Zavetišče na planini Šija - Veliki vrh (Košuta) (Kačja pot)

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana–Jesenice highway, we take the Ljubelj exit. Then we drive to the center of Tržič and follow the road through the Dolžanovo gorge to the village Jelendol, where signs for the mountain pastures Kofce, Šija and Pungrat direct us to the left. The road then loses the asphalt surface and starts to ascend steeply. We follow this road at the crossroads in the direction of the mountain pastures Pungrat and Šija. We park on the parking lot near the shelter on the mountain pasture Šija.

Route description:
A little north of the shelter we notice a wooden mountain sign with the inscription "kačja pot na froncov greben" (the mountain path is found a little more to the right of the direction indicated by the sign). The path ahead crosses a grazing fence and brings us out of the forest to a smaller scree. After this scree the path crosses a shorter belt of spruce forest and then brings us to avalanche slopes, where the path turns a little to the left. Further in a gentle ascent we cross a grassy slope, a belt of dwarf pines and a larger scree after which we come to a belt of shrubs (dwarf pines and individual trees). Here the path starts to ascend steeply and quickly brings us below the rocky cliffs. We cross a narrow passage (watch your head) and the steep path then brings us to the place where we join the marked path that comes from the Dom na Kofcah hut.
We continue right upward along the path, which ascends steeply and quickly brings us to an exposed passage. Without fixed protection we cross a short but crumbly and slightly exposed ledge after which we enter a belt of dwarf pines. The path ahead ascends through a short belt of dwarf pines, then continues along the side ridge of Košuta. An increasingly scenic and quite steep path joins the ridge path higher up.
We continue left toward Veliki vrh (right Kladivo, straight upward Kofce gora 10 steps) along the path, which starts to descend slightly along the edge of the ridge. The path, which crosses the slopes of Košuta toward the west, joins the usual path to Veliki vrh (descent option) after about 15 minutes of walking, where we enter a smaller indistinct valley. The path then from the valley again moves onto the southern slopes, where it bypasses the peak »Toplar (2000m)« on the south side and brings us below the summit slope of Veliki vrh. The path, which for some time ran along the ridge, here withdraws from it and continues in a traversing ascent on the shady slopes. Higher the path turns sharply right and then in a few minutes brings us to the scenic summit.
Starting point - Kofce gora 1:15, Kofce gora - Veliki vrh 45 minutes.

Along the route: Kofce gora (1967m)

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