Podkraj / Unterort - Wackendorfer Spitze (on path P7)

Access to starting point:
a) Over the border crossing Jezerski Vrh we drive into Austria, and after approximately 6 km past Železno Kaplo / Bad Eisenkappel we turn right towards Velikovec / Völkermarkt (also possible via the border crossing Ljubelj). We follow the main road towards Velikovec for 2 km, and then we again turn right, this time in the direction of the place Pliberk / Bleiburg. Further, we drive through the valley of Podjune, and then at the next larger intersection we turn right towards Pliberk. The road ahead leads through some roundabouts, and we follow it further in the direction of the ski area Peca / Petzen. Further, we drive through Bistrica pri Pliberku / Feistritz ob Bleiburg to a large parking lot at the bottom station of the cableway to Peca. From the border crossing Jezerski Vrh to the starting point it is approximately 40 km.
b) From Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, and then we continue driving towards the border crossing Holmec. When we drive into Austria we first drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, and then we follow the signs for the ski area Peca / Petzen. Further, we drive through a few villages, and we follow the road to a large parking lot at the bottom station of the cableway to Peca. From the border crossing Holmec to the starting point it is approximately 8 km.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we walk to the bottom station of the cableway to Peca, then turn left onto the path marked with signs for paths P3, P6, P7 and P8; just a little further ahead the path splits.
We choose the right path, marked for P3, P7 and P8. At first we still walk along the road, which after crossing the cycling track turns into a cart track that brings us to the edge of the ski slope. We ascend for a few minutes along the edge of the ski slope (or below the circular-cabin cableway), then go right into the forest where the path flattens, then gradually descends to a macadam road on which we continue the ascent.
The path ahead leads along the macadam road, which has several junctions or forks further on; we continue to follow the signs for path P7 (path P3 has meanwhile already branched off left uphill). There follows some more diagonal ascent, at first also descent to the right, then the road begins to climb in longer switchbacks, where the marked path leads via a few marked shortcuts.
At an altitude of approximately 1300 metres we reach a small saddle and behind it a somewhat wider macadam road, along which we continue the diagonal ascent to the right; when later the road turns sharply left, the marked path from Globasnica / Globasnitz and Večna vas / Wackendorf joins us from the right.
Here we leave the road and continue on the footpath, which gradually begins to climb more steeply; higher up we return to the road, which we follow to the Veška planina / Wackendorfer Alm a few minutes away.
From the mountain pasture we continue between the chapel and the hut along the marked path, which branches off the road slightly to the right and first still ascends across a grassy slope, then through sparse coniferous forest, where we follow the blazes. Higher, at a bend we reach a poorer road, which quickly brings us to a small junction, where we go slightly right onto the cart track that takes us to the saddle south of the summit Feuersberger Spitze.
From here we continue somewhat to the right of the road, which makes one more switchback, while we ascend diagonally across the grassy slope; at the trough we rejoin the path along the road, which however has already ended somewhat lower. Here the path turns somewhat left, leading us along the right side of a small valley; higher we cross the mentioned valley and ascend to the hunting observatory, where the path in the grass begins to fade. A steeper ascent follows in approximately easterly direction, where we follow the blazes on the rocks; when the slope flattens, the track reappears. Continuing, we ascend along the track, which leads us through the dwarf pines, and we soon reach the pyramid that marks Veška kopa; the highest point of the summit is located a little further ahead.
Starting point - Veška planina 3:30, Veška planina - Veška kopa 1:35.
Description refers to conditions in July 2025; photos are from July 2024 and July 2025.

On the way: Wackendorfer Alm (1568m)