Mošćenice - Balin (po markirani poti in čez Brgud)

Access to starting point:
Cross the border crossing at Jelšane or Pasjak and drive onto the motorway towards Rijeka. Leave the motorway at the Opatija junction and continue on the expressway towards Pula, which you leave at the first Opatija exit. Follow the signs for Lovran. Drive along the coastal road to the town of Mošćenička Draga, where at the intersection turn slightly right towards Mošćenice. You can park at the parking lot in Mošćenice or lower along the road.

Path description:
From the starting point, continue along the road past the Perun inn and soon a sign directs us right onto the path. After a short ascent between houses, it leads to a junction where we continue left along the marked path. Right path past Sveti Križ to Kalvarija. The path ascends gently and is rocky in places. The path crosses the road, where we spot a small chapel on the right. We then walk along a wider path offering nice views of the sea and Cres island. Soon we step onto an asphalt road that makes a hairpin turn. We walk through the Rovini hamlet and when it ends, wooden signs direct us right onto the path. First we walk along a dry stone wall, then up stairs and under a power line to reach a meadow. After about 15 minutes of ascent on the grassy path, we arrive at the Christ the King chapel in the Marići hamlet. From the right, the previously mentioned path past Kalvarija joins us. Then we step onto the asphalt road that leads us through a restricted hamlet. After a longer ascent, we briefly leave the road and take a marked shortcut back to the road and into the Mihani hamlet. Signs direct us right onto the path. We bypass the last house on the left and enter the forest. The path ascends gently to the road, where there is a marked junction. Straight ahead to Perun and further towards the Učka ridge. We continue left towards Kremenjak. The road descends slightly and makes a bend, then the markers direct us right onto the ascending path. After a short ascent, the path turns left and ascends transversely along the slope. After about half an hour of walking, the path levels out and enters a small valley. The path descends slightly and we walk for a while along the valley bottom, then it turns left. Soon we step onto the road, follow it right, and after a few steps a sign directs us left onto the path, which first ascends steeply, then makes a hairpin. The path then crosses towards the Učka ridge. After 15 minutes, we reach a marked junction. Straight to Kremenjak 10 minutes. We continue right to the mountain huts Kremenjak, Brguda and Vojak. The path leads past rocks onto the grassy slope and soon enters a belt of pine forest. Soon we step onto expansive meadows where we already see the bivouac on the hilltop. A few minutes of gentle ascent separate us from it. From the bivouac, a view opens in all directions.
The path turns left and descends and ascends steeply along the grassy slope. Soon we step onto a cart track and follow it to a junction, where we leave the mentioned cart track and continue straight along the grassy slope. After about 10 minutes of gentle path, we reach the unmarked and shrub-covered summit of Brguda. The logbook, monument and benches are 5 minutes ahead on the next unnamed summit, separated by a short descent and ascent. We continue past the bench and table into the forest belt, where on the right we notice an information board about the hawk observatory. The area is called Bodaj. Soon after, on the right we spot the Perun hunting lodge. We continue along the cart track that leads past a chapel and along a path to a small saddle. We leave the cart track and go along a less visible path along the grassy slope. About 10 minutes separate us from the summit of Balin. From the partly rocky summit, a view opens in all directions.
Description and photos refer to the state in January 2026.

On the way: Rovini (300m), Kapelica Krista Kralja (415m), Marići (420m), Mihani (490m), Planinsko zavetišče Kremenjak (844m), Brgud (907m)