Hiking in Slovenia » Vipava Valley » Kovk above Col » Kovk from Col
Kovk is a scenic hilltop at the edge of the Gora plateau high above Vipava valley with fantastic vistas of the valley, Trnovski Gozd, Julian Alps, and the Italian Dolomites. Getting there from Col (a village at the Gora plateau’s eastern edge) is a comfortable hour-long hike with a few steeper sections – ideal for an afternoon family stroll.
At a Glance
- Altitude
- 961 m
- Average time
- 2 h
- Elevation gain
- 320 m
- Coordinates
-
Start: 45.885151,13.994895
Peak: 45.887981,13.969153
In a Nutshell
- Park at an enormous parking lot next to the church in Col, or follow signs to Predmeja until the village’s end, and park near the recycling bins.
- A few meters after the recycling bins, you’ll encounter a red signpost for Pot po Robu (path on edge), sending you left onto a wide dirt road.
- The dirt road slowly narrows into a track. Follow it just past a clearing where a red arrow sends you left.
- After a few meters, you’ll encounter another fork: an unmarked footpath goes to the right, the dirt trail goes straight through the forest. Take either one; they’ll both bring you to the destination.
- If you chose the footpath (dotted line on the hiking map), you’re all set. Follow it till the hilltop.
- If you decided to follow the waymarks on the dirt trail, be careful when you arrive at a small pasture: your path turns left onto an ascending footpath at the end of it. After a few minutes of pretty steep ascent through a sparse beech forest, you’ll get to a sunny range and the bench on the hilltop.
- Enjoy the view.
Like diversity? Take the other path on the way back:
- If you took the footpath to get to Kovk, follow the waymarks leading into the forest.
- If you followed the marked path, take the trail going straight east (the direction you came from).