Basic information
Location
Bled
Difficulty
Duration
6 h
Trail type
označena
Start point elevation
1180 m
Highest point
2236 m
Total vertical climb
1080 m

Starting point:
'Valvasorjev Dom' hut below Stol. Leave the motorway 'Ljubljana – Jesenice' on exit Bled and at the first roundabout turn towards Žirovica. Drive past Žirovica on the main road and turn right into Moste village after a bridge over Završnica stream. Go left on the first crossroad and then simply follow the signposts for 'Valvasorjev Dom' hut. Ascend for about 4 km on a dirt road. Park near 'Valvasorjev Dom' hut, where it can get pretty crowded on sunny weekends.

Description:
A signpost at 'Valvasorjev Dom' hut guides you towards Stol. The signpost says it only takes two and a half hours to the summit - this is only true for the 'super-fast' hikers. You reach 'Žirovniška Planina' alpine meadow quickly on a gently sloping path. The path splits there. I suggest that you go up along the shorter and steeper path, which turns to the left uphill. You will not walk through the woods for long and your sight is constantly drawn to Lake Bled which shimmers behind you. A nicely marked path rises rather steeply until it leads you to a grassy slope. You can already see the summit and come to a 'valley' which separates both summits. Proceed on the right side of the 'valley' to 'Prešernova Koča' hut. The view in all directions is getting more beautiful with every step. Descend a bit from the hut and only a few more steps part you from the top. The Stol summit lies at the Slovene–Austrian border. The slopes gradually descend southwards whereas the north ones are wild and precipitous – as usual in Karavanke mountain chain.

Go back again to 'Prešernova Koča' hut and then carry on in the direction of 'Zabreška Planina' alpine meadow. Go towards south-east across quite flat and panoramic grassy slopes. Just above the dwarf pines the path starts to cross to the right. Follow the markings, which lead you to 'Zabreška Planina' meadow in a gentle descent. At the top of the meadow you go down on a dirt road to a very charming pasture hut, which is only 'active' in summer. Proceed on the dirt road to the right, reach 'Žirovska Planina' meadow in 15 minutes and return back to the starting point.

Option: If you wish to make the tour longer (for about 2 hours), you can leave your vehicle by an artificial lake in Završnica (where the dirt road towards 'Valvasorjev Dom' hut branches off to the left). Ascend on the dirt road for a few 100 meters and then the markings guide you to the left. A delightful path runs through a forest.

Highest point/summit:
Stol: 2236 m

Duration:
'Valvasorjev dom' hut - Stol (steep path): 3.15 h
Stol - 'Valvasorjev dom' hut (past 'Zabreška planina' meadow): 2.30
Total: 6 h

Difficulty:
2 - The entire route is technically easy.

Type of path: Marked path

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