Trate / Johannsenruhe - Ovčji vrh (Kozjak) / Geissberg (Kosiak) (southeast path)

Access to starting point:
A) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we drive on the highway towards Beljak, which we leave at the first exit. From the point where we leave the highway, we follow the signs for Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we arrive in the mentioned settlement, we drive on the main road past Podgorje / Maria Elend and the settlement Sveče / Suetschach to the settlement Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental, where before the stores Billa and Penny we turn right in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road, we continue left, then on a slightly narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam only in the last part. From the entrance to the Karawanks Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 38 km.
B) Through the Ljubelj border crossing we drive to Austria, where on the main road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt am Wörtersee we drive to the second roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of the exit Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental (we leave the main road towards Celovec before we cross the Drava River). In the mentioned settlement, immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue left again, then on a slightly narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam only in the last part. From the entrance to the Ljubelj Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 32 km.
C) From Dravograd or Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, then we continue driving in the direction of the border crossing Holmec. When we enter Austria, we first drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, then we follow the signs for Globasnica / Globasnitz and further Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel, Borovlje / Ferlach. After Borovlje, at the roundabout we join the road via the Ljubelj border crossing. Here at the first roundabout we continue in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt, at the second in the direction of Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental. In the mentioned settlement, immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue left again, then on a slightly narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam only in the last part. From the border crossing Holmec to the starting point there is approximately 71 km.

Path description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, between the road closed with a ramp and the parking lot, we will notice the beginning of the marked path that leads towards Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte, Stol, Svačica, Ovčji vrh / Geissberg and other destinations. Further ahead, the marked path is joined by an unmarked path that leads from the upper part of the parking lot, and we join the macadam road a few steps further that leads towards the already mentioned mountain hut. The road then leads us across the bed of a torrent and shortly afterwards brings us out of the forest onto a meadow (Trate / Johannsenruhe), which is only a few minutes from the starting point. From the meadow a beautiful view opens up, and the road then returns to a strip of forest. When the forest temporarily thins, in a gentle left bend an unmarked "shortcut" continues straight ahead. We continue along the road, which is also indicated by a yellow mountain sign. Just a minute further ahead, the "main" road turns right, while the "side" road continues straight. From the mentioned junction, we continue along the footpath that runs between both roads and ascends further with the road leading to Celovška koča. For some time we ascend transversely across occasionally steeper slopes, then we return to the wider macadam road. Further on, the marked path crosses the road a few more times, then at a larger rock or boulder with memorial plaques it splits into two parts.
To the right leads the climbing path to Stol, while we continue straight towards Celovška koča. The path crosses the road a few more times, and higher up it brings us from the occasionally sparse forest onto the grazing slopes of Mačenska planina / Matschacher Alm (the huts on the pasture are a few minutes to the left from the marked path). From here there follows a slight ascent, and the path or road takes us to Celovška koča in a few minutes.
From the hut we continue in the direction of the Poden / Bodental valley, the Sereinig inn and the Friedrich Zopp path to Ovčji vrh (Kozjak). The easy path through a belt of coniferous forest brings us in a few minutes to a larger clearing or hollow, where there is a marked junction.
At the mentioned point we leave the path leading towards the Vrata / Stinzesattel saddle (1714 m) and further to Poden, and continue left towards Ovčji vrh (Kozjak). From the junction onwards, the path begins to ascend steeply through dwarf pines. From the relatively steep path increasingly beautiful views open up towards Vrtača, Svačica, Celovška špica, Stol... Higher up the path levels out completely for a while, and the dwarf pines also begin to thin. There follows a few minutes of moderate ascent along the slope, which in summer months is adorned with alpine flowers, and in all seasons, provided there is no fog, offers exceptional views of the northern walls of the Karawanks. After a few minutes the path levels out again, and ahead of us we already see a vast grassy plateau, at the end of which stands a larger cross right on the summit. There remains only a few minutes of pleasant path, to which a few steps below the summit the southwest path from Celovška koča joins. Upon reaching the summit we are rewarded with a view to the north, which on clear days extends all the way to the High and Low Tauern.
Description and pictures refer to the situation at the beginning of August 2014.
Starting point - Celovška koča 1:30, Celovška koča - Ovčji vrh 1:05.

On the way: Trate / Johannsenruhe (1226m), Klagenfurter Hutte/Celovška koča (1664m)