Volovljek - Rogatec (via Lepenatka)

Access to the starting point:
a) First, drive to Kamnik, then continue driving towards the Črnivec Pass. Just a few 100 m before the pass, you will see signs for Kranjski Rak, which direct you sharp left onto a narrow and initially quite steep road. The road is higher and then leads us to the Volovljek Pass, where we park near the Kranjski Rak guesthouse (parking in front of the guesthouse is only allowed for guests). There is a little more parking space near the Štajerski Rak guesthouse.
b) From Gornji Grad, drive towards Kamnik, and then, just 100 m after the Črnivec Pass, turn right towards Kranjski Rak. Continue as described above.
c) From the Savinjska valley, first drive to Luce, then continue towards Kamnik. When you reach the Volovljek pass, park in a suitable place next to the Kranjski Rak guesthouse (only guests are allowed to park in front of the guesthouse). There is a little more parking space near the Štajerski Rak guesthouse.

Path description:
From the Volovljek Pass, first walk to the Štajerski Rak cafeteria (the cafeteria is located on the eastern side of the Volovljek Pass, but on maps Štajerski Rak is marked where the Štajerski Rak homestead once stood).
From the Štajerski Rak refreshment bar, continue along the forest road, which begins to climb gently to moderately through the forest. During the cross-country ascent along the road, the path mostly leads us along the north-western slopes of Kranjska Ribra, from which we occasionally get a nice view of Podvolovljek and the mountains above the valley. Higher up, the forest ends transitively and a view of the highest peaks of the Kamnik and Savinja Alps opens up, and the road turns slightly to the right and leads us to an area called Na kalu, where there is a marked crossroads.
Here, a marked trail to Kranjska reber branches off to the right, the road continues in a straight direction, which leads to the Črnivec Pass, and we continue to the left, along the road in the direction of Lepenatka. The road then descends crosswise on the eastern slopes of Kašnega vrh, from where we have a nice view towards Menina mountain pasture in a few places. When the road turns sharp left and turns into cart track, leave it and continue straight into the forest. Continue through the forest for some time, descending via a short jump. At a lower level you reach a forest road, which you follow in a straight line, and then, as the road turns slightly to the right off the ridge, you continue straight on to the ascending cart track, along which there are also markings. cart track first climbs steeply up the ridge, then turns slightly to the left and down an unmarked cart track, which after a short cross-country descent joins the forest road, It is possible to continue along this road towards Bivak na Kalu, but we continue straight on, first a short way along cart track and then slightly right on a marked footpath. The path immediately starts to climb steeply, but soon turns slightly to the right, where it crosses over a steeper slope. The path continues to climb steeply, occasionally leading over a short exposed section, where greater care is needed, especially in wet and snowy conditions. Higher up, the slope gradually flattens out and the path turns right to lead to the ridge to the east of Kunšperski vrh (aka Brezovec). When you reach the ridge, continue right (left Kunšperski vrh, 5 minutes of easy potholes) along the marked path, which continues along the occasionally scenic ridge. Continue climbing gently to moderately along or slightly left of the ridge. Higher up, the path leads over a grazing fence, beyond which you enter the top grassy slopes of Lepenatka. A few minutes of moderate climbing follows, along a path from which beautiful views open up from nearby Velika Rogatec, through Raduha and Olševek, to the highest peaks of Kamnik Savinja Alps and already reaching the grassy summit of Lepenatka.
From the top of Lepenatka, continue along the ridge for a few 10 steps, and then at the marked crossroads turn left down towards the Kal saddle and Velika Rogatec. There follows about 15 minutes of moderate downhill on an initially quite scenic grassy slope, and then you arrive at the Kal saddle, where there is a marked crossroads.
From the crossroads, continue straight ahead in the direction of the climbing route to Rogatec (left Bivak na Kalu 1 minute, slightly right Rogatec past Zgornji Špeh, right St. Lenart). The route ahead turns slightly left and leads to the entrance to the climbing section. There is a steep climb up the slope, which is partly rocky and partly grassy, and then the path turns slightly right, where it continues to climb steeply, this time through a sparse forest. Higher up, the path leads us to a ridge from which we have a beautiful view of the Kamnik and Savinja Alps. Continue to the left, where we are initially helped by a few wedges, and then climb along an unprotected and partly precipitous ridge. After a few minutes, the ridge turns into a forest, through which it climbs steeply a few times. Higher up, the forest begins to thin out, and just below the summit, we step completely out of the forest, with only a few more 10 steps to the nearby summit, taking in the beautiful views.
The climbing part of the route is technically not too difficult, but it is not belayed and is therefore very dangerous to slip on in the wet.
Volovljek - Lepenatka 2:15, Lepenatka - Bivak na Kalu 15 minutes, Bivak na Kalu - Rogatec 50 minutes.

On the way: Na kalu (1250m), Sedlo Kunšperk (1119m), Lepenatka (1425m), Bivak na Kalu (1285m)

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