About the trail
Škofja loka region
THE REGION
It only takes twenty minutes to get from the capital to the picturesque valleys of the Škofja Loka region. The hills that separate Ljubljana and Bohinj are rich with history and gems of nature, connected with winding roads, paths, and single tracks without crowds or traffic jams.
If you ride through the ancient towns, you’ll meet friendly locals and time-travel to another era. You’ll visit Škofja Loka with its incredibly well-preserved medieval old town; the blacksmiths’ burg of Železniki; the shoemaking capital of Žiri; the cheese-making hub in Gorenja vas, and countless hidden spots with breathtaking views, secret histories, and wild stories. The hills, the rivers, the lesser-known paths. It’s all here.
THE HIDDEN HILLS TRAIL
The Hidden Hills Trail is a long-distance e-bike trail in Slovenia that links four municipalities of the Škofja Loka region and various tourist spots (accommodation, restaurants, attractions, artisans, farms, etc.). The trail was carefully designed to include the most captivating sightseeing points in the area and lead past all the local attractions.
The Hidden Hills Trail is the best e-bike trail in Slovenia for many reasons: the gorgeous landscape and the diverse terrain; the almost traffic-free roads that will bring you closer to the pristine and calm nature; and the secluded spots where friendly locals welcome every visitor with open arms. We also pride ourselves on several services that will make your journey easier, safer, and more enjoyable.
Highlights
- 240 km long cycling trail
- 7 stages
- 7,000 meters of elevation gain
- Crossing 4 municipalities
- Trail designed for E-bikes
- Asphalt and gravel roads, including parts on single trails
- Pre-alpine region of Slovenia
- Green Destination Certificate
Advantages of Visiting the HH e-bike trail in Slovenia
- Uncrowded
- No traffic roads
- Special Trail information and booking center
- Top advice from experienced and competent employees
- Unique individual travel planning and booking
- Superb services such as luggage transport, shuttle services, local cuisine, accommodation reservations, etc.
- Attractive and extraordinary trail offers
- Trail Hotline: Daily from 08:00 to 20:00
information
Trail Map and Stages
Stage 0 - Ljubljana - Škofja Loka (Connecting Stage)
Lets start cycling with an exciting ride from the city centre of Ljubljana to the medieval town of Škofja Loka. After leaving the city centre you will start with an ascent up to St. Katarina, overlooking Ljubljana valley, and continue all the way to scenic St. Jakob church which offers a 360-degree panoramic view. After the descent from Polhograjski Dolomiti hills, you will reach Škofja Loka – the town full of history and culture.
Highlights
- the capital Ljubljana
- Sv. Jakob
- Polhograjski hribi
- medieval Škofja Loka
Route specs:
- Distance: 30km
- Duration: 5h
- Elevation gain: 780 m
- Elevation loss: 730 m
- Difficulty: 3/5
- Technique: 3/5
- Stamina: 3/5
Road type: Asphalt and tarmac
Stage 1 - Škofja Loka
A warm-up circuit around Škofja Loka showcases the beauty of one of Slovenia’s oldest towns and its surroundings.
Highlights
- Škofja Loka
- Sorško polje
- The old town center
- View of the surrounding hills
- The Poljanska Sora and Selška Sora rivers
Route specs:
- Distance: 20 km
- Duration: 2 hours
- Elevation gain: 210 m
- Elevation loss: 210 m
- Difficulty: 1/5
- Technique: 1/5
- Stamina: 2/5
Road type: Asphalt and tarmac
Stage 2 - Škofja Loka - Stari vrh
The second stage takes you from one spectacular vista to another, revealing local cultural heritage, intact nature, and history.
Highlights
- Križna Gora
- The Church of the Holy Cross
- The view of Stari Vrh
- Descent and refreshment by the Sora river
- St. Thomas’s Church, one of the most photographed destinations on Instagram
- The old military road
- Stari Vrh Ski Resort
Route data:
- Distance: 26 km
- Duration: 4 hours
- Elevation gain: 1127 m
- Elevation loss: 639 m
- Difficulty: 3/5
- Technique: 4/5
- Stamina: 3/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 3 - Stari vrh - Soriška Planina
Follow the picturesque path along the hills, thick spruce forest, and remote villages where time flows differently.
Highlights
- Descent to the ancient village Selca through mountain hamlets
- Ascent to Kališče and Dražgoše
- The forests of Jelovica
- The alpine village of Prtovč under Ratitovec
- The route on the sunny side of the Alps through Danje
- Soriška Planina
Route data:
- Distance: 44 km
- Duration: 7 hours
- Elevation gain: 1818 m
- Elevation loss: 1410 m
- Difficulty: 5/5
- Technique: 4/5
- Stamina: 5/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 4 - Soriška Planina - Blegoš
Our guides will take you through lovely villages with rich histories to impressive vantage points, including the second-highest peak of the Škofja Loka Hills.
