Trstelj from Komen

Biking in Slovenia » Karst Plateau » Trstelj from Komen

I noticed a gravel road leading to the Trstelj mountain hut the last time I was there and decided to use it for a bike trip starting in Komen. I tried to avoid the asphalt roads as much as possible, but it’s not hard to find a route that will bring you to Trstelj even if you have a road bike.

At a Glance

Difficulty: A mix of occasionally steep asphalt- and gravel roads
Altitude: 643 m
Average time: 3 h
Elevation gain: 590 m
Distance: 27.1 km
Coordinates: Start: 45.817763,13.745293

Starting point Hiking map Download GPX file

From Komen to Trstelj

Komen is one of those few fantastic villages that realized the importance of having enough free parking. I parked at the large parking lot behind the church.
Follow the asphalt road to Sveto, then keep going straight onto a gravel road toward Lipa (road bike: turn right to stay on the asphalt road, then left toward Škrbina/Lipa)

If you don’t have a mountain bike, follow the asphalt road to Temnica. Otherwise:

Turn left onto a dirt trail at the triangular junction outside Lipa, following the brown signs for Temnica.
Follow the dirt trail until the next sign for Temnica sends you onto the remains of a railway from the First World War.
At the next T-junction, turn right toward Temnica (we’ll use the left fork to return to Komen).
Turn right onto the main road in Temnica, then cross the Lipa-Kostanjevica road and continue toward Renče/Trstelj.
Follow the signs for Trstelj onto a narrow asphalt road. When that one ends, keep going straight onto a gravel road that will eventually bring you to the Trstelj mountain hut.
Bike or walk to the peak – the view is well worth the extra effort.

A Circuitous Way Back

Another gem for the mountain bikers (we’ll meet everyone else back in Temnica):

On the way back, turn right onto a narrower gravel road and follow it until it reaches the asphalt road from Renče (warning: a brutal descent).
Turn left and descend toward Temnica.

If you don’t feel like biking on dirt trails, take the asphalt road from Temnica toward Vojščica and return to Komen via Ivanji Grad. Everyone else:

In Temnica, follow the blue signs for Komen onto a gravel road that turns into a dirt trail.
Keep going straight until you reach an asphalt road just before Zagrajec. Turn left.
In Zagrajec (a few meters after the info panel), turn left onto a steep, narrow asphalt road that quickly turns into gravel (the start of the gravel road is visible from the junction).
Follow the gravel road to Ivanji Grad, then turn right after reaching the main road. After exiting Ivanji Grad, turn left (signs for Sveto/Komen) onto a gravel road. After getting to Sveto, use the asphalt road from Sveto to Komen to return to your car.

Optional:

Turn right onto a dirt trail running between vineyards at the wayside chapel in Sveto. Keep to the right (close to the forest edge) when the path becomes almost invisible.
The church in Komen is clearly visible when the dirt trail reaches the asphalt road from Ivanji grad. Find your way back to your car.