Vitanje - Basališče (Paški Kozjak)

Access to starting point:
A) From the Ljubljana - Maribor highway, take the Celje - center exit and continue driving towards Vojnik. In Vojnik, continue left towards Dobrna, and we follow the mentioned road to the settlement Nova Cerkev, where signs for Vitanje point us to the right. Further, we drive on a narrower and winding road, on which we arrive at the settlement Vitanje. Here we continue left and ascend an ascending road to the church of St. Anton by which we park in an appropriate place, even better to park on one of the parking lots in the center of Vitanje.
B) From the Maribor - Ljubljana highway, take the Slovenske Konjice exit, then follow the road towards the mentioned settlement. From Slovenske Konjice, continue driving on the regional road towards Celje, and we follow it to the settlement Stranice, where at the roundabout we turn right towards Vitanje. We follow the road to the mentioned settlement, where at the main crossroad we turn left towards Nova Cerkev, then after some 10 meters right uphill (direction Paški Kozjak). Further on the narrower and ascending road, then we follow to the church of St. Anton by which we park in an appropriate place, even better to park on one of the parking lots in the center of Vitanje.

Path description:
From the center of Vitanje we head on the road in the direction of the settlement Brezen and marked paths to Paški Kozjak and Smereške peči. After a short ascent on the mentioned road we arrive at the church of St. Anton in Vitanje, where we continue on the left road in the direction of Paški Kozjak. Only a little further, the road makes a left turn, and just at this spot we leave it, because signs for Basališče point us to the right on a cart track which ascends along the nearby stream. The cart track soon ends and the marked "path" turns right and ascends through grassy meadows to the nearby houses, where we step on a side road. From the houses we walk to the main asphalt road which we only cross and continue the ascent on a marked and well-visible path. Further we walk for a short time on a wider path, then markings direct us sharply left on a narrower footpath which first ascends steeply, then ascends diagonally across relatively steep slopes. Higher, we join a wider path, which in a diagonal ascent brings us below the rocky cliffs. A short ascent follows and the path brings us to the spot where a short path branches off to the left to the vantage point on Smereške peči.
From the vantage point, we return a few meters back, then continue the ascent on a marked path, which quickly brings us out of the forest to the edge of grassy meadows. Further, we ascend along the edge of the forest, where after a few minutes we arrive at the nearby road.
On the road, we step just at a smaller crossroad, and continue the ascent on the middle road in the direction of Paški Kozjak. Further, we ascend past the chapel and farm Strmečnik, then a marked path turns right into the forest. Higher, we cross the road twice, and when we step on it the third time, we follow it to the right, but only to the first crossroad. At the crossroad, we do not continue on the left nor on the right road, but continue the ascent straight on a marked path, which ascends between both roads. After a short ascent, we reach a lonely homestead behind which the path goes into the forest and begins to ascend steeply. Higher, the path gradually levels out and brings us to a smaller clearing, where the hunting cottage Javorje stands.
From the hunting cottage we continue in the direction of Basališče and the path on a relatively steep cart track, which higher levels out and gradually changes into an occasionally quite overgrown footpath. Further we follow the markings, which soon bring us to a forest road, which we follow to the right. A few minutes' walk on the road follows, then it ends at the nearby hunting observatory.
We continue left on a marked cart track, from which soon slightly to the left branches a trail which leads to Basališče. The path only a few steps higher passes onto an indistinct ridge, where it turns to the right. A few minutes of light to moderate ascent follow and the path, which mostly runs through the forest, quickly brings us to the highest peak of Paški Kozjak.

On the way: Smereška peč (685m), Strmečnik (749m), Lovska koča Javorje (1080m)