Krn
2,244 m
Slovenia
Also known as Крн, Mont Neri, +2Also known as
Крн · Mont Neri · Monte Nero · Крн (гора)
- Elevation
- 2,244 m
- Prominence
- 605 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 15 Sep 2026
PD Nova Gorica announced on 15 September 2026 that Gomiščkovo zavetišče na Krnu is closed for the season; only the entrance room is open as an emergency shelter (about 8 places on benches and tables, blankets provided).
planinsko-drustvo-ng.si
Routes
2The shortest and most popular way up Krn: an easy marked trail of about 5.8 km and 1,250 m of ascent from the pasture of Planina Kuhinja (991 m) above Kobarid, past Planina Slapnik and up old First World War mule tracks to the Gomiščkovo zavetišče hut 60 m below the summit. About 3¼ hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 5.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,306 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,244 m
- Time Up
- 5h 10m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 29m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive from Kobarid or Tolmin via Vrsno and the village of Krn to the paid car park just before Planina Kuhinja (991 m). Walk past the Koča na planini Kuhinja hut and a memorial to climbers who died in the Krn range, then climb pasture slopes, crossing the farm road twice, to the identical huts of Planina Slapnik (about 1,250 m, 45 minutes from the car; water troughs here). Long switchbacks follow up steeper grass; around 1,600 m an unmarked but well-trodden shortcut branches right, while the marked path traverses left to the foot of the Kožljak ridge and turns up Krn's steep western slopes on an old military mule track. The angle eases on the Krn 'plošča' (slab plateau), where a branch leads right to Krnska škrbina. Zigzag up the edge of the plateau to Gomiščkovo zavetišče (2,182 m), about 3 hours from the car, then turn right and climb rocky ground for 10 minutes to the summit cross and its views over the Soča valley to the Adriatic. Descend the same way, or loop via Krnska škrbina (about the same time). The south side is sunny and waterless above Slapnik; the main hazards are heat, afternoon thunderstorms and, from late autumn to spring, snow and avalanche-prone slopes on which an ice axe and crampons are needed.
Start
Planina Kuhinja car park981 m
- Bus to Kobarid; a seasonal shuttle to Planina Kuhinja has run in some summers (EUR 2 in 2021, free in 2024) but has not been confirmed for 2026.
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Parking: Planina Kuhinja car park981 m
- Hut: Koča na planini Kuhinja988 m
- Feature: Planina Slapnik1,243 m
- Hut: Gomiščkovo zavetišče na Krnu2,155 m
- Summit: Krn2,244 m
Key Passages
- Switchbacks above Planina Slapnik
- Old military mule track up the west slopes
- Krn plateau ('plošča') below the hut
- Rocky final 10 minutes to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The 2,244 m high point of the Krn Mountains above Kobarid, a grassy, south-facing summit with sea views and a small hut just below the top. Easy marked trails follow First World War mule tracks; the main route climbs 1,250 m in about 3¼ hours.
Krn is the highest summit of the Krn Mountains in the south-western Julian Alps, rising above the Soča valley between Kobarid, Drežnica and Tolmin. From the south and west it shows a steep, imposing face, but its southern flanks are a broad staircase of pasture, grass and limestone slabs, and the marked trails from Planina Kuhinja and Lepena are graded easy. The summit lies about 50 km from the Adriatic, which is visible on clear days, and Krnsko jezero, Slovenia's largest glacial lake, lies on the north side.
The mountain was in the front line of the Isonzo (Soča) Front from 1915 to 1917. The trails still follow military mule tracks, and trenches, caverns and debris remain on Krn and its neighbour Batognica, whose summit was blown off by an accidental munitions explosion. The Gomiščkovo zavetišče hut, 60 m below the top, makes a night out with sunset over the Soča valley easy to arrange.
It is a straightforward but long, sunny climb: good fitness matters more than technique in summer. In winter the same slopes become serious avalanche and ice terrain.
Climbing Notes
From Planina Kuhinja the ascent is a 3–3½ hour climb with 1,250 m of ascent on an easy marked trail; most fit walkers do it as a day trip, about 6 hours return. Start early in summer: the route faces south and has no water above Planina Slapnik, and afternoon storms are common. The longer route from Lepena via the Krn lakes (about 5 hours) makes a good two-day traverse with nights at Dom pri Krnskih jezerih or on the summit.
Gomiščkovo zavetišče is usually staffed from mid-June to the end of September; outside that period its entrance room is left open as an emergency shelter with benches, tables and blankets but no beds. Slovenian huts do not allow sleeping bags: bring a liner. From November to May the upper slopes are often snow-covered and avalanche-prone, and ice axe and crampons are needed.
History
On 16 June 1915 Italian Alpini of the 3rd Regiment captured the summit in a surprise night assault, climbing the cliffs with their boots wrapped in straw sacks to muffle the noise and defeating a Hungarian Honvéd battalion. It was one of Italy's first successes of the war, and the mountain (Monte Nero to the Italians) stayed in the front line until the Central Powers' breakthrough at Kobarid (Caporetto) in October 1917. The summit hut, Gomiščkovo zavetišče, is run by PD Nova Gorica; in 2018 it was out of action for part of the season after lightning damaged its water tank, and a new solar plant was flown in by the Slovenian Army.
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: Possible
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions; avalanche risk; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter conditions; ice axe and crampons
- Mar
- Experienced winter walkers in stable conditions; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring snow on the upper slopes; parking barrier at Kuhinja operates from April
- May
- Lingering snow above about 1,800 m
- Jun
- Summit hut usually opens mid-June; snowfields possible below Krnska škrbina
- Jul
- Main season; hot on the south slopes, start early
- Aug
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Stable weather and clear views; hut closes at the end of the month (mid-September in 2026)
- Oct
- Often fine; huts closed; first snow possible
- Nov
- Snow and ice likely on the upper slopes
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Gomiščkovo zavetišče (PD Nova Gorica): phone +386 65 563 430 or zkrn25@gmail.com; groups usually book ahead in August.
- Fees
- Paid parking at Planina Kuhinja, operating 1 April – 31 October (EUR 10 per day with the first 2 hours free in 2025, per hiker reports)
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The Krn lakes and the northern approach from Lepena lie in Triglav National Park: no wild camping or bivouacking, no swimming in the lakes, dogs on a lead, stay on marked paths
- Sleeping bags are not allowed in Slovenian huts; bring a liner
- Getting There
Kobarid
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU); Trieste (TRS) is similarly close
- Car: from Kobarid cross the Soča at Napoleon's Bridge, turn towards Tolmin and drive via Ladra, Smast and Libušnje to Vrsno, then follow the narrow road via Krn village to Planina Kuhinja; from Tolmin via the bridge at Kamno
- Lepena: turn off the Bovec–Trenta road at Soča village and follow the paved road to Dom dr. Klementa Juga
- Buses run to Kobarid and Tolmin from Nova Gorica and Ljubljana; a summer shuttle to Planina Kuhinja has operated in some years
Hazards
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,002 m
Koča na planini KuhinjaHut
- 1,385 m
Planinski dom pri Krnskih jezerihHut
- 2,182 m
Gomiščkovo zavetišče na KrnuHutStaffed
42 beds · Usually mid-June to end of September; emergency room open when closed