At junctions through the settlement, follow the markers, then the road loses its asphalt surface and turns into 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 we join the road leading towards Gozd. Follow the road left, but walk on it only briefly, as the markers lead us right onto a cart track.
Leave the road at a small information board informing about the opening hours of the Zavetišče v Gozdu. From the cart track, immediately turn left twice, so continue the ascent on a forest path, which soon joins another cart track, on which we return to the asphalt road in a few minutes. 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 continues towards Zavetišče v Gozdu (straight along the road Koča na Kriški gori - steep path).
Continue on the right path (cart track), which initially runs parallel to the road and then leads past a water trough. A bit further, leave the cart track, as the markers lead left onto a somewhat steeper transitional path, which soon returns to the cart track, and this to the asphalt road. Follow the road right, walking on it for a few more minutes, or until we notice a large parking lot on the right side and next to it the Zavetišče v Gozdu.
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 us to a junction in a few minutes.
Continue on the right cart track towards Storžič, Tolsti vrh and Mala and Velika Poljana (left Koča na Kriški gori). The cart track, which ascends transversely eastwards, 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 to scenic grassy slopes. After a while, the path levels out and leads to a pleasant viewpoint with a bench, next to which we notice a memorial plaque.
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. Continue straight towards Velika Poljana (left Tolsti vrh), crossing 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 difficult sections, a few wire ropes assist us. In the last part of the passage over Štajnarica, we cross another steep grassy slope, from where the first close view of Storžič opens. After the bench, the path enters the forest, then begins to descend transversely towards Mala Poljana, which we reach after a few minutes. When we step out of the forest, we also step onto a cart track, along which we descend to the hunting hut on Mala Poljana.
From Mala Poljana, where a path from Tolsti vrh, Dom pod Storžičem and Zaloga joins us, continue on the left side of the hunting hut, along the path towards Velika Poljana. The path, which further runs along the cart track, quickly enters the forest, where it then ascends transversely. After a few minutes of walking, we reach a scenic slope, from which a nice view of the surrounding mountains opens. Just a bit further, the cart track turns right and after a short ascent brings us to the upper edge of Velika Poljana, from where we descend to the hut in a few minutes.

Izhodišče - razpotje pred Gozdom 0:55, razpotje pred Gozdom - Zavetišče v Gozdu 0:20, Zavetišče v Gozdu - sv. Miklavž 0:05, sv. Miklavž - razpotje nad Gozdom 0:10, razpotje nad Gozdom - razpotje Stajnar 1:10, razpotje Stajnar - Mala Poljana 0:40, Mala Poljana - Velika Poljana 0:15.

Along the route: Zavetišče v Gozdu (703m), Mala Poljana (782m), Zavetišče v Gozdu (891m), Sveti Miklavž (Gozd) (890m), Gozd (890m), Razpotje nad Gozdom (950m), Saškina klopca (1395m), Razpotje Stajnar (1402m), Stajnar (1388m), Sedlo nad Veliko Poljano (1406m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Krničarjeva koča na planini Javornik, Grebenc, Dom na Kališču, Storžič

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