Mače - Storžič

Access to starting point:
a) From the Ljubljana-Jesenice motorway take the Kranj-east exit, then continue driving towards Jezersko. When arriving in Preddvor leave the main road and continue left towards the centre of the mentioned place, from there follow the signs for Mače. When arriving in Mače, at the marked junction continue right (left Bašelj, straight church of St. Nicholas (church not accessible by car)) and drive up the narrow road above the village, where there is a larger marked parking lot.
b) From the Jesenice-Ljubljana motorway take the Kranj-west exit and in the first junction continue left. Continue driving through the underpass under the motorway, then arrive at the roundabout, from which continue driving towards Golnik. The road ahead leads through the settlement Mlaka pri Kranju, we at the end of the settlement continue right towards the settlement Srakovlje. Follows driving through Srakovlje, Spodnja Bela, Srednja Bela to Zgornja Bela, where continue right towards Preddvor. In Preddvor notice signs for Mače, which direct us left past the primary school to the road that ascends to Mače. When arriving in Mače, at the marked junction continue right (left Bašelj, straight church of St. Nicholas (church not accessible by car)) and drive up the narrow road above the village, where there is a larger marked parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot we return a few dozen steps back, i.e. to the road from which we drove to the parking lot and continue uphill along it towards Dom na Kališču and Storžič. We walk along the road for less than half an hour, then at Studenci the path forks.
We choose the left path, next to which there are signs for Kališče (right Srednji vrh), where we cross the stream, then immediately start steep ascent. A few minutes higher we reach a cart track, which we also immediately leave and continue following the markers. We continue on the marked path that continues between two cart tracks, higher up we ascend moderately in switchbacks for some time. Higher we reach the cart track again, follow it uphill, after a minute leave it and head to the marked path that brings us in a few minutes of further ascent to a rest area and viewpoint with a bench.
The path ahead returns to the forest and initially ascends gently, the easy walk ends quickly as after crossing the cart track we start ascending in switchbacks through the forest again.
Here, even before we start the steep ascent, the path from Bašelj joins from the left, we then ascend in switchbacks on the steeper slope, where we cross the cart track several times, all the time following the markers. Higher we occasionally get a nice view towards Gorenjska, followed by a somewhat longer traverse ascent to the right. Later, at an altitude of about 1330 m, the path turns left and ascends to the left with the exception of a few switchbacks. When we leave the forest we already arrive at the edge of Planina Kališče, a little further to the junction at Spodnje Kališče, where there are some benches for rest.
When above Spodnje Kališče the path returns to the forest, the path from Lašak (also path from Bašelj past Partizanska bolnica Košuta) joins from the left. Follows a few more minutes of walking through the forest and we arrive at a nice viewpoint, from which opens a nice view towards the nearby Dom na Kališču, Mali Grintovec, Lanež ridge, Krvavec... From the viewpoint only a short ascent remains and we are at Dom na Kališču.
Behind Dom na Kališču we notice a mountaineering direction sign with numerous route continuation options. We continue on the gentle and scenic ridge path towards Storžič, Bašeljski vrh..., which continues northwards. After a few minutes of easy walking with beautiful views reaching all the way to the Julian Alps, we arrive at a junction, where to the left branches the path towards the church of St. Lovrenc above Bašelj, Planina Javornik and Kriška gora, to the right branches the path to Bašeljski vrh and Mali Grintovec, we continue straight towards Storžič. Follows a few-minute traverse mostly of the western slopes of Bašeljski vrh, then we arrive at the grassy Bašeljski preval, where the path from Jezersko joins from the right (in descriptions starting point Jekarica).
Again we continue straight towards Storžič, this time on the path that starts steeply ascending through the belt of dwarf pines. After approximately 30 minutes of ascent from the saddle we step onto the Storžič ridge, which we soon leave, as the path passes to the southern slopes of the mountain. Over quite steep southern slopes we ascend on a steep path that is dangerous for slipping in several places, especially when wet. Higher the path levels somewhat and returns to the ridge, along and beside which it then continues. To the increasingly scenic path a little below the summit from the left also join paths from sv. Lovrenc, Planina Javornik and the path over Psica and through Žrelo. Here we continue slightly right and in a few steps reach one of the most visited two-thousanders in Slovenia.

Starting point - Studenci 0:25, Studenci - za Goro 0:40, za Goro - Spodnje Kališče 1:10, Spodnje Kališče - Dom na Kališču 0:15, Dom na Kališču - razpotje na Kališčem 0:10, razpotje nad Kališčem - Bašeljski preval 0:10, Bašeljski preval - Storžič 1:10.

On the way: Studenci (737m), Za Goro (975m), Planina Kališče (1450m), Razpotje pod Kališčem (1509m), Dom na Kališču (1534m), Bašeljski preval (1630m)