Prelaz Vrhe - Rudijev dom na Donački gori

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana–Maribor motorway, take the Dramlje exit and follow the road ahead towards Šentjur, Rogaška Slatina and Rogatec. In Rogatec, signs for Donačka gora direct us left onto a somewhat narrower road, which we then follow towards the settlement Žetale. On a smaller pass, right at the spot where the municipality of Rogatec ends, we will notice a somewhat larger parking lot on the right side, where we park.

Route description:
From the parking lot we first walk to the pass, where we continue on the left ascending road in the direction of Donačka gora. After a short ascent, only a few meters after the house with thatched roof, signs for Donačka gora point us to the right on a gently sloping cart track which after a few steps goes into a short stretch of forest.
The cart track quickly comes out of the forest and then continues on a panoramic hay meadow. Higher, the path brings us to a lonely homestead, past which leads the marked path. Only a little above the mentioned farm, we join a somewhat wider cart track which we follow to the right (left Sveti Jurij and church of St. Donatus). The cart track, which further ascends diagonally, mostly through the forest brings us to the next junction, where the path towards Žetale branches off to the right.
Here we continue straight in the direction of Rudijev dom (left Donačka gora) and diagonally descend. During the diagonal descent we cross also the path Kupčinji Vrh - Donačka gora, then we arrive at a junction, where we reach a somewhat wider cart track.
We continue slightly left (sharply right Kupčinji Vrh and Žetale) in the direction of Rudijev dom and cross the northern slopes of Donačka gora.
During the crossing we go past the hunting observation post, behind it on the left side we bypass indistinct Joški vrh. The cart track a few minutes further brings us to a macadam road, which we follow slightly uphill.
Still before the mountain hut the usual path to Donačka gora branches off to the left, from the right also joins a marked path from Stoperce, after the junction in a few dozen steps we arrive at Rudijev dom.

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