Zgornja Kostrivnica - Boč (via Koča Velikonočnica)

Access to starting point:
We leave Štajerska highway at the junction Slovenska Bistrica - south (jug), from where we follow the signs for Poljčane. Those point us out of the town, from where we all the time follow the main road in the direction of Boč, which is from here already clearly visible. Through Zgornje Poljčane we don't turn on Boč, but we continue in the direction of Rogaška Slatina and we cross mountain pass Pečica. When we descend from Pečica, we continue straight on the main road, until we come in the settlement Podplat. There already before the main crossroad at the smaller crossroad at signposts Kostrivnica we turn left and we continue on a smaller local road. Soon this road brings us to the settlement Kostrivnica or Zgornja Kostrivnica, which we recognize by the church on a hill. Then we park on an appropriate place, for example in front of the church or at a small store and inn in the center of the settlement.

Path description:
In the center of the settlement at the crossroad there is a signpost, which both left and right leads on Boč. We choose the left route (Gabrovec pri Kostrivnici) and we continue on the asphalt road. We soon come to a crossroad, where we turn left, in spite of that, that a road sign Boč pointing to the right. Then we get to a hamlet Gabrovec pri Kostrivnici, where already at the beginning the mountain sign points us right uphill (direction Drevenik). We follow the asphalt road which is at first quite gentle, and then it starts ascending steeper and steeper. We follow the road through the forest. After getting out of the forest we get to a sharp turn, where the trail blaze on the building points us left. With some luck we can behind the fence see deer, because it is a farm. At the end of the sharp turn for a short time, we leave the road and we turn right by the fence in the forest. There we get greeted by a sign "Pot na Boč" (path on Boč), past which we continue left on stairs. At the end of the stairs we again get to an asphalt road and we continue right uphill. Then we all the time follow the road which is becoming steeper. We soon get to a sharp turn below the mighty rocky wall, where caption warns us, that we are getting closer to the cottage Koča Velikonočnica. We still follow an asphalt road past more holiday cottages and vineyards. The road towards the end narrows a little and just before the cottage Koča Velikonočnica at the sharp right turn it changes into macadam. We got to the cottage, in which on Sundays we can stop to have a snack and a drink, otherwise it is closed.
Past the cottage we continue straight in the forest on a forest path. It leads us past more holiday cottages and through the forest and it is gradually passing into a wider macadam road. We soon get to the site of greater pasque flower on meadows below Boč. Past the sites we continue right and we get to the mountain hut Dom na Boču.
From the hut past the outer bar we continue on a well visible path in the forest, which immediately brings us to a crossroad at which we continue right and by the road, we follow a well visible path, which brings us to a crossroad, where an asphalt road meets the macadam path for Donačka gora. Here we turn left into the forest on the path Senčna pot. The path from the macadam immediately changes into a wide hiking path, which is at first lightly, and then steeper and steeper ascending. After few minutes of walking, we get to section, where the path becomes steeper and it is ascending in zig-zags. Here runs quite a lot of shortcuts, so we have to be careful, that we stick to the blazes. On this section there is also quite a lot of fallen trees, therefore even more caution is needed. Among the trees the path still in zig-zags leads to a smaller ridge, where we turn left and we continue on a path, which slightly flattens. The path is all the time turning slightly to the right, until we get to the natural tunnel made of young trees, and then we turn left and we ascend on the upper ridge of Boč. Here we again turn left and on the top of the ridge we go on a well visible path, which is very rocky, therefore caution is needed here. After few minutes, we get to a lookout tower on the top of Boč.