Mežica - Pikov vrh (via homestead Jesenik)

Access to starting point:
From Črna na Koroškem or from Ravne na Koroškem, or through the border crossing Holmec or Mežica, we drive to Mežica, where signs for the cemetery Mirje direct us towards the west on a local road. We also drive past the old cemetery, and then we park on the marked parking lot.

Route description:
From the starting point, we continue upwards on the asphalt road; when the road turns left, we leave it and continue straight on the cart track in the direction of Pikova. We continue along the cart track, which ascends along the route of a former ski slope; today, along the path, we notice the Mežica disc golf course. Initially, looking back, we still see Mežica and the surrounding hills, then the path, along which there are almost no blazes, enters a valley between the 729-meters-high hill on the left (unnamed peak on maps) and Štalekarjev vrh on the right. When the valley turns towards the west, a marked cart track branches off to the left from the ski slope, along which we continue. The cart track quickly turns even a little more to the left and then ascends transversely to the ridge, where we continue to the right in the direction of Koča na Pikovem. For some time the path follows the ridge, then gradually turns slightly left onto the slopes across which we mostly ascend transversely. Higher up, we bypass the Jesenik homestead from the lower left side, where the path leads past the ruins of an old house. A little further on, we cross a macadam road (to the left we descend into the valley or continue to Koča na Pikovem along the old path; to the right, the Jesenik homestead), then we ascend more steeply along the cart track, following it all the way to the saddle from which a view opens towards the southwest.
From the saddle, we continue straight in the direction of Koča na Pikovem and quickly descend to the point where we join the path Vrh šteng - Koča na Pikovem.
We follow the path to the left; a little further, an old path also joins from the left. We continue again in the direction of Koča na Pikovem and ascend through the forest to a wooden cross, beside which there is a quite old bench.
At the mentioned landmark, we leave the marked path and continue left along a trail that starts to ascend steeply through the forest. After a few minutes of ascent, we join the path leading from the Pik homestead, but we continue left along the gradually less steep path, following it to the nearby Pikov vrh, where a wooden observation tower stands.
The description and photos refer to the conditions in 2018 (May).

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Koča na Pikovem, Šumahov vrh (1 h 5 min), Veliki vrh (above Mežiška dolina) ( 40 min), Jesenik

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