Gornje Vrapče – junction with trail no. 9 (Risnjak mountain hut)

Trail no. 10 is ideal for hikers and nature enthusiasts who enjoy peace and quiet and want to avoid crowds, as well as for those who like to bring their pets. The trail is beautiful and somewhat neglected, which makes walking along it a real pleasure.

From the Črnomerec bus terminal, take bus line 125 to Gornje Vrapče and get off at the intersection of Vrapčanska road and Horvatnica street. Walk another 50 metres along Vrapčanska road and turn right at the intersection with Kukoljina street. Climb gently up Kukoljina street, which curves to the right and meets Kurirska street. Turn right there, then immediately left, gently uphill alongside an orchard. The hiking trail is wide, and after passing the orchard, continue on a wider well-maintained tractor path. You'll come to a lovely wooden cottage, and just beyond it, the trail intersects with another path. Turn left here and continue gently uphill through the forest on a wider hiking path.

Once again, you'll pass a solitary cottage on the right, after which the path continues toward Brežan hill, which you’ll bypass on the left. The path becomes narrow and climbs to a junction with a tractor road. Turn left here onto the wider tractor road. This junction marks the location of the last isolated cottage on the trail. Continue along the tractor path, which becomes slightly wider and somewhat rutted, though a nice narrow path runs alongside it. The trail narrows again and continues gently uphill, leaving the Vrapče shooting range behind you to the left.

You’ll reach the junction with trail no. 54, which has been decommissioned. Trail no. 54 is poorly marked and very steep in its final section. Hikers no longer use it, and it is no longer maintained or marked. At this junction, turn right onto the wider forest road, which curves around Črni Vrh on the right and continues straight to a junction with the Kustošija gravel road. After you pass the gravel road, continue uphill along the left side of Gverino hill. As the tractor road gradually becomes a hiking path, you'll walk the rest of the way along a stunning mountain trail. It is narrow, winds through beautiful forest and slowly ascends toward the junction with trail no. 9, where trail no. 10 ends. The long final part of the route is especially scenic. At the very end, there is a short climb to the junction with trail no. 9. From the junction, turn left uphill and continue to the Risnjak mountain hut. This final segment takes about 50 more minutes and is described under trail no. 9.

The trail begins with a gentle downhill section that soon levels out and remains flat, with barely noticeable elevation changes, all the way to Grajfova Kopanja. The path is wide the entire time, as it’s used by the forestry service for logging. It passes beneath the peak of Pšeničnak, which is on your left. After about 30 minutes, you’ll reach a sharp bend. To secure this curve, the forestry service had to reinforce the path with large logs to prevent it from collapsing. After the bend, you arrive at a junction with trail no. 4, which comes from the right, from the Sopot waterfall. Continue onward toward the area called Laporje, and you’ll reach another junction with trail no. 68, which approaches from the left, from Poljanica. Up to this point, you’ve been walking on a flat path with minimal elevation gain, but after this junction, the trail starts to gently rise toward Grajfova Kopanja.

This part of the forest is interesting for its cherry trees – you’ve been walking through beech forest the whole time, but just before the climb to Grajfova Kopanja, you’ll notice wild cherry trees. The final ascent to Grajfova Kopanja gains about 100 metres in elevation but is gradual. At the junction, trail no. 8 and trail no. 104 both lead to Grajfova Kopanja, which features a shelter and serves as a crossroads for these two trails. This junction is not marked in the opposite direction, so if you're coming from the other way along trail no. 8, be careful not to miss it. From Grajfova Kopanja, trail no. 104 leads toward Risnjak mountain hut and trail no. 8 continues toward Grafičar mountain hut. It takes about 30 minutes to hike uphill over Osrenka hill and to Bistransko Sedlo, a beautiful large meadow with a shelter and several benches. After crossing the meadow and a wide forest road, the trail ascends toward Grafičar. You’ll come to a junction with trail no. 41, which goes left toward the lower station of the ski lift on Crveni Spust, but you only have five more minutes to reach Grafičar and the end of the trail.

Trail no. 8 connects the western part of Medvednica with the central area – specifically, the Ponikve meadow with Grafičar mountain hut. It is easy in terms of terrain, but due to its length of 6.7 kilometres and a walking time of about 2 hours and 15 minutes, it can be considered moderately difficult. There are no steep climbs and it’s mostly gentle, but it still gains 450 metres of elevation. It is the easiest access route to the Grafičar and Risnjak mountain huts from the Zelena Magistrala road or from Ponikve meadow.