Pohorje

Mountain

Mountain · Maribor, Slovenia 46.5333°N 15.4667°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Pohorje

Time needed

About 3 hoursCable car ride 10 minutes

Cost

TicketedFor the cable car

Effort

Easy to very hardBlack Lake to Šumik falls

Getting there

How to get to Pohorje from Maribor?

City bus G6 runs from Maribor to the foot of the Pohorje mountains, where the cable car starts its climb. The Šumik waterfall walk starts from a parking area at Bajgot instead, which is reached by car rather than by the bus.

Cable car hours

What are the Pohorje cable car opening hours?

As of October 2026, the Pohorska Vzpenjača circular cable car operates every day between 7.00 and 21.00. On Mondays one morning run is dropped for regular maintenance, and short maintenance closures can stop it for a few days.

Children's tickets

Do children ride the Pohorje cable car free?

Yes, up to the age of 6. Older riders buy one-way or return tickets, with or without equipment such as a bicycle, skis or a sled, and family and group return tickets are sold too. Tickets can be bought online.

Šumik difficulty

Is the Šumik waterfall trail difficult?

Yes. The path to the Šumik waterfalls is rated very demanding, with an altitude difference of 180 metres, and some stretches are poorly marked. It suits sure-footed walkers who go slowly and keep an eye on the route.

Come with a plan: the cable car is your quick way up from Maribor, but Black Lake and Šumik each start from a trailhead of their own, so pick one per outing.

What makes it special

Below the Šumik Lodge stretches a primeval forest, and two waterfalls drop through it, Mali and Veliki Šumik. At 24 metres, the larger one is the tallest waterfall in Pohorje.

Črno jezero, Black Lake, is the range's other draw. Its water reads almost black, not from pollution but from a thick layer of organic sediment, and peat moss and pinewood have overgrown it.

Closest to the city, the Pohorska Vzpenjača is a circular cable car. It lifts riders from its lower station, at 328 metres, to the upper one at 1,042. The public company Marprom runs it.

In winter the range runs the Mariborsko Pohorje ski resort, which takes in Areh. Save time for Main Square as well.

Visiting

For the quick climb, board the cable car at its base and ride it to the top.

For the lake, set out from Dom na Osankarici. The way to the shore is an undemanding walk of about an hour.

For Šumik, drive to the parking area called Šumik at Bajgot. It is easy to miss, so have it marked on your map before you set off. A trail from there leads into the forest below the Šumik Lodge and on to the two falls.

Tips

On the Šumik path the ground stays moist and the rocks are slippery. Near the lower falls a very steep, unmarked path drops to the stream bed; take it with real care or leave it out.

At Black Lake, wear footwear with real grip, whatever the easy grading suggests. The boggy ground around the shoreline turns genuinely soft after rain.

Know before you goAs of October 2026, the cable car is out of operation from 2 to 4 November for maintenance work, and for a morning on 7 November for a rescue exercise. The lower-station ticket office is closed for renovation from the same date, and tickets are sold in the machinery room at the lower station.