January 20th, 2007 - Links to the new page inserted: Stogi
* December 17th, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Skednjovec
* December 10th, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Vrsaki
* August 25th, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Ogradi
* July 1st, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Vogel
* May 26th, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Crna Prst
* March 5th, 2006 - Links to the new page inserted: Veliko Spicje

Geographical Structure

Bohinj Subgroup interactive map: Hoover over summit marks to see mountain names, click on them to get SummitPost pages!

The Purpose of This Page

On this page I would like to give an overview information of Bohinj Subgroup (Julian Alps), in order not to be repeated on all distinct summit pages. The map above links you to distinct summit pages on SummitPost! Regarding pictures and routes, this page is the place only for overall information.

Introduction

Zgornja Komna, near the Valley of Triglav Lakes.

High on the plateau

Bohinj lake

Bohinj world has a special flare of a once remote, archaic country. In remote history even paths along Sava Bohinjka river were not used so much, but instead rather paths over high saddles of the Bohinj Southern Chain towards south were used for trade. In recent days everyone was wondering why those locals didn't develop all kinds of touristic facilities more. Now we realise, how good it was. Every tourist in the World knows Bled lake, which is now crowded with hotels. But nobody of us, who live here, woud go and spend a sunny summer sunday there - we rather drive further to Bohinj lake where you can still touch the nature.

Bohinj subgroup is first of all a paradise for hikers. Hikes over the long panoramic ridges, big karst plateaus, from one alpine meadow to enother, through beautiful valleys, among which far the most prominent one is The Valley of Triglav Lakes, all this and much more can occupy you for many days. Some peaks are also sharp and hard to access, so also those of you, who like some depth below your legs, will be satisfied. And in winter and early spring Bohinj world becomes a paradise for tour skiing. From the summit of Kanjavec to Bohinj lake you have more than 2000 meters of skiing. For harder climbing high walls are rare, but in Bohinj valley you will find some nice resorts with short walls. On high karst plateau (especially behind Prsivec) some of the deepest caves were found. But in recent years the speleological focus was moved on Kanin / Monte Canin massif where even deeper caves were found.

Geography

Komna high plateau and Bohinj mountains above the Valley of Triglav Lakes.

From its start below Komarca walls till the eastern end of the lake, Bohinj valley is unique. From there further towards east it is divided into the Upper Bohinj Valley (north) and Lower Bohinj Valley (south). The two valleys are divided by Rudnica hill, 946m. The upper valley soon ends on the slopes of the big Pokljuka plateau, while the lower valley, where Sava Bohinjka flows, continues through a deep canyon towards E and NE, finally finishing on the planes near Bled.

South of Bohinj valley a long mountain chain stretches, named The South Bohinj Chain. On east it is attached on Sorica to forehills, on west it is finished on Bogatinsko sedlo (pass), 1803m. Peaks in this mountain chain are of very equal altitudes and saddles among them are not deeply cut.

Just north of Bohinj lake Prsivec massif, 1761m, steeply rises. This broad mountain is not so high, but as it rises 1236m directly out of the lake it makes a mighty impression and is also worth visiting. North of Prsivec another special world begins. This is the world of the high Bohinj alpine pastures. Remote, hidden in broad forrests, some of them abandoned, they are dreaming of their past importance. This is where still the best cheese is being produced by old recipies, this is, where so many Bohinj fairy tales have their sources. Dividing Julian Alps into groups, we attributed Pokljuka plateau and also its southern slopes to the Triglav subgroup. Actually they belong by their nature to Bohinj. But let us keep the line between the two subgroups in Voje valley and not talk about alpine meadows east of it. In their unsurpassed beauty, pastures north of Prsivec are also goals of independent tours. Reaching Krstenica, 1670m, Laz, 1560m, Dedno polje, 1560m or Visevnik, 1615m, to name only few of them, can be a nice goal of a mountain tour.

