The Most Beautiful Hiking Trails in Eastern Pohorje

The Reka Green-Blue Trail (Rečka zeleno-modra pot)

This wonderful hiking trail starts at the former Rečnik inn in Zgornje Hoče. The once famous Hoče inn is also the birthplace of a famous Slovenian indologist, translator, linguist and literary historian, dr. Karol Glaser. There’s a commemorative plaque on the front face of the building at the start of the trail. The inn also serves as the destination of the traditional Reka downhill skiing, known as Zvonkov memorial, which begins on Areh. It hasn’t been hosted in the last few years, though, because of the lack of snow.

There’s a nicely decorated sign with a map next to the commemorative plaque. It’s hard to miss and the sign urges hikers and nature lovers to follow the trail. Don’t forget to take a peek into the wooden box where you’ll find leaflets, which will help you get to the important checkpoints along the trail. So, let’s hit the trail! First, we arrive at the Church of St. Leonard, which is hidden in the clearing above the town. From there, we move and walk past various tourist farms nestled on the plateau. These offer wonderful views of the Drava-Ptuj Field. Before we know it, we’ve arrived at the Hunting Lodge Hoče, which has a perfect spot for a picnic and some rest. We then climb to the Habakuk and Bellevue ridges all the way to the observation tower (which was closed when I was writing the article). We hike past Reški vrh to the Maribor Hut (Mariborska koča) and continue downwards past Petkovo sedlo and towards the former Veronika’s Inn. Before we know it, we’re right where we started, but we’ve added another a dventure to our list. The trail takes about three hours and a half.

From Slivnica to Maribor Hut

Why have I put this trail on my shortlist? The little-known fact is that, decades ago, the hiking trail from Slivnica (the municipality of Hoče - Slivnica) to Maribor Hut used to be an unofficial opening section of the Slovenian Mountain Trail (Slovenska planinska pot or SPP) all the way to the first stamp at Maribor Hut, and it still is. Travellers could start their hike outside the concrete city, which was preferred by some. The start of the trail is next to the information sign at Franc Lešnik – Vuk Primary School. The trail then winds past the school and kindergarten all the way to the picturesque Slivnica Castle. The latter, however, is sadly in a very poor condition. When we hike past the castle, we start climbing up a ridge on a forest path and are rewarded with a panorama of the Framsko, Slivniško and Hočko Pohorje.

Before realising, we’ve arrived in a small village of Šestdobe, which used to be part of Ranče until 2013. The name is linked to a historical and cultural tradition that says the name “Šestdobe” represents six oaks (“dob” is a type of oak in Slovenian) that were, in the centuries-long history, supposed to depict six farmers or six large farms that existed at the time. Our trail is joined by the Jugova Trail that leads from Fram at the wooden sculpture of a human palm. Together they continue as one towards the Department of Pulmonary Diseases of the University Medical Centre Maribor. Part of the trail leading from there onwards is dangerous because it winds along the main road that goes from Hoče to Bellevue and Areh. The penultimate ascent leads past Petkovo sedlo and near the twelve-metre-high Skalca Waterfall, also known as Fram Waterfall (worth visiting). From there, there’s only about half-an-hour’s worth of climbing left, upon which we arrive below the famous Maribor Hut. The optimal hiking time is two hours and a half.

Kotnik Trail

The Kotnik Trail goes through a large part of the municipality of Hoče - Slivnica and offers both a gorgeous view and various cultural monuments along the way. The circular trail was named after a professional painter Rudolf Kotnik and is well-marked with new signs that also show the map of the trail and its 15 stages. We start from the tennis court in Hoče and hike past the small Church of St. Cross towards Polana and Reka, all the way to the Church of St. Leonard, which is hidden behind the trees. The trail then winds along the edges of Hočko Pohorje to Hompoš Castle (Pohorski dvor), which is home to the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Maribor. We then descend to the linden-lined road, the Pivola pond and an apple plantation, and continue all the way to Siničev mlin (Sinič Mill) where you can treat yourself to some pizza at Pizzeria pri Siničevem mlinu. From there, it’s just a few metres on flat terrain until the destination, or the first checkpoint if you will. This remaining part of the trail is about 12km long and the hike takes three hours.

Pohorje cable car – Areh – Žigartov vrh

The trail starts at the upper Pohorje cable car station. The cable car can be used to reach the upper station from Maribor, but driving by car from Hoče is another option. The trail is relatively gently sloping and goes past the renovated Church of St. Bolfenk and the previously-mentioned Reški vrh. It’s quite a popular trail and goes through three municipalities (Maribor, Hoče - Slivnica and Ruše). The path also mostly leads through the forest and quickly takes you to a small lake on Areh plateau. But before reaching the lake’s shore, we go past hidden post-war burial grounds that remind us of the tragedies of the great World War II and its consequences.

When we move on from the sad past, we can visit the most important attraction along the way, the Church of St. Areh. There’s the Ruše Hut (Ruška koča) in the immediate vicinity and it offers traditional Styrian dishes, such as pohorski pisker (Pohorje pot dish), a traditional Slovenian stew originating from the Pohorje region, and olbič or pohorski žganci, a traditional Slovenian dish originating from the Pohorje region and usually made with a combination of potatoes, corn flour, salt, and pork cracklings. There’s also an 0th class point of the Combined Geodetic Network, which is comprised of six points that are more or less evenly distributed across the country and located about 100km from each other. This part of the hike takes about ah hour and a half.

It can be extended to Žigartov vrh (1,346m), though, which adds another hour to the hike. Žigartov vrh is the highest peak in eastern Pohorje and is forested. There’s a sign at the top which marks the destination. There used to be a 23-metre-high tower there as well. The hiking trail stamp is available at Ruše Hut, in case all you hiking-trail-stamp collectors are wondering.

Rozika’s Forest Nature Trail

This forest nature trail is the first of its kind in the Maribor area. The trail marking is a spruce on a white background with a yellow and blue dot or simply the latter. It leads past a nice and snow-white Church of St. Bolfenk, with the tallest chestnut tree and one of the broadest beech trees in Pohorje standing next to it. We then follow the trail to the observation tower, from which we turn south towards the former railway facility and then head back. Through 17 information points, visitors learn about the wealth and conservation of the incredible Pohorje flora and fauna. The hour-long trail that takes about three hours allows you to explore all the natural features of the area.

The Path to Meranovo and Pečke

Most hikers start the hike at the lower Pohorje cable car station or in Limbuš. It’s an easy hike and the trail takes us to the Meranovo estate, which is a well-known wine-growing area on the Podpohorje Wine Route. Meranovo saw a boom thanks to Maria Theresa’s grandson, Archduke John of Austria, who bought the estate and planted various vine varieties from Rhineland, which later turned out to be a huge success. He also founded the first school for viticulture there in 1832 and contributed to the development of agriculture and therefore educational system in Styria. After we’re done marvelling at the vineyards and Pohorje’s main ridge in the background, we can move on to Andrej’s apiary. There’s a honey nature trail leading from there, lined with information signs, and a honey plant garden – these plants are the source of the Slovenian honey with a protected geographical indication. The destination, Dom na Pečkah, awaits us after we finish the trail’s final stage, which leads us through the forest. The hike from the lower Pohorje cable car station to Dom na Pečkah takes about two hours.