Okrog (Lazar) - Zaplaz

Access to starting point:
A) From highway Ljubljana - Novo mesto we go to the exit Trebnje east, and then we continue driving in the direction of the settlement Velika Loka. After the settlement Zidani Most we get to the settlement Štefan pri Trebnjem, where we continue sharply left in the direction of Zaplaz. After few kilometers of a partly winding road we get to Čatež, from where the road starts descending towards river Mirna. When we get into a valley at first we cross the bridge over the stream Dušica, where we continue straight. A little further, we get to the next crossroad, where from the main road which turns left, a road towards Gornje Ravne branches off to the right. Here as well, we continue on the main road, and then before the main road crosses the bridge over the river Mirna, we turn left on a smaller parking lot, which is situated between the river, the road and the beginning of the described path.
B) From Trebnje or Mokronog we drive to Mirna, and from there we drive towards Litija. Towards Litija we go to the sharp right turn, and from there we continue left in the direction of Cirnik and Selska Gora. After Cirnik the road gradually starts descending. When we descend to a river Mirne we at first cross the bridge, and then at the crossroad we continue right. From the crossroad, we drive good 100 meters and then before the main road crosses the bridge over the river Mirna, we turn left on a smaller parking lot, which is situated between the river, the road and the beginning of the described path.
C) We drive to Šmartno pri Litiji, and from there we continue driving towards Gabrovka. After the settlement Moravče pri Gabrovki, after the transformer we turn slightly right in the direction towards the gas station. Further, we drive through the valley of river Mirna, and in doing so, the road leads us past the turn-off of the road towards the settlement Tlaka. When the road after the mentioned turn-off, the first time passes on the right bank of Mirna, we park on a parking lot by the road.

Path description:
From the starting point, we go on at first an overgrown path, which ascends above the road, for a short time it continues steeply above it, and then turns a little more to the right, where it leads us above the meadow. Further, the path passes into the forest, where at first still leads over some fallen trees, and then continues diagonally on a cart track. When the cart track comes out of the forest, it slightly descends and joins the road which leads to the nearby homestead Dule.
We continue through the yard, and then behind the house, the road ends and we continue on a worse grassy cart track which leads us through a meadow. A little further, the path turns right, for some time a little steeper ascends, and then joins a wider cart track which we follow to the left. The cart track few minutes leads by the upper edge of the meadow, and then passes into the forest, where at the nearby crossing we reach the path Levstikova pot from Litija to Čatež.
We follow the mentioned path to the left, and there in two hairpin turns we descend to a smaller stream, which we cross, and then we continue crossing through the forest. While walking through the forest the path leads us past several information boards of the path Levstikova pot, and then a little after the wooden cross we come out of the forest, where we cross the next stream. At the hunting observatory, we continue left in the direction of the pilgrimage path (pot romarjev), and then we diagonally ascend through the forest, to a few minutes distant asphalt road which leads through the settlement Čatež. We follow the road to the right, and then we quickly get to a large parking lot, which is situated after the fire station.
From the parking lot, near of which there is also the end of the path Levstikova pot from Litija to Čatež, we at first ascend to the parish church of St. Mihael in Čatež, and from there behind the church we continue right and at the inn Gostilna Tončkov dom, we return to the main road which we reach at the marked crossroad. We continue the ascent on the main road which leads us past the bus stop and the tourist map, and after good 100 meters we continue right, on a steep road in the direction of Zaplaz. The road quickly flattens and it turns left, where it brings us to the edge of the forest, where there is a marked crossing.
The right path leads towards Zagrič and also towards Bajturn and Zaplaz, and we continue on the asphalt road few more 10 strides, and then a sign for the pilgrimage path goes on a grassy footpath, on which with nice views in few minutes we ascend to the church on Zaplaz.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2016 (March).

On the way: Čatež (454m)

Trip can be extended to: Bajturn (Zaplaški hrib) ( 20 min)