North of the plateau of Bohinj pastures mountains get higher and higher. You might also say that the crescendo of this trend is Triglav itself. The highest mountain of Bohinj world should be Triglav, 2864m, or at least Kanjavec, 2569m. But again, we put the border of Bohinj subgroup on Hribarice plateau and Miseljska dolina (valley). So actually the highest mountain of Bohinj subgroup is the unimportant Vrsaki, 2448m, just south of Hribarice plateau. By its position the most dominant mountain in this subgroup is Debeli vrh, 2390m. The geography of this subgroup is somewhat complicated, resembling a big swirl. On the very western side a long crest of mountains stretch above the Valley of Triglav Lakes. Some peaks there are: Velika and Mala Ticarica, Kopica and Zelnarica. East of this crest there's a shallow valley Za Kopico and east of it another, less important crest of Vogli. Then the real mess begins. We are in the centre of our swirl. On the NW the 4-headed Vrsaki stand. SE of their small group there's a broad karst plateau, undulated considerably, but the only real summit is Debeli vrh, standing more towards SE. Beyond Lazovski preval (saddle) in it's crest the last peak is Ogradi. Finally on NE another long crest starts on Hribarice plateau. The first peak is the unimportant Vrh Hribaric, then the sharp Skednjovec comes and finally the three peaks of Stogi.

On Komna high plateau

Finally let's have a look on the world west of Bohinj lake. Above steep, almost 1000m high slopes a broad plateau, named Komna begins. This is an undulated karst world of thousands hills and shallow valleys among them. Passable perhaps only in winter and early spring, when everything is under snow. More about this world see on the page of Lanzevica, the first summit in a long chain which starts north of Bogatinsko sedlo. This chain has many fine summits, very valuable mountaineering and skiing goals: Kal, Celo, Travnik, Plaski Vogel and Veliko Spicje. It finishes on the saddle of Prehodavci, attaching to the central Triglav subgroup.

Even further towards west there are some important summits and crests, by their nature not any more belonging to Bohinj world, but to Trenta valley world. As we have no subgroup for Trenta mountains let's name them here. On Travnik, to the main chain a side ridge of sharp mountains (Travniski rob, Plazki Kuk) is attached. North of Veliko spicje, there's a small plateau and a crest of nice mountains around it (Velika Ticarica, 1891m). And finally, a complete Trenta mountain - the great panoramic Zadnjiski Ozebnik, 2084m.

Mountaineering Highlights

There are too many mountaineering goals to mention them all. Here are just some ideas.

The Valley of Triglav Lakes must be mentioned on the first place. Climb over Komarca cliffs, continue to the end of the valley on Prehodavci and if you want to add an airy crest of high summits, return by the Veliko Spicje ridge down to the valley.

Crossing the whole South Bohinj Chain. Ascend the crest from Bohinjska Bistrica (or even Sorica), follow it by its end on Bogatinska vratca and return over Komna in Bohinj valley.

High Bohinj patures and Debeli vrh. From Blato pasture ascend on Krstenica, go by the valley Za Debelim vrhom, ascend Debeli vrh and return down on pastures: Laz, Pri Jezeru (by the lake), Blato.

Skiing from Lanzevica or any summit above Komna plateau.

Skiing from Kanjavec behind or before Debeli vrh.

Bohinj Skiing 'Haute Route'. Start on Vogel (cable-car), go on skis to Komna, continue to the Valley of Triglav Lakes, ascend Kanjavec and ski down into Bohinj (or continue crossing the Triglav Group).

Bohinj valley. Amuse yourself down in Bohinj valley. Hike around the lake, cycle around Rudnica (or over Senozeta) and in Voje valley, do some harder rock climbing in cliffs of Bohinjska Bela (near Bled).

The Valley of Triglav Lakes

It's not a mountain and it will not get its own page here. But being one of the greatest attractions of Triglav National Parc, a chapter here is justified. The valley is widely known by its beautiful lakes, mountain scenery, fauna and flora, karst phaenomena and more...

The valley lies high above Bohinj cauldron. Where the latter finishes on approximately 700m of altitude, the steep Komarca walls are rising some 500m high. A special attraction in the lower 1/3 of this wall is Savica waterfall. Overcoming Komarca (in spring we can enjoy there some endemic plants), we reach a panoramic edge, where the real valley starts. The trail soon sinks into deep woods and after some 10 minutes we reach Crno jezero (Black Lake). Hidden among vertical cliffs and trees it is a calm and shady place. Unlike the higher lying lakes, its water is allways a few degrees warmer, which is a proof that the main water streams are passing by it.

