Planina Blato - Velika Zelnarica (via Štapce)

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana-Jesenice motorway, take the Lesce exit and follow the road towards Bled and further towards Bohinjska Bistrica. Continue driving towards Lake Bohinj (Ribčev laz), where we reach a junction and continue right towards Stara Fužina. In Stara Fužina, at the junction by the chapel, turn sharply left onto the ascending road towards planina Blato, planina Vogar and Voje valley. The road then takes us to the toll and parking collection point, but we continue to the next junction, turning left (right to Voje). Follow the road to the next junction (after some driving), where we turn sharply right towards planina Blato (straight to planina Vogar). Follow this road to the parking lot above planina Blato.

Path description:
From the marked parking lot in front of Planina Blato, return a short way back and head to the wide and initially steep cart track, along which there are signs for Planina pri Jezeru. After about ten minutes of ascent, arrive at a marked junction, from which continue left towards Planina pri Jezeru (slightly right Planina v Lazu and also a steep path towards Planina pri Jezeru.
Continuing on the less steep cart track that continues through the forest, shortly afterwards a marked path joins from the left leading past Kosijev dom on Vogar, but we continue right and keep walking on the cart track. Higher up, the path leads through a small narrow passage, then crosses quite steep slopes where there is a great risk of slipping in ice and snow, otherwise the path is not demanding. At the end of the steep slope, the previously mentioned steep path joins fairly unobtrusively from the right, the cart track turns left here and enters a fairly cool Pungrat valley, where we ascend through mostly spruce forest. When the path levels higher up, a path leading past Planina Vodični vrh joins from the left, but we keep slightly to the right direction and continue walking on the cart track, along which the forest begins to thin. Only a few minutes of easy walking follow and we step onto the pastures of Planina pri Jezeru, where Koča na Planini pri Jezeru stands on a small elevation.
At the hut, a path branches right towards Planina v Lazu, but we continue left from the hut and descend to a marked junction where there are also a few shepherd huts.
Choose the wider right path along which there are signs for Planina Dedno polje and Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih (slightly left Pršivec, Planina Viševnik and Črno jezero).
Also continuing, we ascend on the cart track, which is quite rocky on steep sections, after about ten minutes of ascent we arrive at a place where a path over Krištofojca branches left towards Planina Viševnik, but we continue straight on the gradually less steep cart track leading through gradually sparser forest. A bit more easy walking follows on the path that later turns slightly right, when the path turns back towards the west we reach the edge of Planina Dedno polje, from which a walk to the central part of the planina follows, where by the shepherd huts there is also a marked junction.
Bypass the shepherd huts and dairy on the left side and continue straight towards Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih (right valley Za Kopico). From the planina onwards we begin to ascend moderately, and from the left an almost unnoticeable path from the nearby hunting hut joins us. A little further the path leads past another branch towards Planina Viševnik (path along Griva (1758 m)), and in the next few minutes we arrive at the upper edge of the vast Planina Ovčarija, from where a nice view opens to the Bohinj-Tolmin mountains, sometimes called Lower Bohinj mountains. From here a short descent follows and we arrive at a junction on the northeastern part of the planina.
Continue slightly right towards Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih and Mala Tičarica (left Planina Viševnik), and the path soon splits again.
From the fork follow the signs for the path over Štapce (straight path over Prodov), both lead towards Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih, the right one, which we will continue on, also towards Mala Tičarica and Zelnarice. We soon leave Planina Ovčarija and the path ascends moderately to steeply through increasingly sparse forest, which higher up is replaced by dwarf pines. After a half-hour ascent, the path levels and takes us to Štapce, where the next marked junction is.
At Štapce continue slightly right towards Tičarica and Zelnarica (slightly left Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih) and continue the ascent on the path that first climbs through a belt of dwarf pines, then takes us to a short steep and especially slippery in wet jump. Above the jump, the path levels and turns to moderately steep grassy slopes, along which in a few minutes of further walking we ascend to a small saddle, where a marked path to Mala Tičarica branches left, about ten minutes ascent to it.
Continue towards Zelnarica on a relatively easy path that first crosses the slopes of Mala and then also Velika Tičarica. Just a few tens of meters behind the sign "Ne trgaj cvetja!" (sign on the wall) a passage opens to the left towards Velika Tičarica, about 15 minutes demanding ascent to it, but we continue straight on the marked path that north of Velika Tičarica reaches the main ridge.
Behind Velika Tičarica the path turns to a wide grassy ridge along and on which we then ascend. After a few minutes of easy walking, the path begins to ascend steeply on a partly grassy slope. The steepness quickly eases, the path takes us to vast meadows south of the precipitous and overhanging Kopica. Across the vast meadows we walk to the foot of the summit slope of Kopica, then, when we reach the edge of the wall, the marked path turns right and ascends transversely over a small scree. Behind the scree the path turns left, then begins to ascend steeply in a transverse ascent. The marked path approaches the ridge at a small indistinct hollow and turns slightly to the right.
At this point a passage to Kopica opens to the left, about five minutes to its summit, but we continue on the marked path that approaches the ridge and turns right. The path gradually turns to a very steep and slippery slope, after about 30 meters of somewhat exposed section the slope becomes somewhat less steep. A transverse ascent to the right follows, the path leads us somewhat below the ridge, a little further we reach the summit slope of Mala Zelnarica. Here the path begins to ascend more steeply again and after about 15 minutes of increasingly scenic walking takes us to the summit of Mala Zelnarica, from which an exceptional view opens towards the Valley of Triglav Lakes.
From Mala Zelnarica continue slightly right, further on the marked path that begins to descend towards the Vrata pass, leading us over a short section on scree where due to considerable steepness there is increased risk of slipping. Lower the path levels and turns slightly left and soon takes us to the notch or saddle between the two Zelnarice. From here on the marked path towards Vrata we continue only a few tens of meters, but when a nice passage opens to our left side we leave it and head left onto easier pathless terrain.
Continue on pathless terrain, or initially a worse track, which in a few minutes of moderate ascent takes us to the somewhat exposed southern ridge of Velika Zelnarica. The path further leads on or slightly right of the ridge, the track disappears in places, but we follow the ridge to the summit of Velika Zelnarica about 15 minutes away, from which a nice view opens to the surrounding mountains and valleys.
Start - Planina pri Jezeru 1:00, Planina pri Jezeru - Planina Dedno polje 0:30, Planina Dedno polje - Planina Ovčarija 0:45, Planina Ovčarija - Štapce 0:35, junction below Mala Tičarica 0:25, junction below Mala Tičarica - branch to Velika Tičarica 0:20, branch to Velika Tičarica - branch to Kopica 0:50, branch to Kopica - Mala Zelnarica 0:45, Mala Zelnarica - Saddle between Zelnarice 0:15, Saddle between Zelnarice - Velika Zelnarica 0:20.

On the way: Razpotje Pungrat (1255m), Razpotje pod Vodičnim vrhom (1449m), Koča na Planini pri Jezeru (1453m), Razpotje Krištofojca (1512m), Planina Dedno Polje (1560m), Planina Ovčarija (1660m), Štapce (1851m), Razpotje pod Malo Tičarico (2008m), Odcep za Veliko Tičarico (2020m), Odcep za Kopico (2168m), Mala Zelnarica (2310m), Sedlo med Zelnaricama (2222m)