Mače - Planina Kališče (via Sveti Miklavž)

Access to starting point:
A) From the Ljubljana-Jesenice motorway take the Kranj-east exit, then continue driving in the direction of Jezersko. When we arrive in Preddvor we leave the main road and continue driving left towards the center of the mentioned settlement, from there we follow the signs for Mače. When we arrive in Mače, at the marked junction we continue right (left Bašelj, straight church of St. Miklavž (church isn't accessible with a car)) and on a narrow road we drive above the village, where there is a larger marked parking lot.
B) From the Jesenice-Ljubljana motorway take the Kranj-west exit and at the first junction continue left. Further on we drive through the underpass under the motorway, then we arrive at a roundabout, from which we continue driving in the direction of Golnik. The route ahead leads us through the settlement Mlaka pri Kranju, and at the end of the settlement we continue right in the direction of the settlement Srakovlje. This is followed by driving through Srakovlje, Spodnja Bela, Srednja Bela to Zgornja Bela, where we continue right towards Preddvor. In Preddvor we notice signs for Mače, which direct us left past the primary school on a road that climbs to Mače. When we arrive in Mače, at the marked junction we continue right (left Bašelj, straight church of St. Miklavž (church isn't accessible with a car)) and on a narrow road we drive above the village, where there is a larger marked parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot above Mače we return on an asphalt road back to the center of the village, and from there we continue in the direction of St. Miklavž (turn-off of the road in the middle of the village towards St. Miklavž is well marked). From the center of the village we continue on a dead-end street and begin moderately ascending along it. The road soon flattens and brings us to the spot where we notice the next sign for St. Miklavž, which this time directs us left, onto a road that leads us past some yards to the nearby stream. Still before we descend to the stream the next sign directs us right, where we continue past the garage and along a concrete retaining wall. When the already worse road descends completely to the Suha stream, we also cross it over a smaller wooden bridge. On the other side of the bridge we ascend to the edge of the yard of the nearby residential house, then continue right, where we begin ascending along a mesh fence. After a short ascent we step onto the edge of a larger meadow, from where a nice view opens up on Tolsti vrh and Storžič. We continue along the edge of the forest or completely on the right side of the meadow, to the spot where the footpath returns into the forest. When we enter the forest the footpath widens into a cart track, which we follow for only some 10 steps, then go right onto a well-beaten footpath. Somewhat further we reach the next cart track, which we cross obliquely to the left.
From the cart track we ascend a moderately steep path that quickly takes us out of the forest onto a larger meadow below the church of St. Miklavž. From there only a short ascent follows and we are already at the little church, from which a nice view opens up on Gorenjska settlements, Polhograjsko and Škofjeloško hribovje and with good visibility also on Triglav.
We notice the continuation of the path on the eastern side of the church, where we ascend through a short stretch of forest to a pleasant bench and a nice viewpoint. We continue on the right side of the bench, on a path that in a gentle ascent crosses the slopes towards the right. After a few minutes we reach a cart track, which we merely cross, and continue the ascent on a well-beaten and still unmarked path that ascends somewhat more steeply. When the path flattens we reach a sort of ridge, where we step onto another, relatively new cart track along which we ascend towards the north. With occasional nice views on Triglav, Mali Grintovec and more, we ascend along an indistinct forest edge, where we leave the cart track and continue slightly right on a nicely traceable little path (because the cart track is relatively new (April 2014) the start of the path is somewhat less noticeable), which gradually transitions into the forest and somewhat further joins the usual marked path from Mače towards Kališče.
The marked path brings us a little further to the next cart track, along which we walk to the spot where the marks lead us right upwards onto a steeper path, along which in a few minutes we ascend to a nicely arranged viewpoint with a bench. Behind the viewpoint we return to the forest, where we ascend only gently. A little further we again reach one of the numerous cart tracks on this end, the marked path continues parallel to it for some time, and when the dense forest belt ends it returns to it. With a view on Tolsti vrh and Storžič, we then walk in a minute of further walking to the junction north of Gora, the peak which we have bypassed on the left side.
From the junction we continue on the marked path in the direction of Kališče. For a few minutes we ascend through dense spruce forest, then join a poorer road along which for a few minutes we continue the ascent. We leave the road when on the right side we notice the continuation of the mountain path (the turn-off is well marked). The path ahead transitions to a steeper slope and relatively steeply ascends in numerous zigzags. Higher the forest temporarily thins and a nice view opens towards the south. On the section of sparse forest a wooden bench also provides a pleasant rest, a little further a still functioning clock on a tree "surprises" us. In the continuation we cross towards the right somewhat more, so that we reach the wooded southern ridge of Kališče. On the mentioned ridge the path turns sharply left, then ascends in a few zigzags to Spodnje Kališče, from where a nice view opens on Storžič.

On the way: Sv. Miklavž nad Mačami (651m)

Trip can be extended to: Dom na Kališču , Bašeljski vrh ( 45 min) , Mali Grintovec , Storžič (1 h 30 min)