Vitanje - Stenica (via valley of the stream Jez)

Access to starting point:
From Vojnik, Mislinje or Slovenske Konjice, we drive to Vitanje, where we park on the marked parking lot in the center of the settlement by Hudinja (at the starting point there is the parish church of St. Peter and Paul). In the settlement it is also possible to park elsewhere.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we walk to the bridge over Hudinja, where at the crossroads we continue left in the direction of Slovenske Konjice and the path to Stenica. After the nearby chapel at the pedestrian crossing we carefully cross the main road and after some 10 steps we still continue on the sidewalk in the direction of Slovenske Konjice, then the blazes lead us slightly right onto a steeper narrow road, along which we quickly ascend to the nearby hill, where the church of the Assumption of Mary stands.
Before the church we continue left and along the asphalt path we return to the main road, where after a few steps we still continue on the sidewalk, then the signs for Stenica direct us right. A little further over the bridge we cross the stream Hočna, the narrower asphalt path in a gentle to moderate ascent past the trough brings us to the crossroads, where we go left in the direction of Stenica. At the next crossroads we go slightly right, then we ascend along the asphalt road to the left bend, where we leave the road and continue along the wider cart track with the path.
From the cart track already after a few steps a marked path branches off to the left towards Stenica, we continue on the gentle cart track, which after a shorter crossing brings us into the valley of the stream Jez.
We continue through the valley for a short time, then the cart track splits. We choose the slightly left cart track, which withdraws somewhat left into the hill from the stream, when we arrive again by the stream, we go right from the junction, where the signs of the local path also direct us. Further on the cart track becomes worse and worse, when we leave the small valley and move to the slope we continue the ascent along the beaten path, which ascends steeply. Higher the path levels out and brings us to the forest road, along which we continue the ascent. After the left bend we notice a hunting observatory on the left, to the right the signs of the local path continue, we however continue further along the road, along which we walk all the way to the junction with the marked path.
Here we go from the road right in the direction of Stenica and Mary's chapel (left downhill Vitanje along the marked path). There follows an ascent along the steep cart track, higher we go past the signs for the vantage point (the path to which the directional sign points is completely overgrown), when the path levels out, we arrive at the next junction.
We continue straight ahead (right chapel Marijina roka 1 minute) and further follow the marked path, which after approximately 10 minutes of further walking brings us to the top of Stenica.
Starting point - Church of the Assumption of Mary 0:05, Church of the Assumption of Mary - Marijina roka 1:35, Marijina roka - Stenica 0:10.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2022.

On the way: Church of the Assumption of Mary (Vitanje) (472m), Chapel Marijina roka (Stenica) (1055m)