Križe - Mala Poljana

Access to the starting point:
a) From the motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice take the exit Naklo, then continue in the direction of Žeje, Spodnje and Zgornje Duplje until Retnje, where you turn right towards Križe. Continue past the NOB memorial, the sports ground Križe to the parking area next to the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
b) From the motorway Jesenice - Ljubljana, take the exit Podbrezje and then continue towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol station in Bistrica pri Tržiču, turn right and then drive to Tržič. When the road descends into the valley, take a sharp right in the direction of Pristava and Križ, and continue along the main road leading to Zgornji and Spodnje Duplje, leaving the main road at Retnje, where you turn left in the direction of Križe and Golnik. Continue past the NOB memorial, the sports ground Križe to the parking area next to the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the road to the east, where the path leads you first past the church, then past the post office, the Benk Inn and the bakery to the crossroads at the chapel, where you continue left in the direction of Pristava. The road then leads us past the Tušek market Markič shop, and then we see the first mountain signs for Gozd, Kriško gora and Storžič, which lead us right onto Planinska cesta. At the crossroads through the village, follow the markings, and then the road loses its asphalt coating and turns into a forest. A few minutes higher up, at the junction of dirt roads, continue right, and then gradually emerge from the forest, from where a beautiful view opens up towards Gorenjska. After the viewpoint, the road becomes asphalt and leads to a place where you join the road leading to the Forest. Follow the road to the left, but walk along it for only a short distance, as the signs lead you to the right to cart track.
Leave the road at a small information board informing you that the Shelter in the Woods is open. From cart track continue immediately 2 times to the left, so that the ascent continues along the forest path, which soon joins another cart track, after which you return to the asphalt road in a few minutes. Walk along the road for a few steps, then the path from Tržič joins from the left, and the footpath or cart track continues on the right towards Zavetišče v Gozdu (straight ahead on Koča na Kriški gori - a steep path).
Continue along the right-hand path (track), which initially runs parallel to the road and then leads past a water trough. A little further on, leave the track, as the markings lead us left on a slightly steeper path, which soon returns to the track and the asphalt road. Follow the road to the right, and we walk along it for a few more minutes, or until we reach a large parking lot on the right and the Shelter in the Woods next to it.
From the shelter, walk to the nearby church, then come to a marked crossroads where the path from Golnik joins from the right. Continue left up the deteriorating road, which leads to the crossroads in a few minutes.
Continue along the right-hand track in the direction of Storžič, Tolsti vrh and Male and Velika Poljana (Koča na Kriški gori on the left). The cart track, which climbs transversely eastwards, has a couple of switchbacks in the lower part, but these are well marked, so there are no major problems with orientation. Higher up, the track turns into a gradually steeper footpath, which leads out of the woods onto the grassy slopes. After a while, the path lays down and leads us to a pleasant lookout point with a bench, next to which we notice a memorial.
The path then crosses a steep grassy slope (danger of slipping and, in winter, of avalanches) and then passes into a dense forest, where it reaches a marked crossroads. Continue straight ahead in the direction Velika Poljana (Tolsti vrh on the left), where you will cross wooded slopes for a short time, then the forest gradually thins out and changes to the steeper slopes of Štajnarice, where it continues with a few short ascents and descents, with a few rocks to help you on the harder parts. In the last part of the Štajnarice crossing, we cross another steep grassy slope, from where we get our first close view of Storžič. Behind the bench, the path passes into the forest and then begins to descend crosswise towards Mala Poljana, which is reached after a few minutes. Once out of the forest, you will also reach the track leading down to the hunting lodge at Mali Poljana.

On the way: Zavetišče v Gozdu mountain hut (891m)

We can extend the trip to the following destinations: Velika Poljana ( 15 min), Dom na Kališču, Tolsti vrh, Storžič

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