Zvodno - Bavč (via Hudičev graben)

Access to starting point:
From the highway Ljubljana - Maribor, take the exit Celje - center and continue driving in the direction of Laško and Zidani Most. The road leads us through the center of Celje, then before the Savinja it brings us to a roundabout with a fountain. Here we continue "straight" over the first bridge (direction Laško and Zidani Most) and follow the road to the next traffic-light-controlled intersection, where we continue left over the second bridge across the Savinja. Immediately behind the bridge at the intersection we continue right. After approx. 500 meters we arrive at the underpass under the railway track (on the right side a large parking lot and the starting point in Zagrad), we drive through it and continue straight past the fire station in Zagrad. We follow the road through the village, and higher up in Zvodno it brings us to a smaller intersection at the bus stop, where we notice signposts for Grmada right, Hudičev graben straight, parking lot 1.2 km straight. We continue straight towards the new parking lot (2020), and the road gradually flattens and narrows. New parking lot - our starting point is located right by the road before the fish farm. Here we can park and set off on a trip along paths that lead either past Marija, or through Hudičev graben, or through Suhi potok. To the starting point we can also come from Dolenjska and Zasavje. In this case, we first drive to Rimske Toplice and then through Laško to the above-described second bridge, from where we continue according to the description.

Path description:
From the starting point signposts for Hudičev graben direct us first onto the road past the supporting wall back towards Celje, and already after a few steps sharply to the left onto a cart track that leads into the forest. We follow the cart track for about 100 meters to a junction just before the ravine, where a path branches off to the left towards Pečovje, Marija, Srebotnik..., and we continue in the direction of the gorge Hudičev graben. We continue the ascent along the path that runs through and beside the bed of the Hudičev potok stream. The gorge soon narrows and aids are iron pegs, staples and steel cables. Further on, with the help of numerous safety devices, we ascend right above the stream bed, on which we can observe numerous small waterfalls. Higher up the gorge widens, where we come to a junction. To the left a steep path to Srebotnik branches off, and we continue to the right, where we leave the bed of the Hudičev potok stream and begin to ascend more steeply through the forest. If we set out on the path in the spring months, we will be able to notice numerous patches of wild garlic during the ascent through the forest. After a pleasant ascent through the forest, the path levels out and brings us to a wide cart track on the saddle south of Bavč. Here we turn right towards the north, leave the marked path and along the ridge of Bavč arrive at our goal via an unmarked path.

On the way: Srebotnik (700m)

Trip can be extended to: Pečovniška koča on Grmada , Hotel Celjska koča , Srebotnik , Grmada above Celje , Tolsti vrh above Celjska koča