Rodine - Smokuški vrh (via Sankaška koča)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Gorenjska highway at the Lesce exit, then from the roundabout we take the exit in the direction of Radovljica. From the next roundabout we head to the Hraše exit, then we drive through the underpass under the highway, after which we arrive in Hraše. Through Hraše we continue straight, at the crossroads we follow the main road. After Hraše the road leads us under the high-voltage power line, then from the next crossroad we continue straight. There follows driving on a narrower asphalt road, then we arrive in Rodine and a little further to the crossroad by the birth house of Janez Jalen, where the described footpath begins. At the starting point there are no arranged parking spots.
To the starting point we can also arrive from Žirovnica or Begunje na Gorenjskem.

Route description:
The path first leads past Jalen's birth house and the church of St. Klemen, and we follow the road at the crossroads in the direction of the Pot kulturne dediščine Žirovnica. Higher up the road leads us also past the children's playground and the ecological island, then we reach the upper edge of the village, where we cross a metal grazing fence. On the other side of the fence we continue on the cart track, which leads us across the pasture; at the edge of the forest it turns left and flattens out completely. For a short time we continue along the edge of the forest, then the path turns slightly right into the forest. Through the forest we ascend transversely to the left, then quickly reach another cart track, on which we ascend only a few steps. After a few steps we go right onto the path, which further ascends transversely to the right. We follow this moderately steep path, which for most of the time runs through the forest, all the way to the Sankaška koča, from which a beautiful view opens up.
From the hut we continue in the direction of Begunjščica, Roblekov dom, Poljška planina and Završnica, where we first ascend steeply, then continue in a slight descent to the nearby private hut, which we bypass on the right side. There follows some ascent, then we arrive at the hunting hut LD Stol - Žirovnica. Here, from the nearby viewpoint, a nice view opens up on Gorenjska and the Julian Alps, and the path returns to the forest and continues on a cart track. At the junctions we follow the blazes, and for a while we also leave the cart tracks. When we return to the cart track, the terrain gradually flattens, and from the marked path we continue left in the direction of S.V. and continue on a somewhat narrower cart track. At the nearby junction we choose the lower cart track, then a short traverse follows. When the traverse ends, the cart track turns into a forest path, on which we ascend to the panoramic summit in a few minutes.
Rodine - Sankaška koča 0:55, Sankaška koča - Smokuški vrh 0:50.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in 2017 and 2019 (August).

Along the route: Sankaška koča (867m)

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