Sveti Križ (Planica) - Žigartov vrh

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 at the settlement Kopivnik, but we continue following the road towards the settlement Planica, where we follow the signs for the church of the Holy Cross, next to which we park.

Path description:
On the northeastern side of the church, left of the playground we notice a cart track, on which we start. 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 ascend transversely through the forest for a few minutes. When we leave the forest we pass from the slope 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, 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, at the intersection with the priority road we go left. The path ahead leads us past a smaller hamlet, then the road returns to the forest, where soon the blazes direct us right onto the footpath towards Areh. Through the forest at numerous junctions we follow the blazes, and the path first leads past a cross, higher also past the NOB monument, near which there is another cross.
Here we also step onto the asphalt road, which we quickly leave and continue right into the forest, where at junctions we follow the blazes, higher we reach the main asphalt road and follow it to the left.
Along the main road we walk to the intersection, where to the right branches the road towards Hotel Zarja.
We continue slightly left along the marked path towards Areh (to the left the main road continues, right Hotel Zarja) and further ascend transversely along the cart track. Higher at the junction we continue straight and continue ascending transversely, somewhat behind the hunting observatory we arrive at a marked junction, where we reach a wider path that leads from Mariborska koča towards Ruška koča na Arehu.
We continue left and mainly gently ascend along the macadam road, which leads us past some graveyards. After some time we return to the main road, alongside it we continue for a short time, then we go slightly left onto the footpath, along which we quickly arrive at the church of sv. Areha.
From the church we cross the meadow and we are already at Ruška koča na Arehu.
From the hut we continue right towards Žigartov vrh and walk to the asphalt road, where we go left, then continue along the road towards Šumik, Cojzerici and Žigartov vrh. Initially the path still leads past a larger parking lot, then the road enters the forest and ascends gently. After approximately 10 minutes of further walking we arrive at a marked junction, where to the left branches the path towards the Šumik waterfall and Bajgot. We continue straight along the wider macadam road, from which we go left another minute further, as the signs for Žigartov vrh direct us left onto a poorer forest road, along which we ascend to the nearby ski slope. We continue along the edge of the ski slope, higher the path goes slightly left and enters the forest. We continue through the forest, where we follow the blazes, and we follow such a path all the way to the summit a few minutes away.
Starting point - Ruška koča 2:15, Ruška koča - Žigartov vrh 0:30.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in March and May 2022.

On the way: Ruška koča na Arehu (1246m)