Highlights
- Descent to Sorica
- Petrovo Brdo and a break in a mountain hut
- Ascent to Podporezen with a view of the Porezen hill
- Cycling through Davča
- The Cerkno Ski Resort
- Ascent to Blegoš, the highest point of the trail
Route data:
- Distance: 33 km
- Duration: 6 hours
- Elevation gain: 1156 m
- Elevation loss: 1120m
- Difficulty: 4/5
- Technique: 4/5
- Stamina: 4/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 5 - Blegoš - Žiri
The fifth stage of the trail will let you explore the secret spots of the Žiri Basin and offer you breathtaking views of the Alps.
Highlights
- Kladje
- Ermanovec and their bell
- The view of the Julian Alps
- Sovodenj
- Mrzli vrh
- Žiri
Route data:
- Distance: 52 km
- Duration: 6 hours
- Elevation gain: 1015 m
- Elevation loss: 1914 m
- Difficulty: 4/5
- Technique: 4/5
- Stamina: 5/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 6 - Žiri - Gorenja vas
The penultimate part of the trip is where you’ll discover the historical line of fortifications built before WWII, before riding through quaint villages to see two masters making cheese.
Highlights
- The Rupnik Line
- Javorč
- Gorenja vas
- The Pustotnik and Bogataj cheese dairies
Route data:
- Distance: 29 km
- Duration: 5 hours
- Elevation gain: 910 m
- Elevation loss: 1022 m
- Difficulty: 3/5
- Technique: 3/5
- Stamina: 4/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 7 - Gorenja vas - Škofja Loka
The last day’s itinerary starts at the bucolic mansion Visoko that gave Slovenia one of the most important novels. From there, you’ll ride over the hills and through remote homesteads back to Škofja Loka, where you’ll visit an old bridge where the devil himself used to appear. You’ll wrap the trip up with a refreshing swim in Sora.
Highlights
- The Visoko Mansion
- Bukov Vrh, and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
- Črni Vrh
- Sveti Ožbolt
- The Sopotnica settlement
- Škofja Loka
- The Devil’s Bridge
- The Škofja Loka Outdoor Pool
Route data:
- Distance: 30 km
- Time: 5 hours
- Elevation gain: 790 m
- Elevation loss: 830 m
- Difficulty: 3/5
- Technique: 3/5
- Stamina:3/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Stage 8 - Sorška Planina - Bled (Connecting Stage)
There is no better way to start the day at one lake and finish it with a well-deserved swim at the other. The route will take you from lake Bohinj up to the mountain pasture Zajamniki, which is known as the most picturesque panorama view in Slovenia. After leaving one pasture you will cross many of them and have a chance to try traditional alpine cheese. Having enough of typical shepherd’s mountain huts you will start with a long descent to Lake Bled and finish the day.
Highlights
- Lake Bohinj
- Pokljuka – Zajamniki
- Lake Bled
Route data:
- Distance: 45 km
- Elevation gain: 1110 m
- Elevation loss: 1150 m
- Time: 5 hours
- Difficulty: 4/5
- Technique: 4/5
- Stamina: 4/5
Road type: Asphalt, tarmac, and a short part of a single trail.
Best Time to Travel
Spring (April and May): The trail is officially open. There could still be snow on the northern sides of the hills, but otherwise, the trail is rideable.
Summer and Autumn (June to October): The best time to visit the trail due to the altitude, climate, and temperature.
In our opinion, the best months to ride are September and October.
Equipment
To bike on the Hidden Hills Trail, you need the following biking equipment:
- Bike – Mountain bike, gravel bike, or trekking bike; we highly recommend Electric mountain bike
- Bike helmet, raincoat, bike shoes.
- Backpack with spare parts and tools.
- Water for hydration, and snacks.
- First aid kit
- E-bike charger (if you are using an E-bike)
Hint: For a more effortless and more pleasant biking experience, you don’t have to carry all your things with you every day. We can arrange daily luggage transfers to your next accommodation.
Requirements
The difficulty of Hidden Hills Trail ranges from easy to medium and is technically not too demanding. No parts of the trail are marked as very difficult or dangerous. All you need is a bit of caution and the ability to ride the bike on gravel roads.
