Šmartno na Pohorju - Partisan Hospital Jesen

Access to starting point:
We leave Štajerska highway at exit Slovenska Bistrica south or north (depending on which direction we come from), and then we drive into the center of Slovenska Bistrica, from where we go on the road in the direction of the settlement Šmartno na Pohorju. Next follows few kilometers of ascent, and we follow the road in the direction of the mentioned settlement. When we get to Šmartno na Pohorju, we park on a smaller settled parking lot at the cemetery and church of St. Martin.

Path description:
From the parking lot in few steps we walk to the main road which leads through the settlement, and we follow it to the right, where also the blazes point us to. For a short time, we walk through the center of the settlement, and then with nice views, we walk to a smaller crossroad, at a little bigger chapel.
Here we continue straight (right Ruška koča na Arehu - path over Frajhajm) and a few minutes further we arrive at the next marked crossroad, from which we continue left towards Sveti Trije kralji (straight Ruška koča na Arehu). Nearby houses we bypass on the left side, and then we continue by the pasture. Further, we lightly descend on a poorer road; when the road turns sharply left, we continue straight on the path that goes into the forest. The path ahead leads us past a trough with water, and then Knafelc blazes direct us to the left (straight guesthouse Dovnik). A little further, over a small bridge, we cross the stream Devina, and we follow the blazes. Next follows a short steep ascent, then the path flattens slightly and leads us out of the forest, where we cross a meadow diagonally towards the right. Higher up, at the edge of the forest, we reach a cart track that brings us to the lower pond Ribnik v Ošelju.
The mentioned pond we bypass on the right side, and on a poorer road, in two minutes, we also reach the upper pond Ribnik v Ošelju.
The upper pond we bypass on the left side, and just a little further, we reach an asphalt road, where we go right in the direction of Sveti Trije kralji and Oplotnica. We continue past a few more houses, then go left (straight and after a few meters right Areh), where we pass a farm onto a meadow. While walking through the meadow, a beautiful view opens up on Boč and Veliki vrh; when we reach the forest, we then quickly arrive at a pond.
The upper pond we bypass on the left side, and just a little further, we reach an asphalt road, where we go right in the direction of Sveti Trije kralji and Oplotnica. We continue past a few more houses, then go left (straight and after a few meters right Areh), where we pass a farm onto a meadow. While walking through the meadow, a beautiful view opens up on Boč and Veliki vrh; when we reach the forest, we then quickly arrive at a pond.
The mentioned pond we bypass on the left side, then continue on the path that, in a few minutes, brings us to a macadam road, which we follow to the left. The road quickly leads us out of the forest, and we descend along it to a marked crossroad by the bridge over the stream Bistrica.
A little before the bridge, an abandoned path branches off to the right, leading past the farm Jesenek towards Sveti Trije kralji; just before the bridge, a marked path through Bistriški Vintgar joins from the left, but we continue straight over the bridge to a smaller crossroad, where we go right towards Sveti Trije kralji (straight Sveti Urh).
Next follows an ascent towards the farm Močnik, but before the farm, we turn right onto a cart track that initially ascends gently through the forest. A little higher, we join another cart track, and at several crossings higher up, we follow the blazes. Further on, we pass a trough with water, and then at a smaller crossroad, we reach an asphalt road.
Across a slightly wider road, the marked path continues towards sv. Trije kralji, while to the right, downwards, a path leads towards the homestead Jesenek, but we follow the slightly wider asphalt road to the right, where there are no blazes for some time.
A little further, we cross an abandoned marked path that leads past the homestead Jesenek, so we notice some faded blazes in this area, but we continue along the asphalt road, which soon brings us to a hamlet of mostly holiday cottages. Here, the road turns to the left and then gradually begins crossing the slopes towards the right.
At the next two crossroads, we continue straight, and at the second crossroad, blazes reappear as we reach the marked path Sveti Trije kralji - Areh. A little further, the marked path splits, and we continue straight (left upwards past the cottage Majstrova hiša, the marked path continues towards Areh), and we keep following the asphalt road. A few minutes ahead, a macadam road branches off to the right, leading towards the farm Lepej, but we continue in the direction of Šumik and Areh. After the crossroad, when we leave the forest, a beautiful view opens towards the aforementioned farm and valley, and on the other side of the meadow, signs for the partisan hospital Jesen direct us to the right downwards, where we initially walk along the edge of the forest, then the path turns left and descends through the forest to a scenic stream. For a few minutes, we continue the descent along the mentioned stream, and lower down, we veer slightly to the left, moving a bit away from the stream. Next follows a short crossing, and we arrive at the shacks of the former hospital.
Starting point - Ribnika v Ošelju 0:35, Ribnika v Ošelju - pond west of Ošelj 0:10, pond west of Ošelj - partisan hospital Jesen 1:40.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in January 2022 and May 2023.

On the way: Ribnika Devin v Ošelju (812m), Ribnik zahodno od Ošelja (824m)