Although on the right we already see screes and high rocky walls, the path sinks again in dense woods. It's nice here, but these places are lacking any smile. Old trees, weird rocks, like hundreds of years nothing has changed here. After an hour the path starts ascending more. We find ourselves by Bela skala (White rock), which is actually the step, which will bring us into the upper valley. Continuing straightforward at Bela skala (there's no path!) would mean reaching in an hour the parallel valley of Lopucnica. When going towards Lepa Komna and summits above it, I allways go here. But it never happend that I should succeed to go by the same route. There's a complete wilderness, but passable.

Ascending by Bela skala by the marked path, brings us into the real Valley of Triglav Lakes. Soon after crossing the first hills we see the famous picture: Dvojno jezero (Double Lake), surrounded by larches, the hut by it, on the right the vertical west face of Ticarica and in the distance the high ridge of Veliko Spicje. I can't imagine that someone would proceed here without taking a short rest to enjoy.

After Dvojno jezero the valley becomes more open. Now on the right all the time vertical walls and long screes below them accompany us. Mala (Small) and Velika (Big) Ticarica, Kopica, Mala and Velika Zelnarica. On the other side there's a broad plateau of Zgornja (Upper) Komna and far behind the ridge of Plaski Vogel and Veliko Spicje. On the altitude of 1830m the biggest of Triglav lakes lies, called Ledvicka (Kidney). The trail passes it by its east shore. We leave the last larches and the valley becomes grassy with karst rock formations among grass. The both mountain chains are coming closer, the trail ascends over a few steps and reach the upper basins of the valley, where the highest of Triglav lakes are lying. Zeleno jezero (Green Lake), Rjava Mlaka (Brown Pond), Mlaka v Lastah (Pond in Ledges) and Jezero pod Vrsacem (the lake under Vrsac) are the four permanent ones. After heavy rains or early in spring, one can find a pond or two more. Here the valley ends on the altitude a bit over 2000m.

Other Places To See

Slap Savice (Savica waterfall). A powerful source of Sava Bohinjka (river) in a hidden corner of Komarca walls. 20 minutes walk.

Hudicev most (bridge) and Mostnica gorge. Near Stara Fuzina see an old 'devil's bridge' over the narrow Mostnica gorge and go along the beautiful river. See Kropa, a silent place, where Mostnica river has its source. At the end of Voje valley there's also a small waterfall.

Bohinj lake. Make a rowing tour or do a hike/jogging around the lake. Above its north shore (W part) there's a hole in Prsivec slopes, called Govic. Only after heavy rain there's a strong karst source, otherwise it's dry and you can reach it. If you come here by the end of summer, you can visit a big feast, when shepherds come down from high pastures.

Rafting or kayacking by Sava Bohinjka from the lake to Bohinjska Bela (before the village, there's one dangerous rock!).

People of Bohinj

People of Bohinj valley were long time living in a remote corner of our mountains, being even more connected via high mountain passes with the southern areas of Julian Alps than via Sava river valley with Bled and its surroundings. They were known by their rudimentary, forceful nature, beautifully illustrated by this anecdote:

Joza Cop the most famous Slovenian climber in times between the World War I and World War II, who was also a mountain guide, once met in Bohinj a local lumberjack. Just for fun (Cop was known as a big joker) he asked him how much would he charge for going up to the Valley of Triglav Lakes. "Me? Nothing", said the guy. "You may proceed".

From Bohinj were also 'Stirje srcni mozje' - 'The Four Brave Men', who already in 1778 (before Mont Blanc was climbed!) first climbed Triglav: Luka Korosec, Matija Kos, Stefan Rozic and Lovrenc Willomitzer.

Getting There

The Upper Bohinj valley

For the broader orientation (highways, railways, airports, ...) see the Eastern Alps GROUP page, and, because this is only a subgroup page, the Julian Alps page.

On the map above you can see that all roads end in Bohinj valley. The most popular mountaineering trails start at Savica, 653m, in Suha valley, 1150m and Voje, cca 700m.

Train can bring you to Bohinjska Bistrica.

