Ločika
2,107 m
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Also known as LoćikaAlso known as
Loćika
- Elevation
- 2,107 m
- Prominence
- 1,139 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: Moderately difficult (srednje teška), lake–Ločika–Rosinj ridge traverse (planinarenje.hr) · Easy fitness, technically undemanding (PD Planine Sarajevo)
A short, easy loop from the glacial lake of Prokoško jezero (about 1,630 m) above Fojnica: south over the pastures of Jezera to the neighbouring top of Treskavica (2,020 m), west along the ridge through dwarf pine to Ločika, and back down via the Sarajevska vrata pass. About 8 km and 480–540 m of ascent.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 5.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +503 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,107 m
- Time Up
- 2h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 48m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Fojnica follow the signs for Prokoško jezero, about 21 km on mostly gravel road (6 km asphalt, then about 16 km of regularly graded gravel) that an ordinary car can drive with care. The lake is a protected natural monument; park before the toll booth, where entry fees are charged. Signposts at the lake show the paths to the surrounding summits, though they do not name the peaks; on grassy ground the route is marked with stakes. Walk through the hut settlement on the lake shore and head south across the pastures of the area called Jezera to Treskavica (2,020 m), about 3 km south of the lake and about 400 m above it, either on the gravel road or by a mountain path; its top has no waymark, only a stone slab. Ločika lies about 1 km to the west along the ridge; the marked path passes through dwarf pine near the end. The second-highest summit of Vranica, it has open views along the main ridge to Krstac and Nadkrstac. Descend north-west to the Sarajevska vrata pass (1,955 m), crossed by the gravel road from Uskoplje towards Fojnica, and back via Jezera, where a stream offers water, to the lake. A 2020 GPS track recorded 8.1 km and about 480 m of ascent for the loop. Fit walkers can continue from Ločika along the ridge over Krstac and Nadkrstac to Rosinj, a 10 km route that planinarenje.hr times at 3 h 49 min.
Start
Prokoško jezero1,635 m
- None; local jeep transfers from Fojnica are offered
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prokoško jezero → Ločika | 5.0 | 503 | 32 | 2h 22m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Prokoško jezero1,635 m
Park before the toll booth; protected natural monument
- Feature: Treskavica2,018 m
- Summit: Ločika2,107 m
Key Passages
- Dwarf pine below the summit of Ločika
- Open ridge between Treskavica and Ločika
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The second-highest summit of Vranica (2,107 m), just five metres lower than Nadkrstac, rising directly above the glacial lake of Prokoško jezero. An easy half-day loop from the lake over pastures and a short belt of dwarf pine.
Ločika stands at the south-eastern end of Vranica's main ridge in central Bosnia, between the Sarajevska vrata pass (1,955 m), crossed by the gravel road from Uskoplje towards Fojnica, and the lower top of Treskavica (2,020 m). Nadkrstac, the range's high point, is about 2 km to the north-west along the ridge. The mountain is grassy and rounded rather than rocky, with dwarf pine on its flanks and wide views over central Bosnia.
Most visitors start from Prokoško jezero, a glacial lake at about 1,630 m ringed by shepherds' huts and weekend cottages and declared a natural monument in 2005. The lake is reached by about 21 km of mostly gravel road from Fojnica and is busy, sometimes noisy, on summer weekends; the ridge above is much quieter.
The central ridge of Vranica was largely spared in the 1992–1995 war and the mine risk is described as minimal. The walk is easy and technically undemanding, but the ridge is exposed to strong wind and sun and has no water.
Climbing Notes
The loop from Prokoško jezero via Treskavica and back by Sarajevska vrata is about 8 km with about 480 m of ascent, a comfortable half day. It can be extended along the ridge over Krstac and Nadkrstac to Rosinj (about 10 km, 3 h 49 min one way according to planinarenje.hr), returning to the lake by the gravel road.
Carry at least 2 litres of water, sun protection and a windproof layer. Signposts at the lake do not name the peaks and some junctions are unsigned, so a GPS track helps, especially in fog. In winter Vranica is snow-covered and the road from Fojnica may be impassable.
Simple wooden huts can be rented at the lake from local shepherds, and the Jezernica hut on the road from Fojnica also offers beds.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow; road from Fojnica may be impassable
- Feb
- Snow; ski touring
- Mar
- Snow
- Apr
- Snow on the ridge; road conditions poor
- May
- Snow patches; wet road
- Jun
- Good conditions
- Jul
- Good conditions; lake busy at weekends
- Aug
- Good conditions; berries
- Sep
- Good conditions; quieter
- Oct
- Cooler; first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter; club hikes still run in fair weather
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No staffed hut on the route. Wooden huts at the lake are rented informally by locals; the Jezernica hut on the road from Fojnica offers beds.
- Fees
- Prokoško jezero natural monument: entry fee per car and per person, plus parking (10 KM per car, 2 KM per adult and 5 KM parking in 2021)
- Rules
- Prokoško jezero is a protected natural monument: do not damage vegetation, pick berries by hand only and take litter away
- Getting There
Fojnica (about 21 km by road)
Sarajevo International Airport (SJJ)
- Car: from Fojnica about 6 km of asphalt and 15–16 km of gravel road to Prokoško jezero, signposted at every junction; passable with care by ordinary car
- Local jeep and car transfers from Fojnica are offered
- Buses reach Fojnica; no public transport to the lake
Hazards
- Weather