Viewpoints above Pokljuka plateau

Basic information

Location

Pokljuka (Bled)

Difficulty

Duration

5 h

Trail type

označena

Start point elevation

1300 m

Highest point

2014 m

Total vertical climb

830 m

Starting point:
From Bled follow signposts for Gorje and Pokljuka. Drive through villages Spodnje and Zgornje Gorje, then the road starts to ascend. On a main road towards Rudno Polje on Pokljuka pay attention to a large board for 'Bohinj' which points to the left. Do NOT turn towards Bohinj, but follow the main road forward and only a few meters later spot a small signpost for 'Lipanca', which directs you to the right onto a small forest road. Follow this road for about 4.5 km to a parking lot by Javornik meadow. Park here (around 1300 m).

Description:
From the parking lot follow the signposts towards 'Lipanca' alpine meadow. A wide path ascends gently through the interesting forests of Pokljuka plateau. Following the signposts you should reach Lipanca meadow in about an hour. When you reach the meadow, the path towards Debela peč turns right (just before the huts). Through the larch forest you'll soon reach a somewhat steeper section that gets flatter later on.

The path is well marked and following the signposts for Debela peč you shouldn't have any orientation problems. The path will take you to a saddle between the summits of Brda and Debela peč. Here you get the first views towards the central Julian Alps. Keep to the right and descend slightly towards north-east. The grassy peak of Debela peč is now just a short stroll away. It offers an amazing view all the way from Ljubljana basin to the highest Slovenian peaks.

From the top return along the same route to the saddle under the summit of Brda. Once there, look for a path that goes in the direction of Brda (a somewhat less visible inscription on a rock). A well-trodden path crosses the southern slopes of Brda and a little later the path to the summit branches off on your right. You can climb it or continue along the same path. Descend a bit until you reach marked crossroad (signposts) just below the ridge. From here you can either go back towards Lipanca meadow or continue along the ridge towards the summits of Lipanski vrh and Mrežce. We suggest that you turn right (northwards) in the direction of the signpost to 'Kovinarska koča' or 'Krma'. The path moves to the north side of the ridge, descends a little and soon you'll reach the next crossroad. Turn left and ascend to the ridge again.

Here another path diverges to the left towards Lipanca meadow (no signpost). If you wish to skip the difficult part go left, but if you wish to diversify your hike a bit, you can climb to Lipanski vrh along the ridge. The path is a bit steeper but shouldn't pose any problems to experienced hikers. The summits of Lipanski vrh and Mrežce are very close to each other, but they are separated by a small notch traversable with help of steel cables. Caution is needed!

From the grassy summit of Mrežce a nice marked trail descends towards south and turns in the direction of Lipanca meadow below you. From Lipanca return to the starting point the way you came.

Happy hikers on the Slotrips Best Walks in Slovenia walking tour

Highest point/summit:
Debela peč: 2014 m
Brda: 2009 m
Mrežce: 1965 m

Duartion:
Parking - Lipanca meadow: 1 h
Lipanca meadow - Debela peč: 1.30 h
Debela peč - Brda: 45 min
Brda - Mrežce: 30 min
Mrežce - Lipanca meadow - Parking: 1.30 h
Total: 5 h

Difficulty:
2 - Almost the whole hike is technically very easy. The only difficult section is the short but steep part between Lipanski vrh and Mrežce, where you'll find some steel cables. If you have strong vertigo, you won't like this part. If you don't like the steep part, you can descend straight back to Lipanca meadow from the saddle below Lipanski vrh.

Type of path: Marked