Potoče - Srednji vrh (via Sveti Jakob, below Potoška gora and over Baba)

Access to the starting point:
a) From the motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice, take the exit Kranj - East, then continue driving towards Jezersko. When you arrive in Preddvor, leave the main road and continue driving to the left, then after a few 10 m, opposite the Jelovica company, continue to the right in the direction of the villages of Potoče, St. Jakob and Potoška gora and Lake Črnava. The road continues through the village of Hrib, above which we reach a crossroads where we continue straight on (Hotel Bor and Lake Črnava on the left, the Senior Citizens' Home Preddvor on the right). There is a gentle climb of 100 m to the chapel, where the road turns right and we continue past a few more houses, then turn left in front of the Senior Citizens' Home into a large gravel parking area.
b) From the motorway Jesenice - Ljubljana, take the exit Kranj - West and continue left at the first junction. Continue through the underpass under the motorway and then to the roundabout, from where you continue in the direction of Golnik. The road continues through the village of Mlaka at Kranj, and at the end of the village we turn right towards Srakovlje. We then drive through Srakovlje, Spodnja Bela, Srednja Bela to Zgornja Bela, where we turn right towards Preddvor. At the end of Preddvor, just 10 m before the road joins the main road Zgornje Jezersko - Kranj, turn left towards the villages of Potoče, St. Jakob and Potoška gora and Lake Črnava. The road continues through the village of Hrib, above which you reach a crossroads where you continue straight on (Hotel Bor and Lake Črnava on the left, Preddvor Senior Citizens' Home on the right). There is a gentle climb of 100 m to the chapel, where the road turns right, and we follow it past a few more houses, then turn left in front of the Senior Citizens' Home onto a larger gravel parking area.

