e1. Zgornje Jezersko – Dom na Kofcah

Route: Zg. Jezersko – Sp. Jezersko – Komatevra – Brsna lesa – Medvodje – Planina Šija – Dom na Kofcah

Start: TIC Jezersko, Zgornje Jezersko 57, 4206 Zgornje Jezersko (altitude 860 m)

End: Dom na Kofcah, (altitude 1.488 m)

The starting point of the Trans Karavanke MTB Trail is in Zgornje Jezersko. At the Tourist Information Center (TIC Jezersko) we will find the first checkpoint with a stamp, then head along the main road towards the Kokra Valley.

At the end of the village, we turn left onto a side road, following which we continue our journey towards Spodnje Jezersko. Our shortcut will cross the main road (carefully!) and rejoin it for a short time, but already at the first houses in Spodnje Jezero, turn right across the bridge towards Pečovnik and Komatevra. An ascent of about 7.4 km begins and with a height difference of 750 meters. In the lower part we follow the ascent along the river Kokra, the asphalt behind the settlement of Bajte soon turns into a gravel forest road. We will pass by the old quarry, higher we can see the partisan hospital Krtina along the way. At the last right turn, under the remains of the Pečovnik barracks, turn onto the path that leads left up towards Brsna wood. (If you came to the end of the road and to the ruins of the former border barracks of Pečovnik, you went about 300 m too far. Go back to the last sharper bend.) This is followed by a shorter, more difficult section (about 500 m) where some steeper sections may need to be walked by the bike.

At Brsna lesa, the climb is completed – when we reach the saddle on the Tržič side, we descend to the gravel road, turn left and follow the road and signposts down towards Medvodje. At the sharp right bend, we follow the main road to the right, at the junction with the road to Brsnina planina left, above Bukov Hill at the intersection of four roads again to the right and at the next intersection below Bukov Hill straight down. When we reach the valley of Tržiška Bistrica, we turn left towards Medvodje, which leads to a good kilometer of easy descent.

Below the houses and in front of the main intersection in Medvodje, there is a sharp left turn leading to Stegovnik Waterfall – although the waterfall lies 1 km away from our path, it is worth climbing up to it and seeing it.

At the crossroad in Medvodje, in case of bad weather or lack of time, we have the option of descending the road through the Dovžan Gorge to Tržič. Otherwise, we turn right and start another ascent at this stage – it is 13.5 km long, and together we will climb another 850 altitude meters along the slopes of Košuta to the finish line on Kofce.

The second part of the trail also mostly leads along well maintained forest roads. We first ascend the by stream of Košutnik. At the intersection at the smaller building, we turn left towards Šija. After a shorter flat part, a steep ascent and then a pleasant, sometimes flat, part of the road through the woods to the junction for Pungrat and Šija. Turn right here, and at the following crossroads follow the signs for Šija or Pungrat. After a kilometer and a half, we will reach the picturesque Pungrat Mountain Pasture, where in the summer we can enjoy home-made dairy delicacies. We have already climbed above the forest border, so we can enjoy the beautiful views. As we continue towards Šija on the road, we soon reach the highest point of the day (1,555 m), a stop with good refreshment can also be enjoyed at the Šija Hut (Taborniški dom Šija). The last part of the route follows the trail that leads from the Šija mountain pasture past the Ilovica mountain towards the finish of the stage – Dom na Kofcah. On the short but steep road to the mountain hut we can check if we have any energy left after a long day.

Route: Dom na Kofcah – Planina Šija – Medvodje – Brsna lesa – Komatevra – Sp. Jezersko – Zg. Jezersko

Start: Dom na Kofcah, (altitude 1.488 m)

End: TIC Jezersko, Zgornje Jezersko 57, 4206 Zgornje Jezersko (altitude 860 m)

From the Kofce Mountain Hut we descend on the road (we do not ride over the meadows!), but after 150 meters we turn sharply left onto the trail towards Šija mountain. We climb the picturesque Ilovica mountain to the Šija hut (Taborniški dom Šija), it may be necessary to step off the bike on a steeper part. From the hut, there is less than a kilometer uphill to the highest point of the day (1,555 m). The descent follows, the road winds down the slopes of Košuta. We do not rush too much, but rather enjoy the views beyond the forest border and follow the main road. After that we come to a crossroads, where we turn sharply left in the direction of Medvodje. This is followed by a slightly more varied road – some descents, flat sections and shorter climbs. At Košutnik, we turn right, climb slightly further, then go down all the way to Medvodje. This is where we turn left. In front of the houses, there is a smaller road to the right leading to Stegovnik Waterfall (Stegovniški slap) – although the waterfall lies 1 km away from our path, it is worth climbing to it and seeing it.

The ascent to Brsna lesa (8 km, 750 m height difference) follows. From Medvodje, we ride through the valley of Tržiška Bistrica, turn right at the crossroads. We climb past Bukov hrib, turn left at the intersection of four roads above it. After one kilometer we turn right, then follow the road and enjoy the views of Košuta. When the slope slows evens out a little, we slowly approach Brsna lesa saddle, and when we reach it, we branch off to the right. Only about 20 m we follow the trail leading up the meadow by the road, on the right we will see the path towards the saddle, which we follow to the Jezersko side. (The trail continues up the ridge.) Immediately across the saddle, we go straight at the intersection of the two paths, followed by a shorter, more demanding section of the dynamic path. After about 500 meters it leads us again to the gravel road below Pečovnik.

Down the road we descend into the valley, at the rare intersections we choose the main road leading to the valley. In Komatevra we can see the partisan hospital Krtina, a little lower we will drive through the old quarry. But the descent quickly passes and in Spodnje Jezersko we join the busy main road. We turn left towards Zgornje Jezersko.

The last climb is less than two kilometers long, and we will rise just over 100 meters in height. Immediately after the first serpentine turn left onto the shortcut, cross the main road once (carefully!) And continue on the gravel road. Higher, when we are already among the first houses, for a short time we join the main road and continue right to the destination. The last checkpoint with the stamp is at the Tourist Information Center (TIC Jezersko), where the Trans Karavanke MTB Trail ends. But if you have at least a bit of energy, drive to Planšarsko Lake and enjoy a well-deserved refreshment!