Slivnica pri Mariboru - Žigartov vrh

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 junction, 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 junction 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 junction on a marked cart track that climbs through a hayfield. Higher up, we cross a strip of forest and arrive at the hospital for lung diseases, behind which we cross a wider asphalt road. We again ascend through a strip of forest, and when we return to a wider road we follow it to the right, and from it, still before the left turn, we go left onto a cart track which cuts the mentioned longer turn. When we reach it again we cross it once more and ascend a few steps to a macadam road, which we follow left upwards. Some ascent on the macadam road follows, the road soon flattens and leads us past the Planinka cottage and a few houses to Petkovo sedlo saddle, where there is a marked junction.
At Petkovo sedlo saddle, we join the path from Pivola, and the path splits. Along a slightly left road, the path continues toward Skalca waterfall; 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 the asphalt road from the marked junction, we proceed left towards Mariborska koča, arriving in a few minutes of further walking.
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 a few cemeteries. 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.
From the mountain hut, we continue right towards Žigartov vrh and walk to an asphalt road, where we go left, then continue on the road towards Šumik, Cojzerica and Žigartov vrh. At first the path also leads by a large parking lot, then the road goes into the forest and ascends gently. After approximately 10 minutes of additional walking, we arrive at a marked junction, where a path branches off to the left towards Šumik waterfall and Bajgot. We continue straight on a wider macadam road, from which we go left about a minute further, because signs for Žigartov vrh direct us left onto a poorer forest road, on which we ascend to the nearby ski slope. We continue along the edge of the ski slope, higher up the path goes slightly left and enters the forest. We continue through the forest, where we follow the blazes, and we follow such a path all the way to the peak a few minutes away.
Starting point - Mariborska koča 3:00, Mariborska koča - Ruška koča 1:10, Ruška koča - Žigartov vrh 0:30.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in the years 2022, 2023, and 2025.

On the way: Slivniško Pohorje (726m), Petkovo sedlo (881m), Mariborska koča (1086m), Ruška koča na Arehu (1246m)