Each stage is marked as easy, medium, or difficult, depending on the distance and altitude one needs to overcome. In a few stages, the trail takes you up to 1,500 meters above sea level, so sufficient physical fitness is required.
You should be able to cover stages 40 kilometers long, approximately 1000 meters of ascent, which might take up to 6 hours.
Hidden Hills Trail is primarily designed for e-bikes (mountain & gravel bikes), so some stages can be much more difficult on a normal bike. We strongly recommend you use a bike that doesn’t have any mechanical issues and is well maintained.
In an appropriate season and stages, children older than 12 years can participate as well.
Attractions / Things To Do
History and Culture
- The Rapallo border
- The Rupnik defence line
- The secret Partizan hospital Franja
- The Nace house
- The Škofja Loka castle
- The Železniki museum
Culinary experiences
- The cheese farm Pustotnik
- The cheese farm Bogataj
- The tourist farm Andrejon
- The Crazy Duck micro brewery
- The mountain hut Blegoš
Handcraft workshops
- The blacksmith Krmelj
- The wet-felting studio Amuse
- The honey bread baker Cirila Šmid
Service
Accommodation & Food
The area of the Hidden Hills e-bike trail in Slovenia offers unique places to stay. You’ll mostly find small boutique hotels, B&B accommodations, country cottages, tourist farms, or campsites. They’re all located in nature, surrounded by fields and forests.
Along the Hidden Hills trail, you can choose between three different types of accommodation.
Basic: Simple, clean, functional – inns, guesthouses, mountain lodges, tourist farms, or camping.
Classic: two- or three-star accommodation. Hotels, apartments, or boarding houses.
Comfort: three or four-star accommodation. Some even offer a spa, but such accommodation is not available on all stages.
Almost all accommodations offer the following services:
– Bed and breakfast: rich self-service breakfast or table service.
– Half board: breakfast and dinner (usually a three-course dinner).
– Bike storage
Mobility
1. Luggage transfer
For a more care-free journey, we can, in addition to accommodation, also arrange luggage transfers between your accommodations and person transfers. If you are looking for a more pleasant and enjoyable biking experience, you may order your own luggage transfer (one piece per person, up to 20 kilograms).
2. Van transfer
Transfer to the starting point or the destination of your choice: you may choose the transfer to take you from the start of your stage and back to your starting point (bike & luggage transfer included). We can also arrange the transfer to your chosen destination (e.g., to the bus or train station, airport, etc.).
3. Additional transfers
If you decide to skip a certain part of the trail or even the entire stage (if a particular part of the trail is not suitable or interesting to you, in case of illness, minor injuries, tiredness, etc.) and need a transfer to your next accommodation, we can help you with that. Contact our HHT Booking Center, and we will help you find a transfer to the desired destination. There is an extra charge for the transfer.
E-bike Charging Stations
Did you know forests cover 64% of the surface area in Slovenia? We are doing everything to keep it that way, and that’s why you’ll find many natural parks and protected areas.
In the past couple of years, Slovenia fully committed to becoming a sustainable green country, using clean energy to protect our forests and nature.
In the Hidden Hills trail area, people and organizations are doing everything to protect and sustain the environment. One big step towards that was building charging stations for electric cars and electric bikes. You will find them along the trail.
You can always charge your e-bike at any restaurant, accommodation, or mountain hut. Just show them our logo, and they’ll be more than happy to assist you.
Check the map with locations of electric charging stations (including privately owned properties).
Don’t forget to take your E-bike charger with you.
Service
We are available every day during your trip, so your vacation runs as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.
The call center: In case of an emergency, you may call every day between 8 AM and 8 PM.
After you choose and book your package, we’ll send you additional information on accommodations and other services that might come in handy during your trip.
Arrival
You can access the Hidden Hills Trail by various means of transport, and from various directions (the tickets are not included in the price):
By car: You can park at the starting point of each stage. The parking spaces are mostly free of charge. After the end of the biking trip, you may use our transfer service to return to the starting point and your car.
By train or bus: You can take a train or bus from Ljubljana or Jesenice to Škofja Loka, and book a transfer to the starting point of the trail.
By plane: We suggest you use the airports in the vicinity: Ljubljana, Trieste, Klagenfurt, or Venice.
About the Navigation App
For navigation purposes, we use the Ride With GPS app, which can be downloaded for free on all Android and iOS devices. If you choose one of our packages, we’ll give you access to the HHT Trail. The app offers the following information:
- The GPS track
- Navigation guidance
- The exact location of all the restaurants, accommodations, e-bike charging stations, attractions, and viewpoints
- Pictures from delicate crossings
- And more (events, etc.)