Okrog (Lazar) - Bajturn (Zaplaški hrib) (on north slope)

Access to starting point:
A) From the highway Ljubljana - Novo mesto, we take the exit Trebnje east, then continue driving in the direction of the settlement Velika Loka. After the settlement Zidani Most, we arrive at the settlement Štefan pri Trebnjem, where we continue sharply left in the direction of Zaplaza. After a few kilometers of a partly winding road, we arrive at Čatež, from where the road starts descending towards the river Mirna. When we arrive in the valley, we first cross the bridge over the stream Dušica, where we continue straight. A little further, we arrive at the next crossroad, where from the main road, which turns left, a road towards Gornje Ravne branches off to the right. Here as well, we continue on the main road, and then before the main road crosses the bridge over the river Mirna, we turn left onto a smaller parking lot, which is situated between the river, the road and the beginning of the described path.
B) From Trebnje or Mokronog, we drive to Mirna, from there towards Litija. Towards Litija, we drive to the sharp right bend, from there we continue left in the direction of Cirnik and Selska Gora. After Cirnik, the road gradually starts descending. When we descend to the river Mirna, we first cross the bridge, then at the crossroad we continue right. From the crossroad, we drive another 100 meters or so, then before the main road crosses the bridge over the river Mirna, we turn left onto a smaller parking lot, which is situated between the river, the road and the beginning of the described path.
C) We drive to Šmartno pri Litiji, from there we continue driving towards Gabrovka. After the settlement Moravče pri Gabrovki, after the transformer we turn slightly right in the direction towards the gas station. Further, we drive through the valley of the river Mirna, whereby the road leads us past the turn-off of the road towards the settlement Tlaka. When the road, after the mentioned turn-off, first passes to the right bank of Mirna, we park on the parking lot by the road.

Route description:
From the starting point, we head onto an initially overgrown path that climbs above the road, continues steeply above it for a short time, then turns somewhat more to the right, leading us above the hay meadow. Further on, the path enters the forest, initially leading over some fallen trees, then continuing transversely along a cart track. When the cart track brings us out of the forest, it descends slightly and joins the road leading to the nearby homestead Dule.
We continue through the yard, then behind the house the road ends and we continue along a poorer grassy cart track leading across the hay meadow. A little further ahead, the path turns right, ascends somewhat more steeply for a while, then joins a wider cart track, which we follow to the left. The cart track leads us for a few minutes along the upper edge of the hay meadow, then enters the forest, where at the nearby junction we reach the Levstikova pot from Litija to Čatež.
We follow the mentioned path to the left, descending in two hairpin turns to a small stream which we cross, then continue the traverse through the forest. While walking through the forest, the path leads past several information boards of the Levstikova pot, then somewhat behind the wooden cross we emerge from the forest, crossing the next stream. At the hunting observatory, we continue left in the direction of the pilgrims' path, then ascend transversely through the forest to an asphalt road a few minutes away that runs through the settlement Čatež. We follow the road to the right, quickly arriving at a large parking lot located behind the fire station.
From the parking lot, near which is also the endpoint of the Levstikova pot from Litija to Čatež, we first ascend to the parish church of St. Michael in Čatež, from there behind the church we continue right and at the Gostilna Tončkov dom inn return to the main road, reaching it at the marked intersection. We continue the ascent along the main road, which takes us past the bus station and tourist map, then after good 100 meters continue right onto the steep road towards Zaplaza. The road soon levels out and turns left, bringing us to the edge of the forest where there is a marked junction.
From the junction, we continue right towards Zagrič (still along the Zaplaz road), along a cart track that enters the forest. Through the forest, the path continues without major elevation changes, then splits into two parts. At the poorly marked junction, an ascending path continues slightly left leading to Zaplaz, while we continue along the lower path, which proceeds without major elevation changes. A little further on, we reach the marked junction "pri Panju", where a path branches left to the chapel with healing water, and we continue straight towards Bajturn.
We continue through the forest along the path, alongside which there is a large number of signs for the forest educational trail. In a few short ascents, somewhat later we join another cart track, following it to the right (if we continued left, we could reach Zaplaz). The forest path then brings us after a few more minutes of walking to a water reservoir, behind which we turn sharply left and then ascend in a few minutes to the summit of Bajturn.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in 2016 (March).

Along the route: Čatež (454m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, summit register