Adventures in the Julian Alps | Slovenia Road Trip Part II

Julian Alps, Slovenia

After our time spent in the stunning and jaw-droppingly beautiful Lakes Bled and Bohinj, Mac and I headed into the mountains! We spent three nights between the small towns of Dovje and Kranjska Gora. We hiked, we chased waterfalls, and we definitely saw our fair share of breathtaking views. So, buckle up your seat belts for Part II of our Slovenia Road trip and get ready for some adventures in the Julian Alps!

Adventures in the Julian Alps

Dovje

Dovje is a teensy tiny town less than a 30-minute drive from Bled. There are no street names here – instead each house has a number. For a small village with less than 100 houses and only a few short streets, it’s fairly easy to find where you need to be. Our awesome CouchSurfing host in Dovje told us about a great hike just outside her village. Mac drove us out of town and up the winding mountain roads to the trail head (getting our fancy white rental car dirtier with each hairpin turn) and set out hiking with blue skies and delightfully cool temperatures.

We weren’t long hiking through the woods when the trees opened up to some spectacular views overlooking Dovje and the nearby Vrata Valley. Mountains have long fascinated me, ever since my first trip out west with my parents when I was 11. In recent years my obsession has grown, and looking out to Mt Triglav (Slovenia’s highest peak) captivated me in a way that made me giddy and wanting to be surrounded by these giants all the time.

Mac found a trail leading up, up, up towards a summit and so we trudged up 30 degree inclines with increasing amounts of slippery snow and ice. By this point some clouds had rolled in and I felt my mood shift similarly. By the time we reached the top however, the gloom in my mind totally shifted to an abundance of glee as I looked out over the horizon in every direction. Even though the summits of the surrounding mountains were cloud covered, it was impossible for me not to be impressed by the scenery.

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The shepherd-hut Dovška Rožca to which we hiked.

The continued cloud coverage meant that snow soon started falling and Mac and I attempted to hightail it back to the car (often losing our footing on some especially slippery snow-covered sections of trail). This was such a fun and absolutely stunning hike and I’m so grateful to our awesome CS host for suggesting it – we honestly never would have found it otherwise!

Distance: 9.7km (and 900+m of elevation gain)

Time: We were out hiking for about 5 hours

Vrata Valley

Just across the main highway from Dovje is a road that leads into and through the Vrata Valley. Lined on each side by mountains with peaks so high that you have to crane your neck to see them, this valley is a true highlight of the Julian Alps. The valley starts in the small village of Mojstrana and continues all the way to the north wall of Mt Triglav. Though a paved, then gravel road does run the length of most of the valley, it is also traversable by foot along the Triglavska Bistrica trail.

Peričnik Falls

Our first stop in the Vrata Valley was at Peričnik Falls. This stunning cascade is 52m high and can be reached by a steep forest trail from the road. If you’re craving a bit of adventure in the form of rock-hopping, it’s entirely possible to get up close and personal with the falls. Mac gracefully traversed the pile of boulders at the base of the falls and was able to walk behind the falling water (getting completely misted in the process).

Info Center

The very end of the road in the Vrata Valley leads to an info center with plenty of options for hiking routes and other mountaineering possibilities. The snow had become so deep on the road by this point that we were forced to ditch the car and walk several hundred meters, slipping and nearly falling most of the way. The less than graceful walking paid off, for we were met with a picture-perfect scene filled with a wooden building set in front of a cloud-covered mountain, with snow and pine trees all around.

Kranjska Gora

A few kilometers north of Dovje is the popular winter-sport capital of Kranjska Gora. Surrounded by more mountains, ski hills, nature reserves, and Slovenia’s famous ski jumping facility, there is definitely no shortage of activities to do in this village.

Jasna Lake

Taking a break from the car for an afternoon, Mac and I walked 20 minutes outside the village to Jasna Lake. As was the common trend during our road trip, the morning sunshine and blue skies would often turn to moody clouds and threatening dark skies by the afternoon. Fortunately the clouds were just for show and we remained nice and dry as we walked around the lake.

In the summertime this place would be absolutely popping. We saw numerous lake-side cafes and restaurants just waiting for the warmer weather to arrive so they could open their patios. As it was, I liked the solitude and quietness of this area in late-winter.

Naravni Rezervat Zelenci

This Zelenci Nature Reserve is just a small blip on the map, but it’s definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area. There are several hiking trails here, most of which converge at a shocking emerald green lake. The lake is fed underground by streams which emerge from the bottom of the lake through layers of mudstone, clay and silt. Because of the constant flow, this lake never freezes. But it does retain a temperature of about 6°C year round – that’s a bit too cold for my tender toes!!

There is a wooden lookout platform at this lake providing some excellent vantage points of the surrounding mountains and swamps of the nature reserve.

Nordijski Center Planica

Just further down the highway from the nature reserve is Slovenia’s Olympic competitors and hopefuls pride and joy. Planica – a huge ski jumping center featuring eight impossibly high ski jumps, a museum, wind tunnel, restaurant, training facilities, cross-country ski trails, and more. Mac and I arrived a week before the national championships and the facility was abuzz with people setting up for the iconic event.

The biggest ski jump here is Bloudek Giant hill. It has a 139m-long ‘runway’ and some of the most famous and record setting ski jumps have been recorded here. It’s possible to reach the top of this jump by two different methods. The first is via cable car (tickets are 4€ each). At the top there are numerous trails to explore. The second is via the longgggggg set of stairs that run beside this massive jump. If you’re up for the challenge, be forewarned that there are about 1100 steps to climb!! With the flurry of activity when we visited, we were unable to go to the top. Which is probably for the best given my tendency to shake and giggle uncontrollably at ridiculous heights.

Obviously this facility is mostly catered to winter tourism and activities, but there is some summertime fun to be had! A zip line runs the entire length of the biggest ski jump – measuring a whopping 566m long. This is as close as most people will get for a sense of what it feels like to ski jump. The fastest speed on this zip line is 85km/h!!

Vršič Pass

The last one of our adventures in the Julian Alps was traversing the Vršič Pass. At 1611m above sea level, the Vršič Pass is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia. It has 50 hairpin turns and is closed seven months of the year due to heavy snowfall. Built in the early 1800s for military purposes, it was then improved in 1915 by Russian prisoners of war to help supply one of the fronts in World War I. To commemorate their fellow fallen soldiers, the Russian POWs constructed a chapel halfway up the pass. Though we actually missed seeing The Russian Orthodox Chapel in person, its legacy reminded me of the Italian Chapel we visited on Orkney Island.

At the top of the pass the views over the Trenta and Soča Valleys were just incredible. Surrounded by numerous 2000m+ peaks, this pass is one of the most picturesque places we stopped on our Slovenian road trip. Even in winter, we saw a group of brave mountaineers attempting a summit of one of the mountains towering over the pass!

After the harrowing drive back down the Vršič Pass the roads leveled out and we set our sights on the Slovenian coast! Stay tuned for Part III of our Slovenian Road Trip coming up later this week!

Be sure to check out Part I of our Slovenian Road Trip: Lake Bled & Lake Bohinj

Tell me, would you ever ski jump? What’s the most memorable mountain drive you’ve done?

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