With its mild temperatures, autumn offers ideal conditions for mountain hiking, provided the skies are clear and the trails dry. However, you must always bear in mind the unique conditions that prevail in high-altitude areas. The winner of this year’s Best Hiking Trail competition, which leads to Bavški Grintavec, is once again open to highly experienced hikers. Trail markers from Jesenice Alpine Club restored and repaired it with the technical support of the Alpine Association of Slovenia and the financial help of Zavarovalnica Triglav. The trail had been closed for some time as a result of rockslides, and required complete remediation and guardrail replacement.
The Zadnja Trenta to Bavški Grintavec trail received the most votes from mountain lovers at the end of the Best Hiking Trail 2026 campaign, which secured the funds for its restoration and repair. The campaign, which is now in its ninth year, took place between 20 April and 7 June as a collaboration between the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) and Zavarovalnica Triglav. Its aim is to highlight the importance of well-laid out hiking trails and the indispensable work that trail markers do to ensure this.
Difficult restoration
The winning trail, from Zadnja Trenta to Bavški Grintavec, runs from Flori along the Zadnja Trenta valley, before climbing for a long stretch through the Zapotok mountain pasture to the Kanja Pass. From here, you climb the steep northern slope using guardrails – just one of the reasons why this trail is so challenging. The trail is now open again, although Bavški Grintavec remains a serious and demanding peak, with unstable surfaces meaning that falling rocks can come as no surprise during the ascent. Any attempt at this trail requires proper equipment, preparation and deep respect for the mountain.
“The renovation work on the Zadnja Trenta to Bavški Grintavec trail was extremely complex and demanding because of the high mountain terrain and the effects of extensive past rockslides,” said Bojan Erjavšek, president of Jesenice Alpine Club. “We are therefore particularly delighted to be able to reopen the trail after so many years with the help of funds from the Best Hiking Trail 2026 campaign, giving mountaineers the chance to climb Bavški Grintavec more safely. But funds aren’t the only thing needed for success – in the end, the most important thing is the knowledge, selflessness and voluntary work of the trail markers,” he added. “I would like to sincerely thank everyone who voted for our trail, and particularly the trail markers from the PZS and Jesenice Alpine Club, who did exceptional work in challenging conditions.”
Looking after 10,000 kilometres of trails
The Best Hiking Trail campaign is designed to draw attention to the fact that well-kept and safe trails through the mountains should never be taken for granted. Slovenia has more than 10,000 kilometres of hiking trails. They are serviced by around 1,000 volunteer trail markers whose work is often complex, dangerous and unnoticed. Voting is therefore also an expression of support for their many years of hard work.
“For several years now we have been using the Best Hiking Trail campaign to highlight the importance of well-kept hiking trails and the dedicated work of the country’s trail markers in keeping paths through the mountains safe and passable,” said Maša Čeplak, head of Zavarovalnica Triglav’s Social Responsibility department. “We are delighted to have been able to contribute to the repair and renovation of the trail to Bavški Grintavec in collaboration with the Alpine Association of Slovenia and Jesenice Alpine Club. We should point out that ensuring safety and good order in the mountains is not the responsibility of trail markers alone, but of all of us who visit the mountains. By respecting nature and behaving responsibly, we can help preserve the Alpine world for future generations as well,” she added.
Nine trails repaired and restored
Since 2018, when the campaign came into being, a total of nine trails have been fully restored. It is hoped that work on last year’s winning trail will be completed in time for this year’s hiking season.
Past winners of the Best Hiking Trail competition:
- The circular trail that starts on the Blato mountain pasture and passes through the Pri Jezeru and Dedno Polje mountain pastures, the Vrata Valley (below Mount Zelnarica), Mount Prehodavci, Dvojno Jezero Lake, the Štapce Pass, the Ovčarija mountain pasture and the Pri Jezeru mountain pasture again, before ending back on the Blato mountain pasture
- The Rečica circular trail
- The Bamberg Trail from Luknja via Plemenice to Triglav
- The trail leading from the Kranj Lodge on the Ledine Plateau to Mount Koroška Rinka
- The Hanza Trail, which leads from the Koča na Gozdu mountain hut to Prisojnik
- The trail from Kamniško Sedlo to Mounts Brana and Planjava
- The Koželj Trail along the Kamniška Bistrica river
- The trail from Topla Cave to Mala Peca
- The Logar Valley to Okrešelj and Kamniško Sedlo (restored to Okrešelj)
- Zadnja Trenta to Bavški Grintavec
Useful links:
- Photographs of the repair and restoration work on the Zadnja Trenta–Bavški Grintavec trail
- Video of the delivery of trail repair materials to Bavški Grintavec by helicopter (filmed by Edi Tomšič)
- Descriptions of the finalists in the Best Hiking Trail 2026 competition.
- Useful tips on how to prepare for a hiking trip.
