Polja - Ofen/Peč (via Petelinjek)
Starting point: Polja (1028 m)
| Lat/Lon: | 46,5085°N 13,751°E |
| |
Name of path: via Petelinjek
Time of walking: 2 h 45 min
Difficulty: easy unmarked way
Altitude difference: 480 m
Altitude difference po putu: 660 m
Map: Kranjska Gora 1:30.000
Recommended equipment (summer):
Recommended equipment (winter): ice axe, crampons
Views: 1.720
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Access to the starting point:
a) First drive to Kranjska Gora, then continue driving towards Rateče. In Podkoren turn right towards the Korensko sedlo pass. Above Podkoren, the road turns sharp left and then crosses the slopes to the left for a while. About 50 metres before the 1 km road marker, a forest road branches off to the left, which you turn onto and park alongside in a suitable roadside space.
b) Via Border crossing Predel, drive into Itali, then continue to Trbiž / Tarvisio and on to Rateci. At Rateče go straight on, then at Podkoren turn left towards Austria. Above Podkoren, the road turns sharp left and then crosses the slopes to the left for a while. About 50 metres before the 1 km road marker, a forest road forks off to the left, which you turn onto and park alongside in a suitable roadside space.
Path description:
From the starting point, continue along the forest road, which turns semicircularly to the left and leads you along the pasture. The road, which begins to climb gently to moderately after the bend, soon crosses the small stream Kališnik, and then slowly turns more and more to the right. Higher up, you reach a lookout point, which offers a beautiful view towards Kranjska Gora and part of the Julian Alps. Cross a pasture fence, and immediately after this crossing continue to the right on the partly overgrown cart track, which climbs crosswise above the road. Climb the overgrown cart track for a few minutes, then cart track turns into dense forest, where it is more easily traversed. Higher up, at the part where cart track is lost in the grass, continue to the right and in a few steps join the path leading from Rateč.
Further on, we climb up the area called Lomiči, where in several grassy places we can see old, mostly rather worn out, cairns. As we climb along this part, we look back and a nice view of Julian Alps opens up several times, and we reach a macadam road higher up, which we follow to the left (the right-hand side of the road soon ends). We climb along the road for a few minutes, and then reach a crossroads, where we continue slightly to the right (Ofen and Rateče to the left, and Kališje to the sharp right) along the road, which continues to climb steeply uphill from here. A little further on, the forest ends, where the path leads past a hunting observation post. After a few minutes of walking along the eastern slopes of the Petelinjek ridge, there is a sharp left fork cart track, which is usually flanked by a smaller cairn.
Continue along the above-mentioned cart track (the road you leave ends a little further on at the state border) and quickly climb it to a wooded saddle in the Petelinjek ridge. Continue to the right and continue your ascent along the cart track, which leads you over occasionally scenic, partly grassy slopes. Higher up, cart track returns to the ridge, which continues with some ascents and descents. A little further on, cart track ends and a fainter path ascends to the top of Petelinjek. From Petelinjek, which offers a beautiful view to the west and north, continue left and descend along the state border to a small saddle, where you will reach the Austrian marked trail No 603, and continue along it in a slight ascent to the upper station of the 3-seat railway.
A few minutes of moderate downhill follow, following a path from which you can clearly see Ofen (the three-way between Slovenia, Itali and Austria) ahead, and Dobratsch and then the Gailtaler Alps chain to the right, and then you reach the Dreiländereck Hütte hut.
From the hut there are a few steps downhill, and then the signs for Ofen direct us to cart track, which we follow, with increasingly beautiful views, to the top of Ofeni or Tromeja.
Starting point - Petelinjek 2:00, Petelinjek - hut Dreiländereck Hütte 25 minutes, hut Dreiländereck Hütte - Ofen 20 minutes.
Description and pictures refer to the situation in 2016 (October).
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Discussion about the trail Polja - Ofen/Peč (via Petelinjek)