Šmartno na Pohorju - Žigartov vrh (via Bojtina)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Štajerska motorway at the Slovenska Bistrica south or north exit (depending on which direction we come from), then we drive into the centre of Slovenska Bistrica, from where we head on the road in the direction of the settlement Šmartno na Pohorju. There follows a few kilometres of ascent, and we follow the road in the direction of the mentioned settlement. When we arrive at Šmartno na Pohorju, we park on a smaller well-maintained parking lot at the cemetery and church of St. Martin.

Route description:
From the parking lot, in a few steps we walk to the main road which leads through the settlement, and we follow it to the right, where the blazes also direct us. For a short time, we walk through the centre of the settlement, then with nice views we walk to a smaller crossroad at a somewhat larger chapel.
Here we continue straight (right Ruška koča na Arehu - path via Frajhajm) and a few minutes further we arrive at the next marked crossroad, from which we also continue straight (left Sv. Trije kralji) and moderately ascend past individual houses and the inn Dovnik. This is followed by crossing a strip of forest, then we descend slightly to a crossroad, where we continue right towards Areh and Bojtina.
After the crossroad, the road descends even more, and we leave it slightly to the right onto a parallel mountain path, which continues descending. Lower down, the path levels out and takes us past a newer and an older building back to the road, which we follow to the right. Along the road, over the bridge we cross a stream and also pass a cross; after the cross, the path to Šetorov mlin branches off to the right, which is a good 5 minutes' walk away.
We continue along the road and ascend more steeply; along the road we walk to the right bend, in the middle of which we go straight onto a marked cart track, which then ascends transversely through the forest. Higher up we first approach the road, a little further on, at the sign, we return to the road. This is followed by walking along an increasingly panoramic section, from where a view opens towards the nearby church of St. Ursula; still before reaching the church, at the first left bend we leave the road and continue straight on a marked path which crosses a grassy slope. There follow a few forks where we follow the blazes; we cross a strip of forest and then continue across the grassy slope. When the crossing, with a few shorter ascents and descents, ends, the blazes direct us right and down, where we soon reach another cart track, which we follow to the left. There follows some easy ascent, then we go right down again, where along the path we continue to two successive streams and cross them over two small bridges. After the second small bridge we begin to ascend again, at forks we follow the blazes, higher up we exit the forest and near a smaller wooden hut we reach a poorer road, which we follow to the right. We walk along the road for a few minutes, then at the start of dense forest we continue left into the forest, where we proceed along a somewhat steeper path. After a few minutes of ascent we reach a wider macadam road, which we follow to the right, walking along it to the crossroad where we reach an asphalt road.
We continue left; opposite the nearby hut we go right onto a marked cart track, which returns to the forest and then ascends transversely to the asphalt road, which we merely cross. We continue the moderate ascent through the forest and in a few minutes arrive at a marked junction, from which we continue right towards Areh (left Polskava spring 3 minutes).
This is followed by a transverse ascent to the right; a little further we also cross a shorter panoramic slope. When we return to the forest we cross a wider cart track, then we already arrive at Ruška koča na Arehu, near which there is also the church of St. Areh.
From the hut we continue straight towards Žigartov vrh and walk to the asphalt road, where we go left, then continue along the road towards Šumik, Cojzerici and Žigartov vrh. Initially the path still leads past a larger parking lot, then the road enters the forest and ascends gently. After approximately 10 minutes of further walking we arrive at a marked junction, where the path to the Šumik waterfall and Bajgot branches off to the left. We continue straight along the wider macadam road, but from it we go left about a minute further, as the signs for Žigartov vrh direct us left onto a poorer forest road, along 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, following the blazes; we follow such a path all the way to the summit a few minutes away.
Šmartno na Pohorju - Ruška koča na Arehu 2:45, Ruška koča na Arehu - Žigartov vrh 0:30.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in January and May 2022.

Along the route: Ruška koča na Arehu (1246m)

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