An Overnight in the 7 Lakes Valley, Slovenia
Nestled in the heart of Triglav National Park, the 7 Lakes hike winds its way up a glacial valley. The raw landscape, with rock faces that plummet to the valley floor and lakes that stretch like a string of jewels, is a visual reminder of the power of the ice.
With mountains that rival the nearby Dolomites in Italy, Slovenia is an adventure lover’s utopia combined with relaxed and friendly people. The hike up the 7 Lakes Valley is one of the best ways to explore the rugged mountains and an overnight at one of Slovenia’s Mountain huts is completely unforgettable.
The Hike
We tackled this multi-day, 15 mile hike during our 7 days in Slovenia.
After a hearty breakfast in Lake Bled, we wound our way up the scenic drive to Planino Blato. The small parking lot was already overflowing as we set off on a short but steep slog up the first part of the trail. Within an hour the trail emerges at the first open meadow and the sound of cowbells replace our heavy breathing.
This is where the hike starts to get good - and truly only gets better. It’s a challenging 5.5 miles to our hut for the night and luckily the mostly clear skies and constantly changing scenery was enough to keep our group of 5 moving. For our youngest - Freja - this was the longest hike of her 11 years.
After we tackled the final steep section to our hut for the night, we wandered through several fields of impossibly tall wildflowers before we approached the first of the 7 Lakes. Right above the lake sits our hut for the night - the lovely Koča Pri Triglavskih Jezerih.
The Hut
Everytime we hike in Europe we are reminded of how the Europeans do hiking better. After a long and steep trail, it is rewarding to sit outside on a friendly porch with a drink and dessert - no smushed bag of chocolate and nuts for us on this hike. Not only did the hut provide the perfect view for a break, but we watched as the helicopter delivered supplies to the hut with admirable precision including propane tanks and huge packages of beverages.
The Slovenian hut is like many of the mountain huts spread across Europe. We mingled with mountaineer groups, boy scouts and day hikers while devouring hearty mountain food. Our room for the night was simple but comfortable and our kids soaked up their first hut experience.
Hiking up the Valley
With plenty of daylight left and some juice still left in our legs, we left our bags in the room and hiked up above the hut. This is where the magic of this hike reveals itself and with every turn you are rewarded with sweeping mountain views and lakes that seem to defy the color blue.
In recognition of their color, they are practically named with names such as Mlaka v Laštah (Pond in Ledges), Rjavo jezero (Brown Lake) or Zeleno Jezero (Green Lake). Since this portion of the hike was an out and back for us, we wandered and rested as we went, and made it most of the way up the valley before turning back for the night.
After an incredible night of sleep, we grabbed the earliest breakfast possible to avoid the impending rain, packed our bags, and completed the wet and slippery loop back to the car. Unlike the clear skies of the day before the low clouds gave an ethereal feeling to the trail that was enhanced with the occasional roaming cow.
More about the 7 Lakes Hike?
Read: Our 7 Lakes Hiking Guide
Learn More: Triglav National Park
Do you have a Question about the 7 Lakes Hike in Slovenia drop me a comment.
Happy Travels,
Gretchen