Kepa is the westernmost peak of the Karawanks range. To conquer the third
peak of the Karawanks, you don’t need a lot of driving or wandering around.
If you’re coming by highway, just exit at Jesenice, and after Mojstrana,
turn right toward the little village of Dovje. From there, you follow a
well-maintained gravel road all the way to the Erjavčev Rovt parking area.
The parking lot is basically an improvised gravel spot next to the Žakelj
stream. That’s where the hiking trail up to Kepa starts. And if you realize
you’re maybe not quite ready for Kepa physically, after about 1 km there’s a
junction where you can turn off to Dovška Baba (1,891 m), which is a much
easier and more accessible summit.
Steep, Dangerous Cliffs to the North, Grassy Slopes to the South
That’s the main feature of the Karawanks – from the Slovenian side,
everything looks lovely and green, but on the Austrian side you’re faced
with massive, relentless rocky cliffs. Our trail starts out right away with
a steep climb through the forest, and it’s quite physically demanding. It’s
only when you reach that junction I mentioned that you can decide whether to
go left toward Kepa or right toward Dovška Baba.
The path to the left for Kepa first goes up and down gently along the
slopes of nearby peaks. The whole time you get these amazing, clear views of
the Julian Alps – with Triglav towering proudly above everything, along with
Dolkova Špica, Stenar, Škrlatica, and as you keep walking, Mangart and
eventually Jalovec come into sight too. You’ll pass through spruce and larch
forests, and once you get up onto the ridge, there’s plenty of dwarf pine
and scree, no shade at all, but endless, wide-open views.
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| Kepa ridge and the view to Julian Apls |
Cables and Ridges
Soon, you’ll start to see the ridge ahead and, in the distance, the summit
of Kepa itself. This part of the trail gets more challenging, because you
have to cross an exposed, crumbly, steep rocky section secured with steel
cables and iron pegs. Every look down reminds you of the sheer drop that
feels like it has no bottom.
Once you’re up on the ridge, you get a clearer view not only of your goal
but also off to the left over Slovenia and to the right across Austria. The
Austrians call this peak Mittagskogel. This is definitely an adventurous
route—besides good fitness, you’ll need a bit of technical experience, a
calm head, and readiness, especially if, like me, you go up in the middle of
summer when it’s 33 °C and the rock face is baking in the sun with zero
shade.
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| A glimpse of iron cable |
As you keep walking along the ridge, you come to another iron cable
section—it’s a bit easier, but still necessary because of the loose rock,
the narrow trail, and the exposure. Finally, you’ll spot the metal cross
marking the summit of Kepa in the distance. From there, you’ve got about 20
minutes of steady climbing left.
All you can do is put one foot in front of the other, keep your eyes ahead,
let your thoughts drift off somewhere else, and before you know it, the
summit will be right in front of you.
I took the same way back down—easier and faster this time. Even the cables
felt simpler to tackle in descent. And once I reached the stream again, I
couldn’t resist cooling off in the clear spring water.
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| Mountain refreshing jacuzzi |
I am sharing with you a recorded .gpx track of this hike:
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 – Karavanke’s third highest, but its most stunning peak){kind=link}
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