Ljubenske Rastke (Vrnivšek) - Smrekovec

Access to starting point:
From Mozirje, Gornji Grad or Luče we drive to Ljubno ob Savinji, from there we follow the signs for Smrekovec. Through Ljubno ob Savinji we first drive on the occasionally narrower Cesta v Rastke, at crossroads among houses we follow the signs for Smrekovec. After the settlement the road widens, then to Ljubenske Rastke it mostly gently and moderately ascends, from here on it gradually becomes narrower and steeper. A little before the NOB memorial a path branches off to the right, which leads past the farm Atelšek. At the memorial the road makes two hairpin turns, then a little after MHE Naraločnik it turns sharply right again, crosses the stream Krumpah, and then on the left we already notice the mountain signposts for Dom na Smrekovcu. We park at an appropriate place by the road.

Route description:
At the starting point signs for Smrekovec direct us to the left, onto a cart track that begins to ascend through the forest. We ascend along the cart track that runs along the slopes above the left bank of the Krumpah stream, which is overgrown with grass that they occasionally mow in a narrower strip, as otherwise the grass grows quite high. While walking along the cart track, on the right we notice pipes through which water flows for the nearby small hydropower plant, a little higher we arrive at the water intake. At the intake the marked path also reaches the stream bed, along which it then continues. The quite slippery path runs right by the stream, a little further on it crosses it and temporarily steeply ascends to the right of the stream. The steepness quickly eases, as we reach a forest road, which we follow to the left, walking along it to its end, or to the place where it turns into an ascending cart track. The cart track ascends again by the stream, then, when we approach the nearby waterfall, we cross the stream (the ascent from the bed is not entirely easy, as we must climb out of it with the help of hands) and on the other side we continue along the marked forest path. A somewhat longer traverse ascent follows, where we cross a few torrents, and occasionally the path leads us under cliffs. Higher up the path turns sharply right, where we first ascend over a steep slope, then the slope flattens, the cart track widens but becomes more overgrown. This section too they occasionally mow in a narrower strip to make passage along the overgrown cart track easier, only the part through younger spruces is not mown, but this part is not long.
A little further we cross a macadam road that crosses most of the southern part of the Smrekovec ridge, and we continue along the cart track in the direction of Smrekovec.
Before the nearby wooden hut we continue left, behind it twice right, again in the direction of Smrekovec. A little further we cross another streamlet, then we moderately ascend for a few minutes. When we reach the macadam road we follow it to the nearby Dom na Smrekovcu.
From Dom na Smrekovcu we continue in the direction of the Smrekovec summit, where the path first leads over a short panoramic section from which a view opens towards the central Kamnik-Savinja Alps, then it enters a sparse forest, where after a short ascent we reach a marked junction, continuing right (straight to Komen, Travnik...). From the junction onwards the forest thins even more, then it leads us over a completely bare section somewhat more to the right, where with views reaching far around, without major difficulties we reach the pyramid on the summit of Smrekovec.
Starting point - Dom na Smrekovcu 1:30, Dom na Smrekovcu - Smrekovec 30 minutes.

Along the route: Dom na Smrekovcu mountain hut (1375m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Krnes, Komen

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, panorama, summit register