Bašelj - Mali Grintovec (via Bašeljski vrh)

Access to starting point:
A) From highway Ljubljana - Jesenice we go to the exit Kranj - east, and then we continue driving in the direction of Jezersko. When we get to Preddvor we leave the main road and we continue driving left towards the center of the mentioned settlement, from there we follow the signs for settlement Bašelj. When we get to Bašelj, at the spot, where the main road makes long left turn, we leave it and we continue driving straight in the direction of the path Gamsova pot. We continue driving on a narrow asphalt road which leads us between the houses and stream Belica. We park on a parking lot by Tourism Association Bašelj.
B) From highway Jesenice - Ljubljana we go to the exit Kranj - zahod and at the first crossroad, we continue left. Further, we drive through the underpass below the highway, and then we get to a roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of Golnik. The path ahead leads us through the settlement Mlaka pri Kranju, and at the end of the settlement, we continue right in the direction of the settlement Srakovlje. Next follows driving through Srakovlje, Spodnja Bela, Srednja Bela, Zgornja Bela (in Zgornja Bela we join the road from Preddvor) to Bašelj, where the main road makes long left turn, we leave it and we continue driving straight in the direction of the path Gamsova pot. We continue driving on a narrow asphalt road which leads us between the houses and stream Belica. We park on a parking lot by Tourism Association Bašelj.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue in the direction of source of Belica, Kališče and Storžič (left Gamsov raj) on for public traffic closed macadam road which on the right side bypasses hut of Sports tourist park Belica. The road, from which at first a nice view opens up on Storžič leads us past football and basketball field and in approximately 10 minutes brings us to a marked crossing by turning point of the road.
From the turning point, we continue right in the direction of Kališče on a marked path (left Kališče on the forest road, and also Gradišče (Pustinjak) and Kališče past hospital Košuta), which starts ascending by left tributary of Belica. The path ahead leads through the forest, at first on the left side of the gully, and then crosses it and passes on the right side, where after a shorter ascent, we reach rough forest road or cart track. We follow the cart track for few minutes, and then blazes point us to the right into the forest through which we are ascending relatively steeply. Higher, we cross overgrown clearing, and then we again step on a wide cart track. On the cart track this time we walk only few steps, because already on first turn we continue straight on a gradually less and less steep path. A little further, we cross other cart track and above it we get very close to a wide cart track. By the spot, where we get very close to the cart track is situated mountain signpost, which marks the path downwards. Here we continue straight and after a minute or two of additional walking, we join a better beaten path from Mač.
From the mentioned crossing, we continue left in the direction of Kališče (straight Mače on the road, right Mače on a footpath) and we continue through a shorter lane of a dense forest. Dense spruce forest quickly ends and we step on a rough forest road which leads from the valley of the stream Belica. On the road which soon makes a left turn we are ascending for few minutes, and then on the right side we will notice the continuation of the mountain path (turn off is well marked). The path ahead passes on a steeper slope and is in numerous zig-zags relatively steeply ascending. Higher forest for some time gets thinner and a nice view opens up towards the south. On the part of thin forest a wooden bench offers pleasant rest, and a little ahead "surprises" us working clock on a tree. Further a little for some time we cross towards the right, so that we reach forested south ridge of Kališče. On the mentioned ridge path turns sharply left and then in few hairpin turns ascends to Spodnje Kališče, from where a beautiful view opens up on Storžič.
When above Spodnje Kališče path returns into the forest from the left joins the path from Laško (also the path from Bašelj past hospital Košuta). Next follows few minutes of walking through the forest and we get to a nice viewpoint, from where a nice view opens up towards the nearby mountain hut Dom na Kališču, Mali Grintovec, ridge of Lanež, Krvavec... From the viewpoint only a short ascent follows and we are already at the mountain hut Dom na Kališču.
Behind the mountain hut Dom na Kališču we notice a mountain signpost with numerous options to continue. We continue on a gently sloping and panoramic ridge path in the direction of Storžič, Bašeljski vrh..., which continues towards the north. After few minutes of easy walking with nice views, which reaches all the way to Julian Alps, we get to a crossing, where we continue right (straight Storžič) towards Bašeljski vrh. The path ahead ascends steeper through a lane of dwarf pines and with a nice view towards the neighbouring Mali Grintovec brings us on with dwarf pines covered ridge Bašeljski vrh, where in next few minutes we get to the next well-marked crossing. At the crossing, the path to Mali Grintovec and Srednji vrh branches off to the right, and we continue straight and with a view on Storžič we continue the ascent. The path which runs on and by with dwarf pines covered ridge, little below the summit joins also the path from Jekarica and Bašeljski preval. Here we continue right and on a little narrower ridge in a minute of additional walking, we reach Bašeljski vrh, from which a nice view opens up towards the mountains above Jezersko, and the view reaches all the way to Košuta, Obir and Lavanttal Alps in Austria.
From Bašeljski vrh we start relatively steeply descending towards the east to northeast, on the path that runs on and by the ridge, which is mostly vegetated with dwarf pines, and on the part where it isn't a little more caution is needed. After approximately 15 minutes the descent ends and the path brings us on a saddle Mačensko sedlo, where the marked path from Kališče and unmarked path through the valley of Suha join.
We continue straight in the direction of Mali Grintovec, on the path which starts relatively steeply ascending on the western slope of the mentioned mountain. After approximately half an hour of walking from the saddle Mačensko sedlo we come at the marked crossing, where from the right side, the path from Dolga njiva joins. We continue left and after few 10 strides of additional walking, we get to the top of Mali Grintovec.
Bašelj - Kališče 2:30, Kališče - Bašeljski vrh 45 minutes, Bašeljski vrh - Mali Grintovec 45 minutes.

On the way: Planina Kališče (1450m), Dom na Kališču mountain hut (1534m), Bašeljski vrh (1744m), Mačensko sedlo (1622m)