Weinebene - Großer Speikkogel (Koralpe) (panoramic path)

Access to starting point:
A) Over one of the border crossings with Austria (Korensko sedlo, Karawanks Tunnel, mountain pass Ljubelj, mountain pass Jezerski vrh, mountain pass Pavličev vrh) we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving on the so-called south highway towards Gradec / Graz. On the mentioned highway we drive to the settlement Wolfsberg, where we leave the highway, and when we get to an old or regional road we continue driving in the direction of the settlement St. Gertraud. In the settlement St. Gertraud we notice signs for Alpine mountain pass Weinebene, which point us to the right on an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine mountain pass, which is situated at an altitude 1668 meters. We park on a large marked parking lot by the mountain pass.
B) Over the border crossing Holmec or Vič we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards the settlement Wolfsberg. From Wolfsberg we continue on a regional road in the direction of the settlement St. Gertraud. In the settlement St. Gertraud we notice signs for Alpine mountain pass Weinebene, which point us to the right on an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine mountain pass, which is situated at an altitude 1668 meters. We park on a large marked parking lot by the mountain pass.
C) First, we drive to Maribor, and then we continue driving on the highway towards the border crossing Šentilj and ahead on Austrian highway towards Gradec / Graz. We leave the mentioned highway at exit for settlement Lipnica / Leibnitz. When we leave the highway at the roundabout, we continue in the direction of the settlement Lipnica / Leibnitz and further we drive south from the village Gralla, which is today already some kind of peripheral part of Lipnica. Further, the road leads us past industrial zone, and at the roundabout by store Hofer we continue "straight" on the second exit in the direction of the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. Further, we for some time drive on the main road, and after the village Graschach we turn right in the direction of the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. In a roundabout right next to the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg, we continue "straight" in the direction of the alpine mountain pass Weinebene. From here on, the road starts ascending steeper, and we follow it approximately 20 km to the already mentioned mountain pass, where we park on a settled parking lot.

Path description:
From the mountain pass Weinebene we continue towards the southwest, where by the mountain hut Weinebenehaus (a little away there is also the mountain hut Göslerhütte) mountain signposts for Gr. Speikkogel (Gr. Speikkogel is the highest peak of Koralpe), Jauksattel / Kleinalp, Grillitschhütte, Großhöllerhütte and Koralpenhaus point us on a gentle macadam road which ascends on a gentle grassy slope. The marked path which continues on the road soon crosses a grazing fence, and after few minutes it brings us on a small saddle, from which a nice view opens up towards the highest peak of Koralpe and on peaks north to northeast from the mentioned peak. When the road starts descending, parallel marked path branches off slightly to the right, which continues through an ample pastures. When the path stops gently descending, it slightly ascends and returns on the road which is already from the very beginning closed for public traffic. Further, the road is gently to moderately ascending on the southeastern slopes of the peak Brandhöhe (1886 meters (Brandhöhe is a peak, which is situated above the ski lift of a ski slope Weinebene)), and a little further also of the peak Moschkogel (1916 meters). When we get to the slopes of the latter peak, the road starts descending steeper towards the saddle, which is located south from the mentioned summit.
On the saddle, where there is a marked crossing we get from Steiermark to Kärnten, and we continue straight in the direction of the summit Gr. Speikkogel and we continue on the right west side of a grazing fence (slightly right Gr. Speikkogel - path past a cross Schäferkreuz and mountain hut Großhöllerhütte, right mountain hut Grillitschhütte).
At the sign which marks, that we step into Kärnten we leave the road and we continue by the grazing fence at first only gently upwards. Further, increasingly steep path still leads on the right side of grazing fence and with increasingly beautiful views after approximately half an hour of additional walking brings us on the upper gentle slope of the peak Hühnerstütze (1989 meters). Here the path turns a little to the right and then it is ascending gently by the edge of an indistinct ridge. Few minutes higher we reach the mentioned peak, from which a nice view opens up.
From indistinct peak we continue on a gentle ridge, on which in few minutes we get to survey point 2005 meters. From the mentioned survey point follows few minutes of descent and the path brings us to a marked crossing, where from the left joins the path from the hamlet Glashütten (1274 meters). We continue straight on the path which at first flattens, and then it starts slightly ascending. A little higher we get to slopes of the peak Seespitz, where the marked path passes on the western slopes of the mentioned summit. Next follows few minutes of crossing and the path brings us on a smaller saddle between the peaks Seespitz and Großer Speikkogel, where there is a marked crossing.
Here we continue straight and we start ascending a little steeper towards the highest peak of Koralpe. Higher, the path flattens and from slopes brings us on the upper ridge, where we continue right. From here follows only few minutes of walking and the path brings us to the cross, which is situated on the top of Großer Speikkogel.

On the way: Hühnerstütze (Golica/Koralpe) (1989m)

Trip can be extended to: Seespitz (Koralpe)