It seems that winter has its own ways on Mt. Snežnik, Slovenia’s highest non-alpine peak at 1,796 m. Only 28 km from the sea, it receives a comparable amount of precipitation as the Alps, which in combination with strong winds sometimes results in incredible snow sculptures – dwarf pine trees and spruces carved into a finest art display. At first glance, the landscape encapsulated in the clutches of the snow resembles Lapland, yet just a stone’s throw away, you’ll find its beautiful beech forest, for what the 793,9 ha Snežnik-Ždrolce primeval forests got included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. The tall beeches, whose branches become bare of leaves in winter, turn completely white and look delicately gentle set against the blue skies.
Those would be a few of the many reasons why Snežnik might just be the best winter hike in Slovenia.
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The grip of winter on Snežnik comes and goes and it usually doesn’t last longer than a week. To see the winter wonderland on Snežnik on a sunny day would be possible only on rare occasions ever since the wind, which is an important factor in creating the snowy silhouettes, also tends to bring the fog up to the mountains. If the rest of Slovenia is basking in perfect sunshine, Snežnik might be mixing the sun with fog or it may clog up completely. Speaking from my own experience.
I’d been wanting to see the ice kingdom on Mount Snežnik for a decade. Truth be told, I did manage to see it once but the weather had its own plans and so we hiked it in complete fog. This time I finally saw it in sunshine.
Hike from Sviščaki to Mt. Snežnik
It had just snowed a few days before which was then followed by a strong wind. The meteorological service even issued an orange alarm for the southern Slovenia due to the severity of the wind combined with the temperatures way below zero.
I whistled a happy tune as I drove along a winding road ascending up above the sunny Ilirska Bistrica. If there was snow at my house and in Ljubljana, there was surprisingly nothing on the sun-stroked hills above the small town. As I was gaining elevation, snow started to appear in the forested landscape; at first just in patches but as I was approaching my starting point, a nice blanket of snow awaited me coupled with a fairly cold temperature of minus 7 degrees C. I put on double winter hiking socks, actually double layers of everything, and headed out.
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The hike starts in Sviščaki, a small tourist settlement of a couple dozen wooden cottages at 1,240 m, and goes mostly through a beautiful old beech forest. To give you an idea of the vastness of the place, the Snežnik forest is actually the largest uninterrupted forest of Slovenia. Beech had found its home here ever since the ancient times and this place had served as one of the most important sanctuaries for the species during the ice age, after which it again spread throughout the central and western Europe. Namely, the Snežnik-Drolce forest is the richest beech forest in Europe and as such a cradle of the European beech. Nowadays, it’s protected as a forest reserve, it’s part of Natura 2000 and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List ever since 2017.
After about five kilometers of hiking in the forest, you all of a sudden find yourself on an open slope with views of the undulating forested hills stretching as far as the eye can see and with only dwarf pines and spruces sporadically interrupting the soft lines of the mountain. Right there, where the forest meets the bare slopes under the very peak, we missed a bear once by a minute as the puzzled hikers before us reported. Since the forest is home to many big animals like bears, wolves, lynxes, red deer and chamois, you can spot tracks quite easily too. Luckily, it was all calm that day and no bears crossed my trail.
Once out on the open slope, the wind really picked up. Feeling grateful for its unique work, having covered all plants in a white crust, I still couldn’t appreciate the extreme cold it brought. By the time I reached the top I noticed my puff jacket had started turning frozen white from the blazing wind together with my eyebrows and eyelashes. I swear I even had ice in my nose. I didn’t dally much at the top before jumping into the warm hut for some hot tea and, most of all, the warmth to regain the feeling in all my limbs and fingers.
In good visibility one can see the sea and some Croatian islands on one side of the peak and endless forested hills on the other. Unfortunately, the fog had created a thick veil right at the top, which only broke apart every few minutes or so, letting through a glimpse of the hut and the surrounding hills for a few moments.
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Sunset on frozen Snežnik
After a short rest in the hut, I sprung out with the first signs of an approaching sunset and ran down the mountain to escape the frigid cold. Once I reached the frozen trees, the setting sun was already throwing its mellow orange-rose reflections upon them. The frozen pines and spruces took on an otherworldly glow and its snowy dresses glistened in the soft light.
To visit Snežnik in the harshest of winter is to fall in love. I could’ve stayed forever. I enjoyed the remoteness of the place and the sheer vastness of the forests. The wild weather and the presence of the wild animals. The brisk air and the feeling of insignificance. Mother Nature is in charge here.
The temperature at the top you ask? No idea. But when I returned back to the car, it felt significantly warmer. Almost like coming to the tropics. The car said it was -8 degrees C.
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