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Ninety seconds on Kamniška Bistrica
Kamniška Bistrica is reached by an asphalt road up the valley from Kamnik, following the signs for Kamniška Bistrica and Gornji Grad. The road ends at Dom v Kamniški Bistrici, about 14 km from Kamnik.
Yes. The car park at the head of the valley, where the road from Kamnik ends, is free to use, though it has limited spaces and can fill up.
The lower station of the Velika Planina cable car stands in the Kamniška Bistrica valley, lower down the valley, on the road from Kamnik. As of October 2026, the cable car closes each year from 15 October to 15 November.
The marked trail from the end of the valley road to the Kamnik Saddle hut takes about 3 hours 30 minutes on foot. It is steep from the start but not technical, with no chain sections or narrow ridges on the way.
Fill your bottle at the source of the Kamniška Bistrica, one of the purest springs in Slovenia, then walk down into the gorge below it.
The Kamniška Bistrica rises at the head of its valley, at the foot of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, where the asphalt up from Kamnik runs out. From there the river flows 33 km down to the Sava.
Summer brings cooler mountain air to the valley head, a welcome cooling after the heat lower down. In winter, snow covers the peaks above it.
A short kilometre downstream, the river has cut two narrow gorges into the rock of the valley floor. Veliki Predaselj is 30 metres deep at its deepest point, and Mali Predaselj reaches 15 metres.
Above the valley head, a marked trail climbs to the mountain hut on the Kamnik Saddle.
Start where the valley road ends, at Dom v Kamniški Bistrici. The spring is right beside the house, and a slow walk round it, with photo stops, comes first.
Then take the marked path through the woods to the gorge, about 15 minutes away. Wooden steps lead down to the bottom; climb back up the same way.
If you ride up to Velika Planina the same day, the easy Koželj Trail joins its lower cable car station to the spring. It takes 45 minutes to an hour on foot, and it suits families and older walkers.
Wear boots or trail shoes for the wooden steps and the ground around them.
Heading higher, to the Kamnik Saddle, go between June and mid-September, when its hut is open every day. From October to May the hut is closed apart from weekend duty in good weather.
Thunderstorms can build suddenly on hot days, and the peaks are windy, so carry a windbreaker and an extra layer.
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