Srednja vas - Viševnik (Za Ribnico and via Srenjski preval)

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana-Jesenice motorway, take the Lesce exit and follow the road towards Bled and then towards Bohinjska Bistrica. Just before Bohinjska Bistrica, at the settlement of Bitnje, continue sharply right towards Pokljuka. After a short ascent, the road levels out and quickly takes us into the Upper Bohinj Valley. At the junction here, continue left (right to Pokljuka) and follow the road further to Srednja vas. In the second part of the village, notice the signs for the Church of St. Martin, which direct us right onto a narrower and quite steep road, along which we quickly arrive at the church and primary school. Park in a suitable spot by the school or church.

Path description:
From the parking lot at the church, we descend a few steps to the primary school, from there continue towards the viewpoint at Kres. The path ahead leads along a narrow asphalt road, along which we quickly arrive at a larger water reservoir, where we notice signs for Uskovnica. We continue along the dirt road, which enters the forest; at the right bend, we temporarily exit the forest and a nice view opens to Rudnica and part of the Upper Bohinj Valley. We continue along the dirt road, which takes us through a somewhat narrower passage, then in a traversing ascent to the spot where we reach the road to Uskovnica. We reach the road right at the nicely arranged viewpoint at Kres, from which a view opens towards Srednja vas, the Upper Bohinj Valley, and the Lower Bohinj Mountains in the background, now named Bohinjsko-Tolminske gore. We continue along the road for a short time, then at the end of a gentle left bend, signs for Uskovnica direct us right onto a dirt road that leads through the forest, a belt of shrubs, and higher again through the forest. A few minutes higher, we reach the gravel road again, but this time leave it immediately, as we continue along the hiking trail to Uskovnica. The dirt road soon forks; we take the left one, where we notice a marker on the power line pole. For a while, we continue along the power line and follow the markers. Soon a path branches left to Uskovnica via Lom; we continue on the path that turns slightly right and leads to the steep slopes of the area called Za Ribnico (Ribnica is the stream deep below us). Higher up, we reach a newer dirt road or logging trail and follow it right. The newer logging trail ends after a few minutes, but the path continues traversing the slopes to the right. A bit further, at a small junction, we take the left upper path, beside which are signs for Uskovnica and which is visibly better trodden. Further on, we ascend somewhat more steeply along the path, from which a bit higher an unmarked path branches towards Lom (the sign reads "cheese, cottage cheese, milk and more").
We continue towards Uskovnica again, then in a few minutes reach the gravel road (we reach it where it is already closed to public traffic), which we follow right. Upon stepping onto the road, we join the path from Stara Fužina, the path from Srednja vas via Lom, and the path from the starting point or Lom parking lot. The gentle gravel road quickly brings us to the weekend cottages at Uskovnica, then we leave it shortly after the water trough and continue left onto the dirt road towards Koča na Uskovnici. After about 50 meters of ascent along the dirt road, we reach Koča na Uskovnici.
From the hut, we continue towards Tosca, Draški vrh, Viševnik, Vodnikov dom, Rudno polje, and Praprotnica along a path that first crosses a pasture fence, then quickly joins a gravel road, which we follow right. The road then leads between undulating meadows, and after crossing the next fence, we quickly reach the junction by the chapel of Mary Queen of Peace at Uskovnica.
At the chapel, the path to Vodnikov dom continues left, right leads the path to Pokljuka, but we go straight towards planina Konjščica (also one of the paths to reach Velo polje or Vodnikov dom). We continue between fenced pastures along a relatively steep dirt road, from which a nice view of the surrounding mountains opens. Higher up, the path—which passes a few more weekend cottages—levels out, and we join a wider dirt road coming from Pokljuka or near the bridge over Ribnica (in descriptions: starting point Uskovnica (Razpotje) towards planina Konjščica).
A bit further, a nice view towards Viševnik opens; the dirt road then ascends traversely for a while, mostly through forest. Higher, we cross a pasture fence, and the path brings us to the southwestern edge of planina Konjščica. Here, the path—which was occasionally steeper again—completely levels out and leads across the planina. While crossing, we ford a few small streams, then after a small cross, cross a somewhat larger stream, and shortly after reach the cheese hut at planina Konjščica, where dairy products can be bought during the grazing season.
Before the cheese hut, continue slightly left towards Triglav and Vodnikov dom at Velo polje along a path that gently ascends to the northern part of the planina. When the planina ends, the path enters scrubland dotted with individual trees and begins a moderate ascent. With views of the surrounding mountains, we soon reach a marked junction where another marked path from Rudno polje joins from the right.
Continue slightly left towards Studorski preval, ascending somewhat more steeply for a few minutes. Higher, the valley we are following narrows, then at the torrent we reach the grassy clearing at Jezercih, with the next marked junction.
Here, the path to Triglav turns left; we continue right, past a bench, towards Viševnik and Srenjski preval. The well-visible but unmarked (to Srenjski preval) path first gently climbs to a nearby stream, crosses it, then climbs to its source. After the source, the path steepens and splits into two parts. Higher up, both reunite; with fine views of the nearby spires and peaks surrounding Jezerca, we reach Srenjski preval in a few more minutes of ascent, where markers reappear.
From the pass, continue right (left to Studorski preval and Mali Draški vrh, straight to Blejska koča na Lipanci) ascending along the picturesque, scenic ridge. Further on, the technically somewhat more demanding path ascends traversely along a relatively steep slope, then returns to the ridge and shortly after passes to the right side of the ridge, leading us across a steeper grassy slope. With increasingly fine views of the mountains above Bohinj, the path returns to the ridge, crossing a short exposed slope requiring extra caution. After this section, just a few steps remain to the summit of Viševnik.
Srednja vas - Koča na Uskovnici 1:40, Koča na Uskovnici - kapelica na Uskovnici 0:05, kapelica na Uskovnici - Planina Konjščica 1:05, Planina Konjščica - Klanci 0:40, Klanci - Jezerce 0:05, Jezerce - Srenjski preval 0:35, Srenjski preval - Viševnik 0:25.
Description and photos refer to conditions in 2015 (July).

On the way: Razgledišče na Kresu (619m), Koča na Uskovnici (1154m), Kapela Kraljice miru na Uskovnici (1177m), Planina Konjščica (1427m), Klanci (1678m), Jezerce (1719m), Srenjski preval (1959m)

Trip can be extended to: Mali Draški vrh