Grintovec
2,558 m
Slovenia
- Elevation
- 2,558 m
- Prominence
- 1,706 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 17 Sep 2025
The marked path from Kokra (Suhadolnik farm) to Kokrsko sedlo and Cojzova koča is closed after a landslide; reach the hut from Kamniška Bistrica or neighbouring summits. Reported closed in September 2025 and still listed as closed by PZS in 2026.
pzs.si
Routes
2Sources differ: T2 (Camptocamp (T2/T3)) · lahka označena pot (easy marked trail) (hribi.net)
The classic and easiest ascent of the highest peak of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps: a steep forest and scree path from the V Koncu car park (875 m) to Cojzova koča on the Kokrsko sedlo (1,793 m), then a waymarked path across Spodnje Jame and Ovnov čer and up the broad, stony south slope called Streha ('the roof') to the summit. About 1,700 m of ascent and 4¾ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,727 m
- −59 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,558 m
- Time Up
- 6h 31m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 17m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive from Kamnik via Stahovica up the Kamniška Bistrica valley past Dom v Kamniški Bistrici; the gravel road continues to the V Koncu car park at the lower station of the goods cableway to Kokrsko sedlo (875 m). Driving or parking beyond the cableway is forbidden and fined, and in winter the road from Dom v Kamniški Bistrici is closed to cars, adding almost an hour on foot. The marked path to Cojzova koča leaves left, climbs beside the cableway, then through forest, moderately and later steeply, past Pri debeli bukvi (1,174 m). A short steep step once had cables (now removed); it is easy when dry but slippery when wet. Beyond a torrent bed the path passes beneath the cliffs of Mali vrh, where rockfall is more likely in spring and after rain, then climbs steep gravel and traverses scree to grassy slopes and the Kokrsko sedlo with Cojzova koča (1,793 m), about 2½ hours. From the hut turn right (signed Grintovec, Skuta), climb steeply for 10 minutes to a junction at 1,859 m and go left. A rising traverse and a short descent lead to the hollow of Spodnje Jame, then a traverse across a steep slope to Ovnov čer (2,021 m), 40 minutes. Turn right up a steep, partly grassy path onto the broad stony Streha; many trodden paths make the waymarks hard to follow, but nearly all lead up. The last 200 m climb slightly left of the eastern edge to the narrowing summit ridge and summit box, about 1½ hours. Descend the same way. In winter the whole route is exposed to avalanches and the Streha is a serious slip hazard.
Start
V Koncu888 m
- Bus or train from Ljubljana to Kamnik; buses from Kamnik to Kamniška Bistrica are limited. From Dom v Kamniški Bistrici walk about 1 hour along the road to V Koncu.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V Koncu → Grintovec | 5.1 | 1,727 | 59 | 6h 31m |
Waypoints
- Parking: V Koncu888 m
- Hut: Cojzova koča na Kokrskem sedlu1,789 m
- Summit: Grintovec2,558 m
Key Passages
- Steep step in the forest (cables removed; slippery when wet)
- Path beneath the cliffs of Mali vrh (rockfall)
- Traverse to Ovnov čer
- Stony Streha slope to the summit ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The highest peak of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps (2,558 m) and, after Triglav, the most prominent summit in Slovenia. A long but technically easy waymarked path climbs from the Kamniška Bistrica valley via Cojzova koča and the stony 'roof' of the Streha.
Grintovec stands at the centre of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps north of Ljubljana, above three valleys: Kamniška Bistrica to the south-east, the Kokra valley to the west and Ravenska Kočna above Jezersko to the north. It is the highest point of the range and, with a prominence of about 1,700 m, the second most prominent summit in Slovenia after Triglav. From the summit the view takes in the Julian Alps, the Karawanks and on clear days the Hohe Tauern and the Pannonian plain.
From the south the mountain is a broad, grey limestone dome: the Streha ('roof') slope rises from the Kokrsko sedlo with Cojzova koča, and the normal route up it is a steep, stony walk without exposure. The north and east sides are steep walls and ridges crossed by some of Slovenia's 'very difficult' secured paths, such as the Frischauf route over the Mlinarsko sedlo and the Šprem route on the north-west ridge.
The ascent from Kamniška Bistrica gains about 1,700 m and is usually done as a long day or with a night at Cojzova koča. It is one of the classic summits of the Slovenian Alpine Trail and of a long-standing mountain race from Kamniška Bistrica.
Climbing Notes
Good fitness for 1,700 m of ascent (4¾ hours up, 8 hours return) and sure-footedness on steep scree and stony slopes are enough for the normal route in summer; no climbing or glacier skills are needed. Altitude is not an issue. A helmet is recommended because of rockfall below Mali vrh and on the scree. Many walkers stay a night at Cojzova koča (open daily from mid-June to September; reserve in advance in season) and climb Grintovec and neighbouring Skuta or Kočna from there.
The northern routes from Češka koča are 'very difficult' marked paths with cables, pegs and exposed easy climbing; bring a helmet and a via ferrata set. Snow lingers on the Streha and in the north wall into June or later, and in winter the normal route is avalanche-prone and a serious slip hazard: crampons, ice axe and winter experience are required. Check path closures on mapzs.pzs.si before setting out; the Suhadolnik approach from the Kokra valley is currently closed by a landslide.
History
The botanist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli made the first recorded ascent in 1759. An 1865 ascent by Alfons Pavich von Pfauenthal was published in the Austrian Alpine Club yearbook of 1868. The north-east ridge route bears the name of Johannes Frischauf, a pioneer of tourism in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps. Cojzova koča on the Kokrsko sedlo, named after the Zois family, is run by the Kamnik Alpine Club (PD Kamnik) and was partly renovated in 2022.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; avalanche and slip hazard; road to V Koncu closed to cars
- Feb
- Winter; ski-mountaineering for experienced parties
- Mar
- Spring ski tours on the Streha in good snow; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring snow; crampons and ice axe
- May
- Old snow on the Streha; huts closed
- Jun
- Cojzova koča opens mid-June (13 June in 2026); snow patches remain
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy at weekends
- Sep
- Stable weather; hut open daily
- Oct
- Cojzova koča open only occasionally; winter room available; first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Cojzova koča (PD Kamnik): e-mail cojzova.koca@pdkamnik.si, phone +386 81 615 115 in season or +386 1 83 91 345 (club office). Češka koča: via PZS (pzs.si) contacts.
- Fees
- Hut overnight and meal prices at Cojzova koča and Češka koča, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- Driving or parking beyond the goods cableway station at V Koncu is forbidden and fines are issued; in winter the road from Dom v Kamniški Bistrici to V Koncu is closed to cars
- Sleeping bags are not allowed in Slovenian huts; use a liner
- Check path closures on mapzs.pzs.si (Planinska zveza Slovenije)
- Getting There
Kamnik
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU)
- Car: Ljubljana – Kamnik – Stahovica – Kamniška Bistrica, then gravel road to the V Koncu car park (summer)
- Bus or train Ljubljana – Kamnik; limited buses up the Kamniška Bistrica valley
- North side: road from Kranj to Jezersko and into the Ravenska Kočna valley
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
2- 1,542 m
Češka koča na Spodnjih RavnehHutStaffed
70 beds · Summer
- 1,793 m
Cojzova koča na Kokrskem sedluHutStaffed
135 beds · Open daily June–September (from 13 June in 2026), occasionally in October; closed November–May; winter room with 12 places