Weinebene - Großer Speikkogel (Koralpe) (via Schäferkreuz)

Access to starting point:
A) Over one of the border crossings with Austria (Korensko sedlo, Karawanks Tunnel, mountain pass Ljubelj, mountain pass Jezerski vrh, mountain pass Pavličev vrh) we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving on the so-called southern motorway towards Graz. On the mentioned motorway we drive to the place Wolfsberg, where we leave the motorway, and when we get to the old or regional road we continue driving in the direction of the place St. Gertraud. In the place St. Gertraud we notice signs for the alpine pass Weinebene, which point us to the right on an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine pass, which is situated at an altitude of 1668 m. We park on a large marked parking lot at the pass.
B) Over the border crossing Holmec or Vič we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards the place Wolfsberg. From Wolfsberg we continue on a regional road in the direction of the place St. Gertraud. In the place St. Gertraud we notice signs for the alpine pass Weinebene, which point us to the right on an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine pass, which is situated at an altitude of 1668 m. We park on a large marked parking lot at the pass.
C) First, we drive to Maribor, and then we continue driving on the motorway towards the border crossing Šentilj and further on the Austrian motorway towards Graz. We leave the mentioned motorway at the exit for the place Lipnica / Leibnitz. When we leave the motorway at the roundabout, we continue in the direction of the place Lipnica / Leibnitz and further we drive south of the village Gralla, which is today already some kind of peripheral part of Lipnica. Further, the road leads us past the industrial or commercial zone, and at the roundabout by the store Hofer we continue "straight" on the second exit in the direction of the place Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. Further, we drive for some time on the main road, and after the village Graschach we turn right in the direction of the place Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. In the roundabout right next to the place Lonč / Deutschlandsberg, we continue "straight" in the direction of the alpine pass Weinebene. From here on, the road starts ascending steeper, and we follow it approximately 20 km to the already mentioned pass, where we park on an arranged parking lot.

Route description:
From the pass Weinebene we continue towards the southwest, where by the hut Weinebenehaus (a little aside there is also the hut Göslerhütte) mountain signposts for Gr. Speikkogel (Gr. Speikkogel is the highest peak of Golica / Koralpe), Jauksattel / Kleinalp, Grillitschhütte, Großhöllerhütte and Koralpenhaus point us on a gentle macadam road which ascends over a gentle grassy slope. The marked path, which continues on the road, soon crosses a pasture fence, which after a few minutes brings us to a small saddle, from which a nice view opens towards the highest peak of Golica and towards the peaks north to northeast of the mentioned peak. When the road starts descending, a parallel marked mountain path branches off slightly to the right, which continues over vast pastures. When the path stops descending gently, it ascends slightly and returns to the road, which has been closed to public traffic from the very beginning. Further, the road ascends gently to moderately on the southeastern slopes of the peak Brandhöhe (1886 m (Brandhöhe is a peak located above the ski lifts of the ski area Weinebene)), and a little further also of the peak Moschkogel (1916 m). When we arrive at the slopes of the latter peak, the road starts descending steeper towards the saddle located south of the mentioned peak.
On the saddle, where there is a marked junction, we arrive from Austrian Styria / Steiermark to Austrian Carinthia / Kärnten, and we continue slightly right on a cart track which crosses the slopes to the right (the cart track is unmarked for a short time, as the marked path leads right to the nearby hut Grillitschhütte and from there back to the cart track, the path straight along the fence continues towards the peak Großer Speikkogel - panoramic path).
For a few minutes we cross the slopes below the peak Hühnerstütze (1989 m), then we arrive at the cross Schäferkreuz, where the previously mentioned path past the hut Grillitschhütte joins us. Here we continue straight and in a few minutes we arrive at an indistinct saddle between Hühnerstütze (1989 m) on the left and the peak Sprungkogel (1868 m) on the right.
On the saddle there is a marked junction, where we continue slightly left in the direction of the peak Großer Speikkogel (straight to hut Großhöllerhütte). We continue the path on a wide cart track, which further crosses a few babbling streams. The gentle cart track, which initially even descends slightly, higher up turns into a gentle footpath, which continues over panoramic and gentle meadows. A little further, the path to the hut Koralpenhaus also branches off to the right, and we continue straight in the direction of the peak Großer Speikkogel. Further, the marked path turns slightly to the left and starts ascending moderately over a slightly steeper slope. A short steeper ascent follows and the path brings us to a small saddle between the peaks Seespitz and Großer Speikkogel.
On the mentioned saddle we reach the marked panoramic path Weinebene - Großer Speikkogel, which we follow to the right. Further, we start to ascend somewhat steeper towards the highest peak of Golica. Higher up, the path flattens and brings us from the slopes to the summit ridge, where we continue right. From here only a few minutes of walking follow and the path brings us to the cross located on the summit of Großer Speikkogel.

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Seespitz (Koralpe)

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