Dom v Lepeni - Veliki Lemež

Access to the starting point:
Between Trenta and Bovec, the road to Lepena branches off at the village of Soča. Follow this road, which is completely asphalted, to the parking lot of the house in Lepena.

Path description:
From the Home of Dr Klement Hugo in Lepena, follow the path towards Dom pri Krnskih jezerih, Gomiščkovo zavetišče na Krnu and the Dom na Komni. Right from the parking lot, the trail turns into the forest, through which it climbs on a wide mulatier. The mulatier is mostly a moderate ascent (the steep ascent in the lower part has been out of use for some time) through the forest, with only occasional views of the valley and the surrounding mountains. During the ascent, we also cross the route of a cargo cableway several times, which is forbidden to cross when the cableway is not in operation. After a good hour and a half of walking, the trail lays down and leads us just a little further to the top station of the cargo cableway.

From here on, the path leads along the edge of a small valley, and quickly leads to the place where the snow cover is measured every April. There is a short descent and then you arrive at a marked crossroads where the path to Velika Baba branches off to the left.

At the crossroads, we continue along the wide path, which quickly leads us to the next crossroads. This time we turn left down a footpath which leads us in a few minutes to the home at Krnsko jezero (if we continue straight on we bypass the mountain home).

From the house, continue straight on in the direction of Krno and Krnsko jezero along the gently sloping path, which is soon joined by a path that bypasses the mountain lodge. Continue past the shepherd's hut, past which you will reach the next crossroads, where you will again continue in the direction of Krno (to the left Bogatin, Mali Šmohor and the lodge at Komna).

After a few more minutes, the gently sloping path leads us to the pearl of the Krn mountains. In front of us we see Krnsko jezero and alongside it inviting meadows for a rest. The marked trail then leads us along the left side of the lake at the foot of the Malá Šmohorja scree. On the other side of the lake, the path turns slightly to the left and then climbs up a slightly steeper slope, where we join the unmarked (upper) path a little higher up, which crosses the scree above Krnsko jezero (this path is slightly shorter, but exposed to falling rocks). The path then turns slightly right and leads to extensive deposits of torrential gravel, ending at mountain pasture on Polje.

Continue along the slope of the path passing through mountain pasture and you will see a hunting lodge on the right-hand side. Leave the marked trail and turn right onto a trackless track. Keep to the level grassy terrain to the left of the hut and follow the valley towards the saddle Čez Potoče. At the end of mountain pasture before the path starts to climb again you will also see some cairns.

Once you start to climb, the track is again more visible and orientation is not too difficult. The trail continues to climb up the valley and is mostly on grassy terrain. This trail is then followed all the way to the Čez Potoče saddle, where a view to the north opens up for a short time.

At the saddle, leave the beaten track and turn right onto the trackless road. In the initial part of the climb, go immediately along the ridge on the right. The slope here is covered with grass and is sometimes quite steep, so some caution is needed. Especially in wet conditions, the slopes can be dangerous for slipping. The ridge is briefly retreated a little more to the right, and then the climb back up to the ridge is resumed. Soon you reach a headland with some remains from the First World War. There are also some military tunnels on the eastern side of the headland.

From the summit, descend gently down the still mostly grassy slope, which is a shade less steep in this part. Then climb up the right side of the ridge again to the top of Vogel, which opens up a view towards the top of Veliki Lemež, further up the ridge. From the trail we have a nice view towards Krno and the valley of the Soča River.

From the top of Vogel, continue along the ridge and descend slightly again. There follows some walking on a slightly wider and lower ridge, which leads us under the steeper slopes of the next peak. The grassy ridge here becomes very narrow and is also slightly exposed in places, so some caution is needed when ascending. Continue along the ridge and you will soon reach the next headland.

From the summit, descend the steep slope along the ridge where there is also a slightly less well-trodden path. After a short descent, the path leads us to a notch where we will see on the right side a larger collapse that occurred during the 1998 earthquake.


From the stubble, the ridge becomes narrow again and the track briefly takes us to the left north side of the ridge. There is a short climb up a steep and rather exposed grassy slope, which is quite dangerous for slipping, especially in wet conditions. The ridge is quickly regained and becomes less demanding again. Then it's a climb up a wide grassy slope to the summit.

Descend along the ascent route.

On the way: Dom pri Krnskih jezerih mountain hut (1385m), The lake Krnsko jezero (1391m), Planina na Polju (1530m), Čez Potoče (1850m), Vogel (nad Lepeno) (1980m)

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