Sveti Križ (Planica) - Mariborska koča

Access to starting point:
We leave the Štajerska motorway at the Fram exit and follow the signs for Fram. When we reach the main road Slovenska Bistrica - Maribor, from the traffic-light-controlled intersection we continue straight and drive into the centre of Fram. We continue through the settlement, and when we arrive at the parking lot below the parish church of St. Anne, we continue on the left road so that we bypass the church on the left side. A little further at the cemetery we go right, and then we begin to ascend more steeply. Higher up we arrive in the settlement Kopivnik, but we continue to follow the road towards the settlement Planica, where we follow the signs for the church of the Holy Cross, next to which we park.

Route description:
On the northeastern side of the church, left of the playground we notice a cart track, on which we start the path. After a few steps we continue slightly left (on the right path we descend to the asphalt road by which we came to the starting point) and then for a few minutes ascend diagonally through the forest. When we leave the forest from the slope we pass into a smaller valley, and we continue along the left edge of the pasture and ascend next to it to an asphalt road, where we reach the marked path Fram - Ruška koča na Arehu and follow it to the left.
For a short time we continue along the road, and when the road makes a longer right bend we go left from the road onto the marked path, which ascends beside the power line. Higher we reach a narrower asphalt road, where we go right, and at the intersection with the priority road we go left. The path ahead leads us past a smaller hamlet, then the road returns into the forest, where soon the marks direct us right onto the footpath towards Areh. Through the forest at numerous junctions we follow the marks, and the path first leads past a cross, higher also past the NOB memorial, near which there is another cross.
Here we also step onto an asphalt road, which we quickly leave and continue right into the forest, where at junctions we follow the marks, and higher we reach the main asphalt road and follow it to the left.
Along the main road we walk to an intersection, where to the right branches off the road towards Hotel Zarja.
We continue right along the marked road in the direction of Hotel Zarja (slightly left along the footpath Areh) and in a few minutes of diagonal ascent arrive at the mentioned hotel.
We bypass the hotel on the lower side, and on the eastern side of the hotel we head onto the path towards Mariborska koča. We continue along the cart track, which leads through the forest, and diagonally ascend on it along the southeastern slopes of the peak Sedovec (1231 m). Higher we reach the marked path that connects Mariborska koča and Ruška koča na Arehu, and we follow the poorer road to the right. The road then begins gradually to descend and after a few minutes we arrive at a marked junction, where we continue right downwards and with the path continue along the wider macadam road (left Pečke, straight ahead lookout tower). For a few minutes we descend along the mentioned road, at intersections we continue straight, and when the road becomes asphalt we go right downwards from the road onto the marked path, by which we quickly descend to Mariborska koča.
Starting point - Zarja 1:45, Zarja - Mariborska koča 0:45.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in March 2022.

Along the route: Planinski dom Zarja (Hotel Zarja) (1113m)

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