Grad Žusem - Žusem (Gamsova zelo zahtevna pot)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Štajerska highway at the Dramlje exit, then follow the signs for Šentjur. From the center of Šentjur, we continue briefly towards the settlement of Šmarje pri Jelšah, but soon turn right onto the road towards Podsreda and Planina pri Sevnici. When Šentjur ends, we soon turn left from the main road in the direction of Podsreda, Kozje, and Gorica pri Slivnici. When we get to the settlement Gorica pri Slivnici, we take the exit from the roundabout for Sodna vas and Sveti Štefan. When Gorica pri Slivnici ends, the path leads us by Slivniško Lake. A little further, when the road branches off to the right towards Hrastje and Tourist farm Žurej, we continue straight, and the road starts ascending. For a short time, we follow the mentioned road, and then a signpost for the Žusem quarry directs us to the right. We follow the road past the quarry, and then we will soon see the ruins of the Žusem castle, where we park.

Route description:
From the parking lot at the castle Žusem we return a few meters to a crossroad and head on a slightly ascending road in the direction of Stolp Ljubezni. We follow the asphalt road, which after a few hundred meters brings us to a crossroad where there are also red hiking signposts.
We turn right onto a macadam road and after a few meters we are again at a crossroad. We head slightly left towards the left macadam road, where signs direct us to the very demanding path (Gamsova zelo zahtevna pot). We leave the mentioned macadam road after a few meters and turn right onto a narrower footpath in the forest. The turnoff from the macadam road to the footpath is not well marked, but we can already see the first steel cables among the rocks in the forest. On the narrow footpath through the forest, we quickly reach the first steel cables. Here we diagonally ascend numerous stairs made of logs, followed by a shorter ascent with the help of stemples. The path for a short time becomes slightly less steep but remains secured with a steel cable. Next follows a slightly longer ascent on densely spaced stemples, then an ascent on a fairly steep slope with the help of a steel cable. The relatively short secured path then ends, and the path soon leads us to a marked crossing.
We continue in the direction of tower Stolp Ljubezni, and the path mostly leads through the forest along a fence above the quarry. On such a path, we then quickly reach the peak Žusem, on which there is also a lookout tower.

Along the route: Kamnolom Žusem (650m)

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