I5 – Vinica – Lesnovo – Palanka – 142km

General details:

• Length: 142Km
• Elevation profile:

GPS trace:

The record for section I5 (Osogovian Transversal) is complete with all the tracks, markers, images from points of interest and added digital elevation

Download the complete GPS trace (KML format) for this section HERE ( Macedonian version – English coming soon )

You can read the explanation for the meaning of the markers, the types of trails, and the colors used HERE

Google Map ( Macedonian – English coming soon )

More significant peaks accessible directly or via side trails:

Description/Status:

Vinica – Motorway A3

The section starts near the city of Vinica, that is, from the main road Vinica-Berovo, at an altitude of 400m, which is also the lowest altitude of this section. The trail starts by crossing the bridge on the river Osojnica and in the first 800m to the bridge on the river Sushica it leads through a wide dirt road. After passing Sushica, the path begins to climb Jakimovski Hill and leads through an old country road in the direction of the village of Crn Kamen, where it turns eastward and slowly enters a forest belt of mixed evergreen and deciduous forest. The route then continues north and passes at the foot of the Dolna Kitka and Kiselica peaks to slowly descend to the bridge over the Bregalnica River and cross the main road Kochani-Delcevo.

Condition: The path in this segment starts with a wide dirt road, and after a short time continues along a mix of old village and forest roads, and after passing the Kiselica peak, it leads mostly along hiking trails all the way to the Bregalnica river. There are no markings anywhere, but with just a little help from the GPS signal, the path is easy to follow. There are only one or two spots where the trail is currently slightly overgrown with plans to clear it soon.

Motorway A3 – Gratche

From the main road A3, the route goes to the Osogovo mountains and until the end of section I5 it goes around them, which is why this section got the name Osogovian Transversal! First it rises along the slopes of Petrov Rid and then turns west and through the Padarnica and Popova Chuka hills it leads to the beautiful monastery “Dobra Voda”. After passing the monastery, the transversal descends to Orizarska River, where it turns north and leads upstream through the beautiful valley of Orizarska River to the foot of Vraninski hill, where it climbs to the village of Vraninci, and then through the slopes of the Church peak, it moves to the area Gorno and Dolno Gratche. In continuation, the path leads through the locality of Makteon and along the eastern hills above Kochansko Lake, it descends to Velika River and the Gratchevo waterfall, and this segment ends at the Gratche Motel on the shore of Kochansko Lake. During this entire segment, the path moves mostly along a forest belt, alternately through evergreen and deciduous mostly oak forest, and occasionally there are beautiful wide views to the Kochan valley and then to the Kochan lake.

Condition: The transversal in this segment starts on a nice old forest road but soon turns into a narrow mountain path and with few exceptions where you go on wide forest roads, the path until the end of this segment leads on beautiful mountain and goat tracks. There are markings only in the part of the valley of the Orizar river and in one part near the Kochansko lake, but there is no frequent need to look at the map, ie. of the GPS signal. The path is in good condition except for two or three short sections marked on the map where it is overgrown and needs clearing.

Gratche – Kozji Karpi (Ratkova Skala)

From Kochansko Lake (Gratche) the trail starts with a solid slope to rise higher along the slopes of the Osogovo Mountain, but after a few kilometers the slope decreases and the route continues mostly with a slight slope close to moving along the isohypse. The path crosses the local asphalt road towards Ponikva and continues at the same pace along the slopes of Osogovo, and the scenery along the path changes frequently between evergreen, low and tall deciduous forest, mountain meadows, pastures, as well as occasional beautiful landscapes towards the valley and the opposite Plachkovica Mountain. After crossing the mountain pass between Przhar and Prestrel, located at 1120 meters above sea level, the trail continues along an old forest road. As you proceed, the environment changes noticeably, transitioning into a more mountainous landscape. This segment ends at the village of Kozji Karpi, from where the most beautiful view of the rocks of Ratkova Skala and the deep canyon of Shtalkovicka Reka is offered.

Additionally, from here, there is an alternative(optional) trail that leads to the peak Ratkova Skala.

Condition: There is a marked hiking trail only in the part of the initial ascent from Kochansko Lake. The route is mostly on hiking trails, but there are several shorter sections along a wide forest road. GPS signal monitoring is required in several places and the entire route is in solid condition with only a few short overgrown sections.

