Prelaz Črnivec - Kranjska reber

Access to starting point:
On 02.11.2007 I went to Kranjska reber, namely from the direction of Kamnik. I was driving on the bypass road past Kamnik, and before the end of Kamnik, there is a turnoff from the main road to the left, where there is a sign for the directions KAMNIŠKA BISTRICA, VELIKA PLANINA. Then you drive 600 meters and reach a roundabout, where you turn right in the direction of KAMNIŠKA BISTRICA, VELIKA PLANINA, GORNJI GRAD. On this road, you then drive 15 kilometers and arrive at the ČRNIVEC pass, where you will see a large and well-maintained inn building on the right side, along with a gravel parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot on the mountain pass ČRNIVEC, go across the road and into the forest, where you will see two hiking signposts. On one is written Veliki Rogač, Lepenatka, Vrh Kašne planine (my destination), and on the other Pl. Ravni, Pl. Travnik, Dom na Menini planini. Here, go left uphill. You will see trail blazes on a tree immediately after the signpost and continue following the blazes uphill, which are very numerous, ensuring you cannot get lost on the way to the top. In the book Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe by author Andrej Stritar, it is stated that the path is poorly marked, but this was no longer true during my visit.

On the path upwards, you will cross a macadam forest road three times. I crossed it the first time after 15 minutes of walking, between the first and second crossing I walked for 10 minutes, and between the second and third crossing of the forest road, I walked for about 5 minutes. From the third crossing of the forest road to the top, I then needed 35 minutes.

The path runs mostly through a spruce forest, is very scenic, and not steep; before the peak, you first encounter a mountain beech forest and, at the end, a meadow. From the starting point at Črnivec, I walked continuously and needed 1 hour and 5 minutes for the path. At the top, I was pleasantly surprised by a small lake, similar to but much smaller than those I saw on Pohorje. Such lakes can be seen a few more times during the descent from the peak towards the shepherd’s hut. Additionally, from Kranjska reber, you can see all the highest peaks of the Kamniško-Savinjske Alps. To the northeast, you see Rogatec and Lepenatka, and to the northwest, Velika planina, Grintovec, Skuta, Planjava, Ojstrica... [br.

The trip is very suitable for the entire family, and you can do it in summer (a large part of the path is shaded by the forest, protecting you from the heat) and also in winter.
Since we already explored one path, I decided to descend back to the starting point via the path past the shepherd’s hut on Kašna planina (by the way, Kranjska reber is the peak, while Kašna planina seems to be the plain directly below the summit), as suggested in the aforementioned book, which I used during this trip. From the top of Kranjska reber, I headed north and arrived at the shepherd’s hut after 10 minutes. As previously mentioned, on this path, I saw a few more small lakes, which can beautifully surprise the eye.
In front of the hut, there is a bench where you could eat with your family, but there was no shepherd present (nor did I see any cows; evidently, the grazing season had ended some time ago).
From here, I looked around and, in the direction of the south (about 20 meters from the hut), spotted a forest road and was convinced it was the forest road suggested by the author of the book Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe. I walked south along it for about 5 minutes, after which it ended, and I reached a wire fence separating the meadow from the forest. From there, a narrow path (wide enough for one hiker) was visible ahead, and I continued along it south and slightly downhill. The longer I walked, the clearer it became that I was not on the right path. But, as the good soldier Švejk said, “no panic.”. I decided to continue the path, ensuring I kept slightly descending and always heading south. Thus, I experienced a wonderful adventure of walking along trails used by forest animals and through pathless terrain. This adventure lasted about 30 minutes, after which I reached a macadam forest road, which reassured me that I was on the right path toward civilization. For about 15 minutes, I walked along this road and arrived at the spot where, on the way up, I had crossed this same macadam forest road, thus “tying the loop.”. From there, I descended to the starting point along the same path I had taken uphill.
For the path from the shepherd’s hut to the starting point at Črnivec, I needed 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The path I took for the descent is not recommended for children or those who feel uneasy about the uncertainty of possibly getting lost.
However, if you also wish to experience the adventure of walking on unmarked terrain, go bravely, as you cannot get lost if you follow the rule of heading south at the base of the hill and descending the entire time.

Good luck.

At the Črnivec pass, you can also see a monument that tells how, on June 16, 1942, fighters of the Kamniški battalion destroyed one of the first occupiers’ outposts in Gorenjska and Styria, and in this battle, the partisan Pirš Rudi fell.
My effective walking time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Altitude of the starting point: 902 meters
Altitude of Kamniški vrh: 1435 meters
Literature used: the book Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe, author Andrej Stritar, publisher Sidarta
The use of the Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe 1:50,000 map is also recommended, but I didn’t have it with me, as the book was entirely sufficient.