Photo no. 1: From the official opening of the instructive trail on Japlenški
Vrh

INFORMATIVE TRAIL ON JAPLENŠKI VRH OPENED, TOGETHER WITH A MOUNTAIN TRAIL CONNECTING TWO PROTECTED FOREST PARKS OF GORSKI KOTAR AND THE LOKVARKA CAVE

Festivities began with the opening at the “Gorana
Art” Atelier in Delnice of an exhibition of the artist, Zlatko Pohobradsky,
entitled “Ornaments and Sculptures in Wood”, and continued at
the ski-jump in the Forest Park Japlenški Vrh with a brief presentation
of the new instructive trail. Six new instructive panels have been placed
along the trail leading towards Pijaničevo Field. The panels explain how
Japlenški Vrh got its name, and they tell us about its geology, flora
and fauna, about the succession of plant vegetation on fields, and about
recreational activities in the Forest Park (the appearance and contents
of the panels will be accessible in the column “Marking Protected
Areas” at Priroda’s Web site.)

The participants then gathered for a hike along the marked Mountain Trail
“Japlenški Vrh – Golubinjak” connecting two Forest Parks of
Gorski Kotar and the Lokvarka Cave. About nine kilometres in length, the
hike takes about 2.5 – 3 hours. In addition to the well-known sights of
the Forest Parks Japlenški Vrh and Golubinjak and the Lokvarka Cave, there
are also a number of appealing scenic spots along the trail, such as the
grassy lookout above the Delnice-Crni Lug road, a blossoming field of
orchids in the midst of dense forest, a towering beech tree – the Forest
Queen, Sobol’s kiln, the geological phenomena of natural caves and stone
bridges (as many as five entrances and exits), Kamerkin Dol – a deep and
precipitous karst doline, overgrown fields and other phenomena that have
been almost unknown to the general public until now.

The participants of the outing also went down into the newly renovated
Lokvarka Cave, where the people of Lokve organised a special reception
complete with dwarves and forest fairies. In collaboration with the Public
Institution Priroda, the Delnice Tourist Board has published a leaflet
for the occasion featuring a description of the mountain trail. Future
visitors will perhaps be interested to learn that this trail is also connected
to the marked mountain trail on Špičunak Hill overlooking Lokve, the circular
trail around Lokve Lake, as well as with the trail leading from Mrzle
Vodice across Suha Rečina Valley and into Risnjak National Park to Medvjeđa
Vrata and the peak of Mt. Risnjak. These connected trails provide hikers
with the opportunity of undertaking long (circular) hiking tours and enjoying
the beauty of nature is this wonderful part of Gorski Kotar (For more
information about these trails, please contact the Delnice Tourist Board,
the Lokve Tourist Board or the Public Institution Priroda)

Photo no. 2: Natural stone bridge above the doline Kamerkin
Dol

Photo no. 3: “Orchid field” by the new mountain
trail