Pohorje cable car - Ruška koča na Arehu (via Mariborska koča)
Starting point: Pohorje cable car (1040 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 46.516°N 15.5785°E 
Path name: via Mariborska koča
Time of walking: 1 h 50 min
Difficulty: easy marked way
Difficulty of skiing: easily
Altitude difference: 206 m
Altitude difference (by path): 300 m
Map: Pohorje 1:50.000
Access to starting point:
A) We leave Štajerska highway at exit for Slivnica and Rogoza, and then we follow the signs for Pohorje and Areh. The path ahead leads us through Spodnje and Zgornje Hoče, Slivniško Pohorje, and after the settlements we follow the signs for Areh, and higher signs for Mariborska koča and hotel Bellevue. We park on a parking lot between the upper station of funicular and hotel Bellevue.
B) We leave Štajerska highway at exit for Slivnica and Rogoza, and then we follow the signs for ski slope Mariborsko Pohorje. We park on the periphery of the settlement Zgornje Radvanje, on a large parking lot by the foot of the ski slope, and then we walk to the bottom station of the funicular (the price of a return trip for an adult is 6 eur - November 2022), with which we go to hotel Bellevue, where the described path begins.
Path description:
At the upper station of the funicular we notice hiking signposts, and we go right in the direction of Mariborska koča and Ruška koča na Arehu. A little further a short path branches off to the right towards the nearby church of St. Bolfenk, and we continue on a marked path which continues parallel with an asphalt road. On the mentioned path we are gently to moderately ascending, and after a smaller statue of Mary the path splits.
We continue slightly left in the direction of Mariborska koča (straight Mariborski razglednik...) and then we cross the slopes towards the left and we follow the blazes. After few minutes of crossing, we get very close to an asphalt road, and then we slightly ascend and at the settlement of holiday cottages we at first reach a macadam, and then also an asphalt road. When we reach an asphalt road, a path from dne joins us, leading past the Mariborski razglednik, but we continue straight and after a few dozen steps of further walking, we arrive at the next crossroad, where we turn right. Follows only approximately 100 meters of walking and we get to Mariborska koča, from which a nice view opens up in the direction of the eastern Karawanks.
We bypass the cottage on the left side, then continue right toward the Ruška koča na Arehu.
A short ascent follows, and we reach a road on which we continue the climb. The road splits slightly higher up, and we continue slightly left (slightly right toward Log and Bistrica ob Dravi). A few minutes higher, we reach a marked path leading through the Mariborski razglednik, but we turn left here and continue along a wider cart track that leads through the forest. A little further, a path branches off to the left towards hotel Zarja, but we continue straight in the direction of Ruška koča. This is followed by some diagonal ascent on the slopes of the peak Sedovec, and then we descend to a small saddle, where a path from the settlement Fram joins us.
We continue straight, mainly gently ascending along a macadam road that leads us past some burial sites. After some time, we reach the main road towards Areh, continue briefly alongside it, and then turn slightly left onto a footpath, which quickly leads us to the church of St. Areh.
From the church, we cross a meadow and we are already at Ruška koča na Arehu.
Starting point - Mariborska koča 0:40, Mariborska koča - Ruška koča 1:10.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in March and May 2022.
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