3 stops in walking order

City

The largest town in Gorski Kotar — a snowy little forestry centre with heavy winter snowfall (often a metre plus), wooden mountain architecture, and a small but heartfelt Homeland War museum. Base for the Risnjak trails and cross-country skiing at the local Petehovac loops.

~1 h 30 m at this stop

Viewpoint

The 964-metre hill of Petehovac rises directly above the town of Delnice — the highest town in Croatia — and is a beloved local hiking destination for its stunning panoramic view. A well-graded forest road climbs 3.5 km from the town to a small ski resort with a modest single T-bar (Croatia's cheapest ski pass) and a lovely wooden mountain hut serving hot mulled wine, sausages and forest-mushroom stew. From the ski slope top, a 15-minute uphill walk brings you to the summit cross with a jaw-dropping view over the sea of forested peaks of Gorski Kotar in every direction. In clear winter weather you can see the snow-covered Julian Alps on the Slovenian border. Petehovac's short but steep runs are a beloved training ground for local children learning to ski, and the price (around €12 a day) is quite likely the cheapest lift ticket in Europe. In summer the ski trails become fantastic mountain-biking downhill routes. The town of Delnice itself is worth a wander: pretty Habsburg-era wooden villas, a small museum with excellent Gorski Kotar ethnographic material, and one of Croatia's oldest working railway stations from 1873.

~2 h 30 m at this stop

Mountain

Guslica ('the Fiddle') is a modest but perfectly formed 1,490-metre peak in the central Gorski Kotar, and one of the most rewarding half-day hikes in the region. The classic ascent starts from the mountain hut Planinarski Dom Zagreb (accessible by driveable forest road from Delnice) and follows a well-marked 2-hour trail through spectacular old-growth silver-fir and beech forest to the exposed summit ridge. The panorama is extraordinary — a full 360-degree view over the great forested wilderness of central Gorski Kotar, with Risnjak, Snježnik, and on clear days the Kvarner islands and even the Julian Alps of Slovenia all visible. Guslica is a favourite of Croatian mountaineers because it feels far more remote than its modest altitude suggests: on many weekdays you will be entirely alone on the summit. Wildlife includes brown bear (tracks common), lynx, wolf and chamois; the surrounding forest is one of the last European strongholds of the capercaillie grouse. The mountain hut serves hearty bean stew, mountain herbal tea and local plum brandy, and can accommodate 30 for overnight stays.

~5 h at this stop