Mošćenice - Balin (mimo Kalvarije in Peruna)

Access to starting point:
Via the border crossing at Jelšane or Pasjak, drive onto the motorway towards Rijeka. Leave the motorway at the Opatija junction and continue on the expressway towards Pula, exiting at the first Opatija exit. Follow the signs for Lovran. Drive along the coastal road to the town of Mošćenička Draga, where at the intersection turn slightly right towards Mošćenice. Parking is available at the parking lot in Mošćenice or lower along the road.

Route description:
From the starting point, continue along the road past the Perun inn, and soon a sign directs us right onto the path. After a short ascent between houses, it leads to a junction with a chapel. The marked path goes left, but we continue right into a short stretch of forest. From here, the path is marked only with the K sign. After about 10 minutes of uneven ascent on a rather rocky path, we reach the chapel and the Church of the Holy Cross at Kalvarija.
Bypass the church on the left side and continue along the path that leads along a dry stone wall. The path gently ascends through the forest. Further on, the forest thins slightly and we reach a small clearing where the path gently descends. The first views open towards the Učka ridge and the sea. After a short ascent, we step back onto the marked path to the Chapel of Christ the King in the hamlet of Marići. Then we step onto the asphalt road that leads through a restricted hamlet. After a longer ascent, we briefly leave the road and take a marked shortcut back to the road and into the hamlet of Mihani. Signs direct us right onto the path. We bypass the last house on the left and enter the forest. The path gently ascends to the road, where there is a marked junction. Left along the road leads to Kremenjak, but we continue straight ahead along the path. After 15 minutes along the gentle path, we reach the Votive Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, next to which there is a bench. Continue along the path that ascends unevenly. Higher up, the path leads along the left side above a small gully, then turns left onto a scenic meadow. After about half an hour of ascent from the chapel, we step onto the road, which we follow right. Straight ahead is the marked path to Perun or towards the Učka ridge. From here, the path is no longer marked. Soon a path branches right to a small viewpoint from which the Gulf of Rijeka and the island of Cres are visible. After 20 minutes of walking along the eastern slope of Perun, we reach a turning area, where we turn left onto the logging trail. After a few minutes, it brings us to a junction near a small pond. Here we step back onto the marked path. Straight along the logging trail leads to Perun, another 15 minutes, but we continue right. The path begins to descend transversely and in 10 minutes of walking we reach the road. After a few steps, we reach a junction where the previously mentioned marked path that bypasses Perun joins from the opposite side, but we turn right. The path leads past a hunting observation post and gently descends behind it. The path then turns right and enters dense forest. Continuing, we walk across a short grassy section and soon reach the saddle or main ridge of Učka. Straight ahead the path leads to Vojak via Mala Učka and to Podmaj, but we continue left. Along a gentle and scenic path that becomes somewhat steeper towards the end, we reach the scenic summit of Balin in 20 minutes.
Description and photos refer to the condition in January 2026.

Along the route: Sveti Križ na Kalvariji (225m), Kapelica Krista Kralja (415m), Marići (420m), Mihani (490m), Zavjetna kapelica Srca Jezusovega (570m)

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