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🇸🇮 Čaven from Kamnje

Hiking in Slovenia » Vipava Valley » Čaven » Čaven from Kamnje

Farmers from Kamnje, a tiny village high above Vipava valley, had to walk two hours to reach the meadows where they were preparing hay for the winter.

The local mountaineering team decided to preserve that tradition and created a theme path leading from Kamnje to Mala Gora.

At a Glance

Difficulty
Easy stroll across sunny meadows followed by a steep hike toward Čaven plateau
Altitude
1242 m
Average time
Ascent: 2.5 hours
Descent: 2 hours
Total: 5 hours
Elevation gain
990 m
Coordinates
Start: 45.901010,13.834580
Peak: 45.928964,13.852867

Starting point Hiking map

Interactive route

Parking in Kamnje is a @<#$% challenge. There’s a tiny spot behind the village where you could leave your car at the start of the trail (use starting coordinates to get there). You could also try to park close to the cemetery or at the recycling bins. In any case, don’t take this trip on a sunny weekend, or if you do, make sure you’re really early.

In a Nutshell

  • Signs for Mala Gora and Čaven will send you onto an old, well-maintained dirt road.
  • After a few minutes, follow the signs for Pot Koscev (Reapers’ path) onto a wide well-used unmarked footpath. Don’t worry; you can’t get lost.
  • In approximately 45 minutes, you’ll be back on the dirt road facing an interesting “when you get to a fork in the road, take it” challenge: should you take the steep path toward Mala Gora (right) or follow the moderate dirt trail (left). Not surprisingly, I decided to take the steep path.
  • The steep path climbs onto the next terrace and turns into a muddy newly-cut logging trail, fortunately not for long. An arrow sends you left onto a path that starts the usual too-steep-to-enjoy suffer walk toward Čaven. There are no views, but at least you’ll be able to enjoy gigantic boulders strewn around the forest.
  • When you reach the old forester road, the most challenging part of the hike is over. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll be on Mala Gora.
  • If you took the hike in spring or autumn (summer might be too hot), don’t rush toward Čaven. Turn right (direction Predmeja/Pot po robu) to get onto the sunny meadows where you can enjoy fantastic views and an incredible wealth of wildflowers. You can always turn left onto a path coming from Stomaž or Vrtovin; all of them will bring you to the mountain hut.

In a hurry? Here’s how you get to the top:

  • Follow the signs for Čaven/Koča na Čavnu onto a path through the forest that quickly merges with a dirt trail.
  • The waymarks and signs will safely guide you through a web of paths and trails to the main dirt trail from Koča na Čavnu (Čaven mountain hut) toward Kucelj. Turn right and enjoy ~15 minutes of a leisurely stroll to get to the mountain hut.

I decided to take the more moderate dirt trail on the way back. To do that, follow signs for Lovska Koča/Vrtovin on Mala Gora onto a dirt trail that descends toward a hunting shelter. From there, follow signs for Kamnje until you reach the “when you get to a fork in the road…” point. Decide whether you want to continue descending via the dirt road (I had enough) or enjoy the walk on Pot Koscev.