Mežica - Koča na Pikovem (via saddle Vrh šteng)

Access to the starting point:
From Črna na Koroškem or from Raven na Koroškem, or via the Holmec or Mežica border crossing, drive to the centre of Mežica, where you park in the parking lot next to Trg svobode.

Path description:
From the starting point, take the one-way road that passes the parish church of St James on the left. You will quickly see the first signs along the road, and follow the signs for Peca at the crossroads. After crossing the stream Šumec, leave the road and cross a small wooden bridge and continue slightly right into the forest. There is a short climb through the forest and then you reach a macadam road, which you follow to the end of a left-hand serpentine. After the serpentine, climb through the lane of the forest, then climb along the edge of the forest for a while. In the part where you climb along the edge of the forest, the markings are sparse or absent for a while, but when the path returns to the forest, the markings return.
Higher up, we reach a small hamlet where the path leads us past a water trough, and we follow the road up to the track of the former ski slope. Here, signs point us left to the ski slope, which we then climb with beautiful views. Higher up, the trail takes us into the woods and then back to the ski slope, which we finally leave just a little further on.
Continue right on cart track, which passes into the forest, and continue ascending diagonally to the right. Climb along this path for some time before reaching the Vrh šteng pass, where there is a marked crossroads and a suitable place for a short rest.
From Vrh šteng continue left towards Koča na Pikovem (slight right Jakobe, sharp right Mežica on the road) and follow the road as it gently descends towards Podpeca. After a few minutes of descending, leave the road towards Podpeca and continue left on the marked path. Continue for a short distance along the slopes of Jesenik, then walk for a while along the upper edge of the view meadow, which opens up to a beautiful view of Raduha and Pec. A little further on, the path returns to the forest and the path from Mežica with the starting point at the Mirje cemetery joins us from the left, and a little further on there is the path through Junčar's ravine. In both cases, continue in the direction of Koča na Pikovem and climb through the woods to a wooden cross, next to which there is a rather old bench.
Continue straight ahead (left Pikov vrh) and gradually start descending. At the part where you leave the forest, another path branches off to the left at Pikov vrh, and we continue straight on to the nearby farm Pik, after which the surrounding area takes its name. After a few minutes of walking along the road, we first get some views towards Pec, and then through the forest we reach the Church of St Helena, behind which is Koča na Pikovem. Mežica - Vrh šteng 1:30, Vrh šteng - Koča na Pikovem 45 minutes.
Description and images refer to the situation in 2018 (April and May).

On the way: Vrh šteng (1030m), Sveta Helena (992m)

We can extend the trip to the following destinations: Pikov vrh, Veliki vrh (nad Mežiško dolino)

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