Kraljev hrib - Gradišče (Velika planina) (via Rigelj)

Access to starting point:
First, we drive to Kamnik, then we continue driving towards Kamniška Bistrica and the cableway to Velika planina. In Stahovica, we continue left (towards Kamniška Bistrica and the Velika planina cableway) and follow the moderately ascending road to the large parking lot near the lower cableway station to Velika planina (the parking lot is located on the right side of the road).

Route description:
The path over Rigelj is a partly marked hunting footpath.
From the parking lot, we go on a wide and well-maintained macadam road, which leads to the inn Kraljev hrib. We leave the road right before it turns into the inn's yard and step onto a cart track that starts beside the transformer. Here a couple of cars can park. We follow the cart track to a large feed barn, where it turns sharply left, and we continue straight on a nicely beaten and routed footpath. It gently crosses the slope on the right and later starts to ascend more steeply in zigzags. We must be careful not to miss the junction, which is nicely marked but more in a hunting style. We recognize it by a thick beech tree all covered with carved marks. Here the footpath turns sharply left and right. The right one goes towards Sivnik and further over Gamsove streže to Kisovec and Mala planina. Here we turn left towards Rigelj. That we are really on the right path is indicated by the bent beech tree, which is the first tree under which we pass.
The footpath steeply ascends in zigzags across grassy slopes and through the forest. On the left, a mighty rocky massif surrounds us, and several times a really nice view opens up onto the valley of Kamniška Bistrica and the peaks above it. The footpath has no junctions for a long time and is easy to follow.
Already quite high up, the footpath splits into two parts, but they are only a few meters apart. One branch leads to a viewpoint that is definitely worth visiting. From there is a nice view of Konjska dolina, the lower part of Kamniška Bistrica, and the Ljubljana basin.
When we leave the viewpoint, after a few meters on the saddle the footpath splits. Right goes gently downhill towards Sivnik, straight ahead steeply uphill towards Rigelj. Uphill it is hard to get lost, but downhill much easier, as the footpath splits and each branch goes its own way into the valley.
To avoid confusion, from the viewpoint we go straight steeply uphill. The footpath is even secured with a wooden fence in one place. Soon we also reach the border of Velika planina, which we recognize by the fence over which we must go. From there the first cottages above Šimnovec are already visible. The footpath gradually splits into at least three branches, but it doesn't matter which one we take, because after a couple of minutes we reach open pastures and spot the chairlift, which runs almost perpendicular to our direction.
To here we needed just under two and a half hours.
From here we have at least three options. We can turn left under the chairlift and in under ten minutes we are at the upper station of the gondola. We can take the cable car down to the car. The second option is to go straight, perpendicular under the chairlift, right past Komatarjeve bajte on an unmarked footpath to planina Konjščica and then on a marked footpath over planina Dol back to the starting point (about two hours).
If we have more time, we can turn right along the chairlift uphill towards Zeleni rob and continue to the summit (Gradišče), for which half an hour should suffice. From the summit we can continue the circular tour via Planšarsko naselje, past Domžalski dom and Mala planina on the hunting footpath over Gamsove streže, Kačjek, and Sivnik back to that famous beech tree at the junction and back to the starting point at Kraljev hrib.

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