Spodnji Slemen - Koča na Žavcarjevem vrhu

Access to starting point:
From the Maribor - Dravograd road we drive to the settlement Spodnji Slemen, where the described path begins at the hiking direction signs. There are no designated parking spaces at the starting point, but it is possible to park in neighboring settlements, which relatively lengthens our path.

Route description:
From the main road we turn onto a side road that branches off to the north and along which there are signs for Žavcarjev vrh. At first we ascend on asphalt past houses, and at intersections we consistently follow the markings. Higher up the road ends at the last house in the street, and we continue past the courtyard and then completely left of the house into the forest. For a short time we walk on a cart track through the forest, then between two houses we reach another asphalt road, on which we continue the ascent. After a few minutes of walking uphill we pass a chapel to the last house in this part of the path. Here we choose the path that leads slightly left of the house and passes by a vineyard and orchard, above which, still before entering the forest, a beautiful view opens up.
We continue the path through the forest, where at junctions we follow the markings. As we approach Jarčev vrh, the path turns slightly left and bypasses the mentioned peak on the western side, where we walk along a pasture. This is followed by a short descent to the Urbas farm, where we carefully follow the markings; after the farm we begin to ascend on a macadam road. The moderate ascent quickly ends, then we easily descend to an asphalt road, where on the left side we bypass the Hober homestead. A little further we also pass Vaški dom Slemen on Zgornji Slemen, where until 1980 a branch primary school operated. From here we reach an intersection, from which we continue straight onto the road that begins to ascend again. The road then passes into the forest and on the left side bypasses the Kljusef property, where on the outer side of the fence we notice an interesting, artistically shaped metal cross.
A little further from the cross the road becomes macadam; in the forest we leave it and turn slightly right onto a marked footpath. This ascends to the next, more ordinary cross, next to which stands a bench for resting. We bypass the shrine on the right side; a few minutes higher we reach a larger stone chapel, which we also bypass on the right. This is followed by a short and easy descent, then we join the path that has its starting point in Jelovec.
We continue straight along the pasture to a smaller hamlet, where we reach a macadam road. We turn right uphill and continue to ascend transversely to the right. Higher up we leave the forest; the path (from which a wonderful view of Pohorje opens) turns sharply left and after a few dozen steps brings us to Koča na Žavcarjevem vrhu.

The description refers to the situation in July 2026; the pictures are from September 2021 and July 2026.

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, summit register