Jeterbenk

Jeterbenk Hike April 2025

Hike in the Polhov Gradec Hills, Slovenia, visiting Jeterbenk and St. Margaret Church, .

Recorded route
Žlebe - Jeterbenk Loop Hike (v1, GPX) planned route
Žlebe - Jeterbenk Loop Hike (v2, GPX) improved route
4,696 meter flat distance
18 % average gradient
771 meter highest point
409 meter lowest point
415 meter sum ascent
413 meter sum descent
Start quote. Jeterbenk in Spring. End quote.

A lush forest trail alongside a babbling stream on the Jeterbenk hill, not far from Ljubljana, was our destination for today. The last bit was steep, I'd say a tad too steep for my 4-year-old son. But with some help there and plenty of pauses it was a great hike for all of us.

Parking

08:40 - 08:41 (1m5s) @ Žlebe Parking

We arrive at the parking lot a bit before 9. The spots aren’t marked, so I just line up next to a car that’s already there.

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The parking lot.
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An information board.
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There is a nice information board at the Žlebe Parking. The route on the map is a longer one than what we're doing today.
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The start

08:41 - 08:45 (4m17s)

We start along a dirt road with a small stream running beside it. Pretty soon, the route I had planned branches off to the right. Spoiler alert: it turned out to be too overgrown for us.

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The path.
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The path with the detour path branching off to the right.
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Here the route I planned is on the right, going into the forest. We ended up turning back and following the dirt road on the left.
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The detour

08:45 - 09:00 (15m2s)

This narrower path is supposed to take us across the little stream, but it is too overgrown for us.

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The overgrown path and stream.
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The overgrown path and stream.
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Pause

09:00 - 09:08 (7m55s)

After backtracking a little bit, we continue along the dirt road and find a nice bench overlooking the hills. Time for our first break.

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The bench and view.
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The view from the bench.
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We go on

09:08 - 10:14 (1h6m)

After checking the map we decide on a new route that joins up with the one I had originally planned a bit later. We follow the dirt road for a bit and then continue on a narrower forest path which takes us across the stream. This path also has some overgrowth but nothing too bad, and eventually we end up on the planned route.

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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest.
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A bench in the forest.
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Another opportunity for a quick break, which we take.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest crossing the stream.
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Here the path crosses the stream.
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The stream.
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The path through the forest.
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Here the vegetation gets quite thick.
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The path branching in 2 directions.
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Here we are on path I had planned, which splits in 2 directions, joining back up again later. We go left, which is the shorter of the 2.
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The path through the forest.
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The path joining back together.
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Here the 2 paths join back up.
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A fallen tree alongside the path.
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Another opportunity for a quick break, which we take, again ;).
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The steep stretch to the Jeterbenk peak

10:14 - 10:35 (20m34s)

This last bit before the peak is steep, a bit too steep for my 4-year-old son. But slowly and carefully, we make it up.

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The steep path.
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The steep path.
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The steep path.
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The steep path.
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The steep path.
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The steep path.
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Jeterbenk

10:35 - 11:10 (35m25s) @ Jeterbenk

We made it!

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Jeterbenk.
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A bench on Jeterbenk.
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Jeterbenk.
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Back down

11:10 - 11:58 (47m36s)

After enjoying the views from Jeterbenk we slowly make our way back down the steep bit, and then continue on to the church of Saint Margaret.

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A look down the steep path.
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Going back down this steep section was the hardest bit.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest.
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A view from the path.
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A view from the path.
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A view from the path.
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The path with the church of Saint Margaret visible in the distance.
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Church of Saint Margaret

11:58 - 12:20 (22m5s) @ St. Margaret Church

The church of Saint Margaret is our last stop this hike.

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The final stretch

12:20 - 12:33 (13m27s)

There is a narrow forest path behind the church that leads back down to the parking lot.

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The path behind the church.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest.
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The path through the forest joining back up with the path we started on.
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Back at the parking lot

12:33 - 12:38 (5m10s) @ Žlebe Parking

All in all, a terrific half-day hike.

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