A fine option is also the cable-car from Bohinj lake to Vogel, 1535m.

Red Tape

The highest mountains are in the Triglav national park. So, please do everything to preserve nature!

Here are some links to web pages where information is also in English:

The official page of Triglav National Parc.

A kind of bi-lingual page with panoramic pictures of the area.

A page for waterfall enthusiasts.

Almost all parking places around Bohinj lake need to be paid. Also the road through Suha valley needs to be paid.

When To Climb

Months with the most stable weather are usually from July to October. For tour skiing the best months are from March to May.

For weather see here.

Even better site is wunderground - here's the direct link to Kredarica station, 2515m (below Triglav summit).

Camping & Huts

Camping in nature is forbidden. High on the mountain nobody will tease you if you just make it over the night (and of course not close to a mountain hut). In any case you should leave the nature unchanged. Otherwise camps are in Bohinj and Trenta valley. For other touristic possibilities see the main Julian Alps page!

Mountain huts of Slovenian Mountaineering Association:

(1) Dom Zorka Jelincica na Crni Prsti, 1835m, (05) 38 08 260, (050) 332 071. From Bohinjska Bistrica go to Ravenski Rovti (also by car), continue by the right path on Planina Za Liscem (meadow), 1338m and further to the top of Crna Prst, 1844m, where the hut stands. 3h.

(2) Dom na Voglu, 1535m, (04) 5721134. Accessible by cable-car.

(3) Koca na Razor planini, 1315m, (05) 3882252, (050) 632720. From Tolminske Ravne (village), where you leave your car, by a marked path towards NW. 1h 15min.

(4) Dom na Komni, 1520m, (04) 5721475, (050) 611221. A hotel-like house on the edge of Komna plateau. From Savica parking place, 653m, can be reached by a broad, marked supply path (from the World War I). You start by the same path as for Savica waterfall, but keep left and in many turns ascend through a steep forrest. The terrain opens just below the hut. The cable-car can take up your luggage, but you must go on foot. 2h 30min.

(5) Koca pod Bogatinom, 1513m, (04) 5723213, (050) 621943. On Komna plateau, 15min west of Dom na Komni. Marked path to there.

(6) Planinski dom pri Krnskih jezerih, 1385m, (05) 3023030. Serves for west approaches and stands already in Krn Group. Accessible from parking place in Lepena valley, 700m, in 2h.

(7) Koca pri Savici, 653m, (050) 622695. Reachable by car.

(8) Dom v Vojah, 690m, (04) 57 23 213, (051) 308 959. Reachable by car.

(9) Planinska koca na Uskovnici, 1154m, (031) 341 814. Can be reached from the end parking place of a forrest road, which ascends on Uskovnica from Srednja vas (village in the Upper Bohinj valley). 15min. The other option is to descend from Rudno polje parking place - 1h.

(10) Kosijev dom na Vogarju, 1054m, (01)2912297, (050) 613367. Standing on the east slopes of Prsivec massif. From the parking place above Stara Fuzina (village) can be reached in 1h 15min, from the parking place in Suha valley in 30min.

(11) Koca na Planini pri Jezeru, 1453m, (041)901 999, (050) 632738. Standing by a small lake on a beautiful pasture. Reachable from the end of the road through Suha valley, 1150m, in 1h 15min.

(13) Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih, 1685m, (01)5721475, (050) 615235. Standing by Dvojno jezero (Double Lake) in the famous Valley of Triglav Lakes.

(13) Vodnikov dom on Velo polje, 1817m, +386(0)51 607 211.

(14) Zasavska koca on Prehodavci Pass, 2071m, Tel.: +386(0)50 614781 +386(0)41 844776.

Distant History Of This Page

* April 16th, 2005 - Links to the new page inserted: Velika Ticarica.
* March 28th, 2005 - Links to the new page inserted: Kopica.
* March 26th, 2005 - Links to the new page inserted: Zelnarica.
* February 13th, 2005 - Links to the new page inserted: Zadnjiski Ozebnik.
* January 2nd, 2005 - Links to the new SP page inserted: Rodica,
* December 13th, 2004 - Links to the new SP page inserted: Prsivec.
* December 5th, 2004 - Initial set up of the page.

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