The Kamnik-Savinja Alps lie in the northern Slovenia and are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps. The highest peak is Grintovec (2,558 m) while furter 27 peaks suprass the 2k metre mark. These mountains are very picturesque, rich in biodiversity and offer arresting panoramic views. A great variety of reliefs provide suitable hiking trails for all kinds of hikers. My 6 favorite easier hikes and views in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are presented below. None of them require climbing or any special technical skills but – of course – some caution and a good fitness level is recommended.
Kamniški vrh
Kamniški vrh is a 1,259 m high peak south of Kamnik. There’s a small bivouac shelter at the top you’ll find most welcome in colder months.
A beautiful view of Velika planina, part of the Valley of Kamniška Bistrica, the hills above Kamnik and Krvavec opens up when you reach this summit.
If you take the direct route from Klemenčevo it will take you about an hour, hour and a half to reach the top. If you wish, you can take the longer trail route that passes the picturesque waterfalls known as Korošaški slapovi.
Of the six hikes in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps I am presenting here this is the shortest one but can still be pretty ardous due to the steep terrain. I do it often to improve my fitness level and prepare myself for longer hikes.
Kamniško sedlo
At 1,866 m, Kamniško sedlo (The Kamnik Saddle) is another magnificent hike in the idyllic mountainous atmosphere of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. Huge vertical rocks of Mt. Planjava to the east and Mt. Brana to the west are surrounding it on both sides – and you can extend your hike to either of them or even further on but those hikes are not easy anymore and require additional equipment and skills.
The hut, which is located just below the top of Kamniško sedlo, is open in summer months. During the off season it has an unstaffed winter room for hikers who wish to overnight there.
To the south, Kamniško sedlo offers impressive views of the Logar Valley below. You can even spot the Rinka waterfall in the distance! The Kamniška Bistrica Valley opens up to the north. These panoramic views are breathtaking and totally worth the time it took you to get here. The easiest route to Kamniško sedlo is from the Valley of Kamniška Bistrica.
Konj
Konj (it translates as The Horse) with its 1,803 m is a peak between the Velika planina plateau and Mt. Presedljaj. As always, there are many directions from which you can reach this summit. The easiest one is via planina Dol. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours from a starting point in the Valley of Kamniška Bistrica to get to planina Dol and an aditional hour to hour and a half to reach Konj.
From there one of the most beautiful views of the highest peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps opens up. An almost vertical north wall of Mt. Rzenik leads straight down to the Valley of Kamniška Bela.
This is where nature shows you its unfathomable grandeur and leaves no hiker unimpressed. Needless to say, you need to be cautious up here.
Kokrsko sedlo
Kokrsko sedlo (The Kokra Saddle) is a mountain pass between the Valley of Kamniška Bistrica and Kokra.
At 1,793 m it is located between Mt. Grintovec, which is the highest peak in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, and Kalška gora. The Zoiss hut at Kokrsko sedlo is open during the warmer summer months.
There’s also a winter room that provides a safe haven for hikers that come here in colder months.
If you start your hike in The Valley of Kamniška Bistrica, it will take you about two to two and a half hours to reach Kokrsko sedlo. This is definitely the trail I would suggest as it is the easiest one. It is steep – you have to take that as a given in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps – but it is not demanding or technically challenging.
Korošica
Korošica, this magnificent high mountain plateau at 1,808 m, lies below the majestic peaks of Mt. Ojstrica, Lučki Dedec and Koroški vrh. You can take many trails from all directions to reach it but if you’re looking for a nice and easy hike, you should start from Podvežak. It will only take you around two hours to get here.
There used to be a hut at Korošica, but sadly it burned down in October 2017. To this day a new one hasn’t yet been built but there are temporary accomodations that meet most needs hikers have.
Fun fact: the highest lying football field is Slovenia is located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and it is here at Korošica. When we were here last – that was before the fire – we were lucky enough to pick the exact day of that year when there was a football tournament! But we couldn’t stick around to cheer as we were heading on to one of the peaks above Korošica, Lučki Dedec.
Lučki Dedec
Like I said, Lučki Dedec is one of the peaks that rises steeply above Korošica. At 2,023 m it is one of the 28 peaks in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps above the 2k mark.
It takes you about an hour from Korošica to reach this summit but it does call for some extra caution. The way up is unmarked with only the stone cairns (stacked stones) to show you the way. I wouldn’t recommend this hike in bad weather. This precipitous peak could get very dangerous! But it surely offers a stunning view of Korošica below and the surrounding peaks. I have chosen this one to experience unmarked mountain wilderness and I was not dissapointed. It wasn’t always easy to spot the cairns and we surely took some wrong turns that called for retracing our steps back to the last known cairn.
This is perhaps the most challenging of the hikes presented here and that’s the reason I put it last.
To sum it up…
To conclude, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are stunning. Magnificent. Full of life. But also full of dangers and that is something one should never forget when up there. The hikes we choose must be in accordance with our physical fitness, our technical skills and it is always advised to check the weather conditions. And we must always pack all the essentials!
The hikes I described here are the ones I really enjoyed. There’s a lot more for me to explore and new, unforgettable views to fall in love with.
