Koča na Šumiku - Dom na Osankarici (via Črno jezero)

Access to starting point:
A) From highway Ljubljana - Maribor we go to the exit Slovenska Bistrica - south, and then we follow the signs for Šmartno na Pohorju, and from there we drive also to the settlement Smrečno. Further, we drive on forest roads on Pohorje, where we drive by Bistrica. Higher, we join the road which leads past the mountain hut Ruška koča na Pohorju. Here we go left towards Osankarica, and at the next crossroad, we go slightly right in the direction of estate Šumik (slightly left - Osankarica). When we drive to the mentioned estate we park on a macadam parking lot before the estate Šumik.
B) We leave Štajerska highway at exit for Slivnica and Rogoza, and then we follow the signs for Pohorje and Areh. The path ahead leads us through Spodnje and Zgornje Hoče, Slivniško Pohorje, and after the settlements we follow the signs for Areh. From Areh we follow the signs for Cojzerica and Šumik and Osankarica. After few kilometers, we go slightly right in the direction of estate Šumik (slightly left - Osankarica). When we drive to the mentioned estate we park on a macadam parking lot before the estate Šumik.
C) We drive to Ruše, and then we follow the road towards Fala. After crossing of Lobnica we go left in the direction of Smolnik and Šumika, and then we follow the signs for estate Šumik, where we park on a parking lot before the forestry cottage Gozdarska koča na Šumiku.

Path description:
From the starting point, we go on a marked path towards Osankarica and Koča na Klopnem vrhu (on the road leads a little shorter unmarked path), where through a lane of a forest we ascend back on the road. When we reach the road, we continue straight (right - Ruše), and at the nearby crossing of roads we choose a slightly left road (slightly right - Klopni vrh), on which we quickly get to a marked crossing.
From the crossing, we continue left downwards (straight - Koča na Pesku and lake Tiho jezero, right - Klopni vrh) and on a moderately steep path we descend back on the road, where we join a little shorter path which leads on the road. The road we only cross, and a little lower we cross also Lobnica, after which we return on the road. We continue on the road left and we go past a turn-off of the path towards Ruše - path Holcarska pot by Lobnica, which leads past both Šumik waterfalls and we walk on the road to the next nearby marked crossing, where we go right in the direction of the lake Črno jezero, Sveti Trije kralji and Osankarica (straight - Ruška koča na Arehu), where we ascend through the forest. Next follows crossing of a stream and a little higher also a crossing of the road Areh - Osankarica. Further, we are also ascending through the forest, and at the crossings we follow the blazes. Higher, the path flattens and for a short time, we continue through sections of a thin forest and then we are again moderately ascending through the forest.
After an indistinct peak Trije studenci the path lightly descends to a marked crossing, where the path splits.
We continue right in the direction of Osankarica and lake Črno jezero (straight Sveti Trije kralji) and then we are gently to moderately descending and we follow the blazes. When the descent ends, we get to a crossing near the lake Črno jezero.
We continue straight (left Oplotnica - path via Kos) and in few steps we get to the lake.
We follow the path ahead in the direction of Osankarica, so that we bypass the lake on the right side, and after crossing the stream, the path passes into the forest and continues on a wooden paved path. The path at first continues without large changes in altitude, and after some time it starts visibly descending. The paved path, which in wet is dangerous for slipping we follow all the way to the parking lot near Dom na Osankarici. From the parking lot, we cross the road and we ascend to Dom na Osankarici, which burned down in 2021.
Estate Šumik- lake Črno jezero 1:55, lake Črno jezero - Osankarica 0:15.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in April and June 2022.

On the way: Črno jezero on Pohorje (1196m)