Pivola (Reka) - Mariborska koča (via Petkovo sedlo and waterfall Skalca)

Access to starting point:
From four-lane road between Maribor and Slivnica, at the traffic light crossroad we turn right in the direction of village Hoče (from Sllivnica direction left). We follow the road ahead through Spodnje and Zgornje Hoče towards Slivniško Pohorje, but only to the first sharp turn to the left, by which we will notice guesthouse Rečnik and turn-off into the village Pivola. We leave the car at the inn (of course at first we ask for permission) or somewhere nearby.

Path description:
From the inn Rečnik we continue through a meadow upwards to the forest, which we quickly reach (the path to the right leads past Sveti Lenart and Hočka koča). Through the forest, we walk only about a minute, and then we return to the village, where we cross the road that leads towards the ski slopes. We continue on a narrower asphalt road, which at the nearby residential house changes into a cart track that then leads us through an orchard. When we return a little higher to the main road, we only cross it again and continue in the direction of the village Kapla. Here the path flattens, and a beautiful view opens up towards the northeast. When the road higher up brings us to a smaller crossroad, where we notice an arrow on a power pole pointing left, we do not continue on the left road, but go straight on a marked path, which ascends through a strip of forest. We quickly return to the road, from which a beautiful view opens up to the south and east, and we walk along it for about 20 meters, then continue right in the direction of Dolarjev kostanj. A narrower asphalt road higher up brings us into the forest, where we then leave it as the blazes lead us left onto a cart track. We walk through the forest for some time, and then we arrive at the inn Veronika, where we can have a snack.
After the inn, the path returns to the forest and continues on a narrower footpath and, higher up, a steep cart track, which then brings us to a field. We continue along the forest, and the path brings us to an abandoned unfinished cottage. From here, we first walk on a well-maintained forest road, which leads us to some farms. Above the farms, the road becomes asphalted, and a little higher on one of the meadows, we notice the cottage Planinka. A little further, we arrive at Petkovo sedlo, where at the crossing we continue straight in the direction of the farm Fideršek. The path ahead turns into a gently sloping cart track, which continues through a dense spruce forest. Further on, the path leads us past a waterfall, after which we arrive at the road again.
We continue upwards (to the left is the waterfall Skalca), then, just after a sharp right turn, we proceed onto a meadow. Above the meadow, the path returns to the forest, and in a few minutes, we ascend to Mariborska koča, from which a beautiful view opens up.

Trip can be extended to: Ruška koča na Arehu