Suhi Dol - Goli vrh (Official marked path)

Access to starting point:
With a car:
Suhi Dol is located by the regional road between Horjul (connection from Notranjska and Ljubljana; below Butajnova, the road from Polhov Gradec also joins) and Gorenja vas (connection from Gorenjska and northern Primorska). If we drive from the Horjul direction, we come to a crossroad with the priority road; "straight" or slightly to the right is a smaller unmarked macadam "parking lot" where it is possible to park. If we drive from the Gorenja vas direction, this "parking lot" is located on the right side of the road just before a marked turn-off to the left towards Ljubljana, Vrhnika, and Polhov Gradec. In the "parking lot," there are no signs prohibiting anything, but we should still be considerate when parking and take into account that it primarily serves for turning and nighttime parking of buses.

Public transport:
Directly opposite the starting parking lot is the final stop of the integrated LPP line number 53, which comes from Polhov Gradec (we can reach Polhov Gradec from Ljubljana with the integrated LPP line number 51). Arriva, which provides the bus connection with Gorenja vas, names the same stop "Suhi Dol/Lučinah". From both directions, only a few buses are available per day, and even then, only on weekdays and during school hours.

Path description:
A note: a more interesting destination than the very indistinct and non-scenic peak is the underground slemenska fort Goli Vrh (part of the Rupnik Line) with an entrance about 30 altitude meters below the summit and two above-ground bunkers near the peak with views towards the south. If this part of history interests us at least a little, it is worth planning the visit to catch a guided tour, which is usually every first Saturday of the month at 10 a.m., and prior registration is not necessary. Regarding possible changes or special schedules for groups, we should inquire at the Zavod Poljanska dolina. For a possible visit, we will also need a flashlight (in an emergency, the one on a mobile phone will suffice), and the internal temperatures are similar to those in karst caves.

The official PZS sign at the starting parking lot directs us along a cart track past a hayrack with stone pillars. Soon after the next house, the cart track turns left and starts slightly descending, then soon turns right, and we enter the forest. After about 300 meters, the main cart track starts turning sharply right (almost 180°), but here (on PZS maps, the point is named "Mrzla grapa") we follow the Knafelc blaze, cross a torrent, and continue straight on a slightly worse forest path. Very soon after this crossing, we notice a new Knafelc blaze with an "inverted L," which directs us right onto an even narrower path that begins to ascend more steeply. Along the marked path, which gradually turns left, after about 700 meters of moderate ascent, we reach a new crossroads (on maps "Zaboničar J"), where we notice signs of the Loška mountain path directing us right. Attention! If we followed the arrows and turned right, we would take a longer route back to "Mrzla grapa" or even to Dolge Njive (a settlement by the road between Suhi Dol and Lučine), so here we turn LEFT! From this point onward, the path to the top will also be marked with less visible blue-green LPT blazes, often alongside Knafelc blazes. Just a few meters later, we emerge from the forest onto a meadow and, a little higher up, notice the farm "Pr' Matečk". Along the well-trodden path, we cross the meadow and at a neat cross turn left onto a macadam path that gently ascends past the farm, then briefly re-enters the forest, turns left in a slightly steeper ascent, and soon reaches a new significant crossroads of several paths (on PZS maps "Jurčet V"). Several signposts instruct us to turn sharply right onto a slightly wider and gentler macadam road, which temporarily leaves the forest again and passes the farm "Pr' Jurčet". About 700 meters from the previous crossroads, when the gentle road re-enters the forest soon after the farm, we reach another crossroads ("Jurčet Z"), and clearly visible signs on the right side of the road direct us left onto a narrow and less-trodden uphill path, where the most challenging and steepest part of the route begins (in snow/ice, crampons are mandatory or take a detour via less steep paths). Soon after this turnoff, we briefly turn right to cross another torrent, then frequent Knafelc blazes guide us "through thick and thin" straight uphill on a very steep slope. Along the way, we cross at least two transverse paths, but from the third onward, the steepness would be too extreme, so the signs direct us left onto a path that, with a milder ascent, soon reaches an asphalt road (which was, by the way,. built for the construction of the nearby fort of the Rupnik Line). On the road, we turn sharply right and continue along it for a short time. The very gently ascending road soon reaches a "saddle," and immediately after it, on the left side of the road, we first notice a small garage and, right next to it, the entrance to the underground part of the fort, where guided tours also begin. At the entrance, there are a few information boards and a small resting area. From here to the top there are two versions:

a) conventional
Immediately after the entrance to the underground part of the fort, several clearly visible markers from the road direct us left onto a forest path, which is also sufficiently well-marked further on to lead us in a gentle ascent to a small clearing about 30 meters higher, somewhere near the actual peak.. [Rather than looking for an unmarked peak, on the other side of this "clearing" we search for a Knafelc blaze, which soon leads us to both aboveground bunkers, at one we also find a box with a logbook and a stamp. From here, views open up over the Račeva valley and further towards the south and west, precisely because of protection against possible incursions from this direction the bunkers were also placed...

b) through the fort
This variant is possible only within the framework of a guided tour of the fort.. When accompanied by a guide we explore the underground part, the tour ends at the end of the main tunnel with an ascent to one of the two aboveground bunkers, most likely the eastern or "left" one.. On secured stairs, we ascend in several "rounds" around the shaft of the unrealized elevator approximately 25 meters to the above-ground bunker and then climb a vertical ladder to the upper floor, where, besides embrasures, we also notice two circular openings that served as the entrance and exit for soldiers. The guide will remove the grate from the openings, and then, if we are not too large, we can climb onto a bench and, in "military style," slide feet-first through the round opening to reach the outer "balcony" and descend from it to the ground via a vertical ladder. Nearby, we find the second bunker, and at the first one, also Knafelc blazes for the path between Žiri and the entrance to the underground fort. If we wish to return toward the entrance, we go left from the first bunker (relative to the direction toward Račeva, where the bunkers are also oriented), soon reaching a small clearing somewhere near the peak; on the other side, we look for Knafelc blazes, which lead us along a not overly steep forest path back to the entrance..

Description and pictures summarize the condition in January 2023.