Zgornja Bistrica (Center Vintgar) - Ančnikovo gradišče

Access to starting point:
We drive to the center of Slovenska Bistrica, from where we head onto the road in the direction of Zgornja Bistrica and Bistriški Vintgar. We then follow the signs for Bistriški Vintgar and park on the arranged parking lot at Center Vintgar.

Route description:
From the parking lot at Center Vintgar we return to the road and continue in the direction of Bistriški Vintgar. For a short time, we walk on the road or sidewalk, then a path branches off to the left towards Trije kralji (path via Velika Tinje), and we continue on the sidewalk. Further, the sidewalk ends, and we continue on the road to the next parking lot, where there are red hiking signposts (to here 20 minutes).
We continue on a wider path that leads to Bistriški Vintgar; at the spot where we leave the road there are signs for Roman quarry and Šmartno na Pohorju.
The path ahead continues to ascend gently; when over a small bridge we arrive at the right bank of Bistrica, the path becomes gradually slightly steeper.
Before the path turns slightly to the left and transitions to the slope, on the right we notice the Roman quarry, and we then ascend diagonally up the gradually steeper slope. On the mentioned section, a path branches off slightly to the right leading towards the Šum waterfall (to the waterfall leads a footpath less than 5 minutes long, which is mainly when wet on a shorter section dangerous for slipping), and we continue on the path that ascends diagonally on the steep slope (on this section mainly in springtime and during and after rain there is greater danger of falling stones). When the slope becomes somewhat less steep, a demanding path joins us from the right that leads past the Šum waterfall; a little further we arrive at a marked junction, where we leave Bistriški Vintgar.
We continue on the left path in the direction of Ančnikovo gradišče and panoramic platform (to the right continues the path through Bistriški Vintgar) and begin to ascend quite steeply. First we still ascend beside the nearby torrent, then through a belt of raspberry bushes. Higher we reach a wider cart track, where we go left; further at smaller junctions we continue straight.
When we arrive at a marked junction on the edge of the forest, we head left in the direction of Ančnikovo gradišče, to which we arrive in one minute of further walking.
From Ančnikovo gradišče we return to the last junction, from which we head in the direction of the panoramic platform, to which we have approximately 3 minutes of increasingly panoramic walking on a wider cart track.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2022.

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