Jasikovac Forest Park — Gospić

Just north of Gospić, the Jasikovac forest park is a beautifully preserved 100-hectare beech and oak wood laced with gentle walking trails, wooden footbridges over meandering brooks and a fascinating open-air memorial complex to the Homeland War. Founded formally as a park in 1929 by local foresters who wanted to protect a stand of ancient beeches from logging, it remains Gospić's most-loved green space — you'll meet locals jogging, families picnicking, and school groups on Sunday visits to the moving 'Aleja Hrvatskih Branitelja' memorial: a path lined with 200 stone slabs, one for every Lika soldier killed in 1991–95. The park is entirely flat, well-signed with a 2-km main loop and several branch trails, and dotted with wooden benches. Small children love the fishpond at the eastern edge where local families feed brown trout. A single road-side kiosk sells excellent local kajmak and honey; buy some, walk in, sit by a stream. Gospić itself is a workmanlike town with a good museum (Muzej Like) covering everything from Neolithic finds to Nikola Tesla, all in a beautifully restored Habsburg barracks.