Žetale - Donačka gora

Access to starting point:
We leave Podravska highway at exit Zakl, and then we follow the signs for Žetale. When we get to Žetale, at municipal building we turn left and we park on a settled asphalt parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we return to the main road and next to it we continue in the direction of Rogatec. At the primary school Žetale, at the pedestrian crossing we carefully cross the main road and we continue on a sidewalk to the nearby crossroad, where we go right on a side road, by which there are signs for Donačka gora. On the mentioned road, we walk only for a short time, and then before the nearby house we continue left on a cart track which then ascends diagonally towards the right and through a meadow brings us into the forest. Through the forest follows a shorter ascent and we get to the church of Our Lady of Mercy.
We continue on the road, on which we lightly descend to a marked crossroad at which we go right. From the crossroad, we walk on the road only for a short time because still before the hamlet and after a smaller garage we continue left on a marked cart track in the direction of Donačka gora. Only a little further, we return on the road, and this time we continue there to the proximity of the next house, and before which we go slightly left on a cart track which further passes into the forest. Next follows a longer crossing with some shorter ascents and descents, where we occasionally get closer to individual houses, and occasionally also some view opens up on the other side of the valley, where we clearly see Maceljska gora. At few smaller crossings we follow the blazes, and all the time we continue in approximately the same direction. When we join the cycling trail we go right and we ascend above the nearby stream. Higher, we leave the forest and through a meadow we ascend to the saddle between Donačka gora and Resenik, where next to a smaller hamlet there is also a marked crossing.
We go on the road which continues towards the southwest, and from there already after few steps we go slightly left on a footpath in the direction of the peak Donačka gora (path which continues on the road leads towards Rudijev dom).
Next follows a shorter ascent through the forest and we reach a cart track, where there is wrongly placed mountain signpost. Signpost for Donačka gora pointing on a cart track right downwards, and we go for few steps left and then on the right we notice the continuation of the mountain path which continues on northeastern ridge of Donačka gora. When we reach the next cart track we continue left, and a little ahead we already reach another marked crossing.
Here from the left joins the path from the mountain pass Vrhe, to the right the path branches off towards Rudijev dom, and we continue straight towards Donačka gora.
The path ahead becomes pretty steep, and from the right joins another path from the mountain hut Rudijev dom.
We again continue in the direction of Donačka gora, and the path gradually passes on a steep and mainly in wet for slipping dangerous slopes, on which we are mostly diagonally ascending. Further, we also get to a shorter technically demanding part, where at steep ascent on a rocky slope we get help from a steel cable. When the steep demanding ascent ends we reach the main ridge of Donačka gora, where the path splits.
We continue left (right - the main peak) and we quickly get to the precipitous eastern peak of Donačka gora.
From the eastern peak we return to the last crossing, and then we continue on a marked path which continues a little to the left from the ridge. Next follows few shorter ascents and descents, on the path which occasionally leads on a quite steep slope, where mainly in wet there is a greater danger of slipping. Such a path after approximately 20 minutes from the eastern peak brings us on for one meter higher western peak of Donačka gora.
Žetale - church of Our Lady of Mercy 0:15, church of Our Lady of Mercy - eastern peak of Donačka gora 2:00, eastern peak of Donačka gora - western peak of Donačka gora 0:20.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in April 2022.

On the way: Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Brezje nad Žetalami) (382m), Donačka gora (eastern peak) (883m)