Slivnica pri Mariboru - Sveti Bolfenk (Mariborsko Pohorje)

Access to starting point:
We drive to Slivnica pri Mariboru, where at the Slivnica Kindergarten the described path begins. We park in a suitable parking lot nearby, but some parking spaces are reserved solely for kindergarten employees and visitors. We can also park a few minutes away by the cemetery.

Path description:
The beginning of the described path leads through an area where lingering is prohibited between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
By the kindergarten, we notice signposts for the Mariborska koča, which direct us to a path that continues to the left of the kindergarten, then we proceed alongside the sports fields. After a few minutes, we leave the restricted area and arrive at Castle Slivnica, which is in an abandoned and decaying state, but we continue to the left, and behind a nearby house, we veer slightly to the right onto a marked path that ascends diagonally above the road. After a short diagonal ascent, from where a view opens up to the surrounding settlements, we return to the asphalt road, follow it to the right, enter the forest, and shortly after reach a marked crossroad, where we continue to the right on a marked road. Just a little further, the road splits again, but this time we choose the upper road, which leads us past a few more houses before it ends, and we continue the ascent on a cart track that climbs through the forest.
Higher up, we reach the edge of the forest, where we bypass a nearby farm on the right side, then arrive at a macadam road on which we continue, or partly follow a parallel marked path. Higher up, we leave the forest, and a beautiful view opens up, with the city of Maribor clearly visible to the right below. When we reach an asphalt road a little further on, we turn left, and from the next crossroad in the settlement of Šestdobe, we enter a dead-end street, follow it for a few steps, then turn right and ascend onto a forested ridge.
When we return to the asphalt road, we continue to the left, and a few minutes further, at a wooden sculpture, we join the marked path from Fram.
We continue straight towards the Mariborska koča (left Fram) and ascend moderately, mostly through the forest; when we leave the forest, we descend to the farm Plahutnik, where we continue straight from the crossroad on a marked cart track that climbs through a meadow. Higher, we cross a lane of a forest and we get to lung disease hospital, behind which we cross a wider asphalt road. We again ascend through a lane of a forest, and when we return on a wider road we follow it to the right, and from there still before the left turn we go left on a cart track which cuts the mentioned longer turn. When we step again on the road, we cross it once more and ascend a few stairs to a macadam road, which we follow left upwards. Next follows a short ascent on the macadam road, which soon flattens and leads us past the cottage Dom Planinka and a few houses to saddle Petkovo sedlo, where there is a marked crossing.
On saddle Petkovo sedlo, we join the path from Pivola, and the path splits. Along a slightly left road, the path continues toward waterfall Skalca; slightly to the right, a road leads to hotel Tisa; to the right, a path leads to a hunting cottage, but we continue straight toward Mariborska koča.
We continue through a meadow between two roads, then the path enters the forest, where we follow the blazes. Higher up, we cross the main road toward hotel Bellevue once more, and a little further, we leave the forest. We continue past a cross, and when we reach an asphalt road, we proceed from a marked crossing onto a side road toward Sveti Bolfenk and hotel Bellevue (left to Mariborska koča, 3 minutes). We continue on a side road which leads us through the settlement of holiday cottages, and in the settlement, we continue on the lower road which continues straight (slightly left Mariborski razglednik). The settlement of holiday cottages soon ends, and we continue through the forest, quickly getting very close to an asphalt road. The path ahead moves slightly away from the road to the left, and we continue with the crossing. Next follows a gentle ascent, and we reach a marked path which leads through Mariborski razglednik.
Here we go slightly to the right in the direction of the upper station of the funicular and hotel Bellevue, then continue with a gentle descent. The path ahead leads us past a small statue of Mary, and then we once again get very close to an asphalt road. We continue slightly to the left of the road; as we approach the parking lot by the upper funicular station, we turn sharply left towards the nearby church of St. Bolfenk, which we reach after a minute of further walking.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in the years 2022, 2023, and 2025.

On the way: Slivniško Pohorje (726m), Petkovo sedlo (881m)