Šmihel - Kopitnik (via Skozno)

Access to starting point:
A) From Vipava highway we go to the exit Vogrsko, and then we continue driving in the direction of Tolmin and Ozeljan. When we reach old road Ajdovščina - Nova Gorica, at the traffic light crossroad we continue left, and after few meters, in hamlet Tri Hiše, right on the road, on which we quickly get to Ozeljan. Through Ozeljan we follow the signs for pizzeria Grad, and from pizzeria ahead we follow the main road or right turn-offs, which higher brings us to the settlement Šmihel. When we get to the upper part of the settlement, we notice the first signs for Skozno, which point us to the right, and then we quickly get to the cemetery, by which we park.
B) From Nova Gorica on the old road we drive towards Ajdovščina, after that at hamlet Tri Hiše (hamlet is located at the traffic light crossroad, where a road towards the settlement Vogrsko branches off to the right) we continue left in the direction of pizzeria Grad. On the mentioned road, we quickly get to Ozeljan. Through Ozeljan we follow the signs for pizzeria Grad, and from pizzeria ahead we follow the main road or right turn-offs, which higher brings us to the settlement Šmihel. When we get to the upper part of the settlement, we notice the first signs for Skozno, which point us to the right, and then we quickly get to the cemetery, by which we park.

Path description:
From the starting point, we continue on the left upper side of the cemetery, where we walk on a bad road which turns to the left and it quickly brings us to a water supply structure. After the mentioned structure the path changes into a cart track, turns right and it quickly brings us to a marked crossing.
From the crossing, we continue on the left cart track in the direction of natural window Skozno (straight Trpinovšče), which at few smaller crossings we follow in the direction of the blazes. At the next signposts for Skozno, we leave the cart track and we continue the ascent on a steeper mountain path, which is mainly ascending diagonally towards the left. A little higher, at the hunting observatory, at the smaller crossing, we continue straight, we cross a short clearing, and then views occasionally start opening up towards Vipava valley and Trstelj at the back. Even a little further, the path flattens and we get to a pleasant bench, from which a beautiful view opens up towards the valley, Sveta Gora and the Alps at the back.
After the bench the path semicircular turns towards the right, where from the left the path from the settlement Ravnica joins.
We continue right in the direction of Vitovlje and Skozno, and then few minutes ahead right downwards towards the natural window Skozno, where we quickly descend to the inscription box.
From the inscription box, we return back to a marked path which leads towards Vitovlje (possible also on demanding path which leads through cave Skozno), and then we continue towards Vitovlje (meanwhile we can walk also to natural bridge over the window Skozno). The path ahead leads us on the south edge of Trnovski gozd and continues without large changes in altitude. After a small hunting observatory, which we notice on the right side, we get to a crossing, where on rock we notice a caption Vitovlje. Here, the path branches off to the right downwards, which leads to the cemetery in Šmihel, and we continue straight towards Vitovlje. Further, otherwise rare blazes are replaced by red lines, and the path leads us south from the settlement of holiday cottages - Trpinovšče. Quite overgrown and from early spring to late autumn, the path full of ticks brings us to another crossing, where next path branches off to the right downwards towards Vitovlje. We go again straight, where we go at first past the bench, which is partly overgrown by grass full of ticks. Behind the bench the path is for quite some time gently to moderately ascending on the south edge of Trnovski gozd, and we get help from still quite frequent unofficial blazes in the shape of red lines. Eventually, the path from the edge of plateau turns a little more to the right, where it passes on slopes, and then it joins the marked path which leads from Vitovlje towards Kopitnik.
We follow the mentioned path to the left or straight, and then we quickly reach the cart track. At the nearby crossing, we continue in the direction of the hunting cottage, and then we step on a wide cart track. At the hunting cottage cart track changes into a road, and there we quickly ascend to a paragliding take off point Kopitnik, from where a beautiful view opens up on the lower part of Vipava valley.
Šmihel - Skozno 1:00, Skozno - Kopitnik 2:00.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2016 (October).

On the way: Skozno (671m)