Path description:
A few steps before the start of the parking lot, by the fence of the Senior Citizens' Home Preddvor, we will see mountain direction signs, and we will take the path in the direction of Senčnica Josipine Turnograjske. The trail starts at the aforementioned fence and then continues through the forest. Through the forest we climb quite steeply for a few minutes, and then the path is laid and leads us to Senčnica Josipine Turnograjske, where there is also a registration box with a registration book.
From the top, there is a short descent along a forest path, and then you reach a forest road, which you follow to the left, and then descend gently for a short time. Soon you reach another wider road (the road leading from the parking lot near the Senior Citizens' Home Preddvor and bypassing Senčnica Josipine Turnograjske), which you cross slightly to the left, where you see red mountain direction signs as you enter the forest (you can also follow the aforementioned road to get here).
Continue in the direction of the ruins Novi grad) and the footpath towards St. Jakob and Potoska Gora. The path continues to climb moderately through the wooded valley, then splits into two parts.
Continue slightly right in the direction of St James, Potoška gora and Javorov vrh (Novi grad on the left and Juhant's path) along a path that gradually recedes from the valley more and more to the right. The marked trail, which occasionally climbs steeply, crosses the forest road a few times further on, leading towards St. James, Planinska koča pri Franciju and the Iskra Mountain Hut on Jakob. Once higher up, at the red marker, rejoin the road and follow it to the left. Walk along the road for a few 10 m, then continue slightly right in the direction of Planinska koča Iskra na Jakobu (straight ahead to the Mountain hut at Francium). After a few more minutes of climbing, the path "along the road" joins us from the right. Continue left and the path leads us out of the forest to a marked crossroads, where we continue along the lower left path in the direction of St. James (right Potoška gora, Javorov vrh. . . ). There are only a few minutes of gentle ascent and the path leads us first to the Church of St James, and a few steps further to the Iskra Mountain Hut on Jakob.
From the hut and the church we return to the last crossroads, and from there we continue to the nearby road, down which we start descending, and then after a few steps we arrive at the place where the signs for the spring below Potoška gora (also Mežnarjeva voda) direct us to a footpath that continues parallel to the road. The path first leads along a slightly exposed artificial shelf and then into the forest, through which it gently descends. The path soon stops descending, and then, in a gentle ascent, leads to the spring below Potoška gora. Behind the spring there is a marked crossroads where one of the marked paths leading to Potočam continues down to the right, and we continue slightly to the left on an unmarked path that begins to climb crosswise. Soon we reach the first hut on Mihčeva kopišča, which we pass on the right. Just a few minutes further on, you will reach the second and third huts, the latter (the hut at Pleškota) being a suitable resting place.
The third hut is also reached on the right, and then you continue along the path which leads into the lane of a forest. When we leave the forest, the path splits, and we continue straight on the initially slightly less visible path (left Potoška gora). If we continue on the left path, after a few metres we will see the signs for Čemšenik and Baba, which direct us to the right, but there is no nice crossing in this part, so we leave the path at the crossroads mentioned a few steps lower.
The path towards Čemšenik and Baba quickly turns into a forest and starts to descend gently. It descends for a few minutes and then crosses a small torrential ravine (there is a large stand of hellebores in the area around the torrent), after which it lays down or begins to climb gently. The path then crosses a short clearing, and then, after leaving the forest again, it reaches the partly grassy slopes of Baba, where it first reaches a wooden cottage, where it joins the path from Doma na Čemšeniku (Home at Čemšenik). Here, after the hut, continue left and after a few steps of ascent you will reach the registration box at Baba.
From the registration box, continue along the well-traced path, which continues along the occasionally overlooked ridge, from which we initially have a beautiful view towards Cjanovca, Kočna, Grintovec, Kalški greben and other surrounding hills. The way forward initially continues along the left side of the ridge, and then, after an undistinguished saddle, passes to the right (eastern) slopes of Potoska Gora. There is a cross-climb of a few minutes and then we join the marked path leading from Doma Čemšenik.
Continue upwards and relatively quickly reach the saddle between Potoška gora on the left and the Javorov vrh peak on the right.
At the saddle there is a marked crossroads where you continue to the right (left Potoška gora, slightly left Planinska koča Iskra na Jakobu (one of the above mentioned paths can be descended) in the direction of Javorje Peak. The path continues along a wooded ridge, only retreating to the right of an indistinct headland. There is a slight ascent, from where we regain some views, and then the path returns to the forest and splits. Here we continue left in the direction of Srednji vrh, Kališča and Storžič (straight Javorov vrh for 15 minutes) along a path that leads us after a few further steps to a pleasant little well. This is followed by a half-hour crossing of the slopes below Javorov vrh, ending at the saddle between the above-mentioned peak and Cjanovca.
Continue straight on in the direction of Cjanovca and Srednji vrh (Hudičev boršt on the left, Javorov vrh on the sharp right) on a path that begins to climb steeply along and along the eastern ridge of Cjanovca. Higher up, the path leads us out of the forest onto slopes covered with dwarf pines, and we continue along an increasingly steep and, in places, very scenic path. The path, from which we have beautiful views of Kočno, Grintovec, Kalški greben and Gorenjska, slowly turns slightly to the left. Follow this increasingly scenic and relatively steep path all the way to the top of Cjanovca, where there is a bench and a small cairn.
From Cjanovca, continue northwards along the path which descends through the lane of dwarf pines to the saddle between Cjanpvca and Sredni vrh. Here you will reach a ridge, which you will follow to Srednji vrh, which you will reach after a few minutes of further walking.
Potoče - St. Jakob 1:15, St. Jakob - Mihčeva kopišča 30 minutes, Mihčeva kopišča - Baba 25 minutes, Baba - Cjanovca 2:20, Cjanovca - Srednji vrh 15 minutes.

On the way: Planinska koča Iskra na Jakobu mountain hut (961m), Izvir pod Potoško goro (960m), Mihčeva kopišča (1100m), Baba (1119m), Cjanovca (1820m)

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