Trate / Johannsenruhe - Ovčji vrh (Kozjak) / Geissberg (Kosiak) (southeast path)
Starting point: Trate / Johannsenruhe (1152 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 46.4701°N 14.1562°E
Path name: southeast path
Time of walking: 2 h 35 min
Difficulty: easy marked way
Difficulty of skiing: no data
Altitude difference: 872 m
Altitude difference (by path): 880 m
Map: Karavanke - osrednji del 1:50.000
Access to starting point:
A) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we drive on the highway towards Beljaku, which we leave on the first exit. From the point, when we left the highway, we follow the signs for Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we get to the mentioned settlement we drive on the main road past Podgora / Maria Elend and settlement Sveče / Suetschach to the settlement Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental, where before the stores Billa and Penny we turn right in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance in Karawanks Tunnel to the starting point, there is approximately 38 km.
B) Through a border crossing Ljubelj we drive to Austria, where on the main road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt am Wörtersee we drive to the second roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of exit Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental (main road towards Celovec we leave before we cross a river Drau). In the mentioned settlement immediately behind the stores Billa and Penny we turn left on a road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue once again left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe. From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance in Ljubelj tunnel to the starting point, there is approximately 32 km.
C) From Dravograd or Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, and then we continue driving in the direction of border crossing Holmec. When we drive in Austria at first we drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, and then we follow the signs for Globasnica / Globasnitz and ahead Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel, Borovlje / Ferlach. Behind Borovlje at the roundabout, we join the road through the border crossing Ljubelj. Here in first roundabout we continue in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt, in the second in the direction of Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental. In the mentioned settlement immediately behind the stores Billa and Penny we turn left on a road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue once again left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe. From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the border crossing Holmec to the starting point, there is approximately 71 km.
Path description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, we will between the road which is closed with a gate and a parking lot notice the beginning of the marked path which leads towards Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte, Stol, Svačica, Ovčji vrh / Geissberg and other destinations. The marked path a little further joins an unmarked path which leads from the upper part of the parking lot and we few steps ahead join the macadam road which leads towards the already mentioned mountain hut. The road then leads us through riverbed of a torrent and only a little further brings us out of the forest on a meadow (Trate / Johannsenruhe), which is from the starting point only few minutes away. From the meadow a beautiful view opens up and the road then returns into a lane of a forest. When the forest for some time gets thinner in a gentle left turn in the direction of straight unmarked "shortcut" continues. We continue on the road, where a yellow mountain sign point us to. Only about a minute ahead "main" road turns right, and "side" road continues straight. From the mentioned crossroad, we continue on a footpath which continues between the both roads and is further ascending with the road which leads towards the mountain hut Celovška koča. For some time we are ascending diagonally over occasionally steeper slopes, and then we return on a wider macadam road. Further, the marked path few more times crosses the road, and then at the bigger rock or boulder with memorial plaques splits into two parts.
Right leads climbing path on Stol, and we continue straight in the direction of the mountain hut Celovška koča. The path ahead few more times crosses the road, and higher from occasionally thin forest brings us on grazing slopes of the mountain pasture Mačenska planina / Matschacher Alm (cottages on the mountain pasture are few minutes to the left from the marked path). From here follows a light ascent and the path or road in few minutes takes us to the mountain hut Celovška koča.
From the mountain hut, we continue in the direction of valley Poden / Bodental, inn Sereinig and the path Friedrich Zopp on Ovčji vrh (Kozjak). A gently sloping path through a lane of conifer forest in few minutes brings us on a larger clearing or meadow, where there is a marked crossing.
On the mentioned spot, we leave the path which leads towards the saddle Vrata / Stinzesattel (1714 meters) and forward towards Poden and we continue left in the direction of Ovčji vrh (Kozjak). From the crossing ahead, the path starts ascending steeply through dwarf pines. From relatively steep path further increasingly beautiful views opening up on Vrtača, Svačica, Celovška špica, Stol... Higher, the path for some time entirely flattens, and dwarf pines are also getting thinner. Next follows few minutes of a moderate ascent on a slope, which in the summer months is adorned by alpine flowers, in all seasons, if there isn't any fog great views on the northern walls of Karawanks. After few minutes, the path again flattens, and in front of us, we already notice an ample grassy plain, at the end of which stands a bigger cross, which is situated on the top. Follows only few minutes of pleasant path, which few steps below the summit joins also southwestern path from Celovška koča. When we reach the peak we are rewarded also with the view towards the north, which in nice days reaches all the way to High and Lower Tauern.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the beginning of August 2014.
The starting point - Celovška koča 1:30, Celovška koča - Ovčji vrh 1:05.
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