Dolina Gračnice (Blatnik) - Sveti Jošt (below Lisca)

Access to starting point:
We drive to Rimske Toplice, where we follow the signs for the railway station. From the railway station we drive along the road that leads further towards Gračnica and Jurklošter and soon passes through an underpass to the eastern side of the railway line. At the confluence of Gračnica and Savinja we reach an intersection where we notice the first hiking direction signs. We continue left in the direction of Lisca and Lovrenc and then drive through the Gračnica valley. Later the path leads us past the NOB memorial park, and we drive a few hundred meters further to an intersection where we turn right across the bridge. Immediately after the bridge we notice red hiking direction signs, where the described path begins.
There are no designated parking spaces for hikers here, but there is some possibility to park further up along the road.

Route description:
From the bridge we turn onto a side road marked for Lisca and Lovrenc. The path first leads past the Blatnik homestead where there is a stamp, and we continue along a gentle asphalt road through the settlement of Lokovec, following the valley along the Lokavški stream. Further on houses along the road become more frequent and we reach a marked intersection by a chapel, where we turn right towards sv. Lovrenc (left sv. Kolman).
We continue ascending along the Lokavški stream and walk on the asphalt road to an intersection where a gravel road branches off to the right from the asphalt road.
We continue between both roads on the marked path which enters the forest and turns slightly left, following markings at junctions. Higher up we temporarily step onto a cart track from which we steeply ascend via built steps. We continue with a steep ascent for some time, then the path levels somewhat and higher there are more junctions where we cross some cart tracks or follow markings. At approximately 600 m altitude we reach a somewhat wider cart track which soon leads us on the right side of the Dežan homestead. Here we get a nice view of the surroundings and after the homestead the path ascends transversely to the left. As we approach the Centrih farm the path turns sharply right and brings us to a marked junction west of the farm.
Here a path branches right towards Veliki Kozje, but we continue left towards Lovrenc and Lisca and bypass the farm on the right side.
A little further we reach a chapel where paths from Radeče and Breg also join from the right; we continue towards Lisca and ascend along the fenced area to the church of sv. Lovrenc from where we have a nice view.
We bypass the church on the right side and descend along the fenced path by the meadow to a gravel road which we follow to the right; at the nearby intersection we turn right again. We descend on the asphalt road and at the end of the meadow on the left we turn left onto the marked path which continues along the right edge of the meadow; when the path enters the forest we follow markings. There follows some gentle to moderate ascent through the forest and when we leave the forest we get a nice view. Then follows a short steep descent and lower the path splits.
We turn left onto the longer path where markings continue (the straight path leads across private land); we ascend on the cart track to a gravel road which we follow to the right.
From the gravel road we soon turn right down onto the access road towards a nearby house, but before approaching the house we go straight onto the path that ascends the western to southwestern grassy slopes of Njivce hill. Higher the path enters the forest where without major elevation changes we cross the southern forested slopes, then from the cart track we go right down to a footpath which lower leads us to a meadow across which we descend transversely. When the path levels there is still a crossing through a belt of forest and we reach an asphalt road and follow it right towards Lisca. There follows some walking on the asphalt road with occasional views; when we return to the forest we turn right from the road towards Lisca, a little further we cross the asphalt road again. There follows walking through a belt of shrubs and low forest, then we reach another asphalt road and continue the ascent on it. When the road that continues towards Lisca turns left we turn right onto a cart track which immediately splits. We choose the left cart track which leads us past a chapel from 1900 up the slope; when higher we reach the ridge connecting Zlaški hrib with Lisca we go left (here the usual path from Breg towards Lisca joins from the right), just a minute or two further past another marked junction we reach the church of sv. Jošt.
We continue left from the church towards Lisca and first ascend transversely to the left through the forest, then the path turns right and subsequently ascends transversely to the right. A bit further some other paths from the direction of Sevnica join from the right; we continue straight, where a little higher we leave the forest and along the lower edge of a larger meadow we walk to Tonček's home on Lisca, then past Jurček's hut on Lisca we quickly ascend to the scenic peak of Lisca.

Starting point - Centrih farm 1:40, Centrih farm - sv. Lovrenc 0:05, sv. Lovrenc - junction below sv. Jošt 1:10, junction below sv. Jošt - sv. Jošt 0:05, sv. Jošt - junction below Lisca 0:15, junction below Lisca - Lisca 0:10.

The description refers to the state in April 2026, pictures are from May 2025 and April 2026.

Along the route: Blatnik (224m), Križišče ob kapelici (277m), Dežan (614m), Centrih (697m), Kapelica na Lovrencu (691m), Sveti Lovrenc (above Okroglice) (722m), Lesa (684m), Rebeze (681m), Na vrhu (669m), Blatnik (725m), Kamrica (729m), Sele Imperl (655m), Most pod Selami (655m), Razpotje pod sv. Joštom (768m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, summit register