Kozji Karpi – Lesnov Caves

From Kozji Karpi, the transversal descends through a beautiful deciduous forest, following old roads from a former mine. It then reaches the beginning of the Shtalkovicka river canyon and the Shtalkovicko waterfall. Continuing along a wide forest road, it leads to the village of Shtalkovica. From there, the trail ascends via a goat path towards Ratkovica. Beyond Ratkovica, it follows a wide forest road along the ridge towards Golak. The path continues along the ridge, passing through meadows and pastures, eventually descending to the Zletovska Reka bridge at the entrance to Zletovo.

The route cuts through Zletovo and by climbing the Lesnovski hill it reaches the Lesnovski caves.

Condition: The path in the section from Kozji Karpi to the Shtalkovo waterfall has been freshly cleared in some places and is with tape markings.From the waterfall to Zletovo, the path is not marked, but it is passable and clean without the frequent need for GPS tracking. The path from the cemetery above Zletovo to just before the descent to the Lesnovski caves takes place along a goat path which is marked in the upper half. In the lower parts and during the descent to the caves, there is little need to rely heavily on GPS.

Lesnov caves – Emirichka River

The path from the Lesnovski caves briefly crosses the asphalt road to Lesnovo near Belo Mesto. It then generally follows the ridge to Ilin Vrv (accessible via a side path), bypasses the peak from the western forest side, and connects to the wide road leading from Lesnovo to Uvo peak. In a very short time, the transversal separates from this wide road and from here begins one of the most picturesque parts of the entire I5 section, where nature is still untouched by modern flows.

The transversal continues all the way along a goat-mountaineering path, first along a part of the old monastic path, and then along a newly laid path that leads along screes, a beautiful beech forest and several beautiful waterfalls that characterize this segment.

After descending into the beautiful valley of the Zletovska Reka, the transversal crosses the river and briefly exits on the local asphalt road that leads to the mouth of the Emirichka Reka.

Condition: There is no marking anywhere in this segment, but in some critical places, a temporary strip marking has been placed for easier finding, as it is mostly a new, still untrodden path. There are still parts that need more detailed cleaning, but there are no major overgrown parts. However, knowledge of GPS track tracking is mandatory.

Emirichka River – Carev Peak

From the asphalt road that leads to the Knezhevo dam, the path immediately takes you into a deep forest along the course of the Emirichka river, rich in waterfalls and several whirlpools, and then takes you up to Emirica, passing the locality with the 10 little churches and further to the saddle between the peaks Borova Glava and Vrsnik, where you come out on a wide dirt road.

The road takes you along the ridge or just below it, passing by Kurmina, Mrtvicki rid, Markova Stupka and finally to the very top of Carev Peak (Sultan Tepe).

Condition: The path in the section along the Emirichka river and Emirica is newly laid out and without markings, with a few less overgrown sections and is easy to cross with the help of the map and GPS. After exiting the wide dirt road, although without markings, the path is clear until the end of this segment, i.e. to Carev peak.

Carev Peak – Osogovski Monastery

From Carev peak, the transversal descends again along a wide road through the spacious meadows, following the ridge all the way to the village and Kalin Kamen lake, and a little further it separates from the ridge and turns to the west and descends through a deep forest to Stanechki waterfalls.From the Stanechki waterfalls, the trail continues down through the picturesque valley of the Kozja River, and a few hundred meters before the confluence with the Stanechka Reka, it turns north again through the village of Basjansko. The transversal continues with a gentle slope along a beautiful mountain path and then along a wide forest road leads you to the Osogovski Monastery itself, more precisely it comes out on the asphalt road between the lower and upper entrance of the monastery.

Condition: From Carev Peak to Kalin Kamen the trail is clear, marked and regularly visited by mountaineers. Further towards Stanechki waterfalls and along Kozja River, many changes have been made to the trail with the construction of a wide road in the last 2 years, so that the old hiking trail has been destroyed, and in those parts there is now a wide road with bridges to cross the river. From the departure from Kozja Reka to Osogovski Monastery, there is no marking, however, only occasional help from a GPS signal is needed to follow it.