Leshnica – valley of Shar Mountain. It is located in the central part of Shar Mountain in the area of the highest Shar peaks, between Sreden Kamen and Plat peaks. In the southwest it is surrounded by the highest peak Titov Vrv, while in the southeast by the second highest peak Bakardan, in the west by Sreden Kamen and in the east by Plat, while to the north it is open and merges with the valley of the river Pena, in its upper catchment and source area . It is divided into Dolna Leshnica at an altitude of 1450 meters and Gorna Leshnica at an altitude of 2221 meters.
It is distinguished by a distinct alpine landscape and character, with high rocks, grassy areas and dense evergreen and beech forest, i.e. it abounds with coniferous, beech and other mixed forests, as well as with rich endemic flora and fauna that can only be found in this place , especially to forest fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and various types of herbs and plants. On the rocky area between Dolna and Gorna Leshnica there is a large and occasional waterfall, which is especially strong in spring and summer. Leshnica Valley can be reached from Popova Shapka via 2 routes: via Jelak and the top of Plat or via Ceripashina, and it can also be accessed by paths leading from the village of Bozovce.
Leshnica is very visited by mountaineers, especially mountaineers and mountain runners who have organized a vertical race of 1 kilometer on Leshnica, i.e. 1000 meters height difference. Above the forest area of Leshnica there are several bachila, and the small Leshnica River, which is a right tributary of Pena, flows through the valley itself.
Tour
The trail starts from the mountain lodge Smreka on Popova Shapka, otherwise the starting point for several routes on Shar Mountain (Titov Vrv, Bakardan, etc..) – you can see the exact location of the departure on the map to the right (Zoom-In / Zoom-Out )
If you are arriving with a passenger vehicle at Popova Shapka, we recommend that you park in the parking lot because the road to PD Smreka, although paved, is primarily intended for off-road vehicles.
From PD Smreka leads a hiking trail with a serious uphill 1 km long where the trail joins the dirt road to Dolna Leshnica. From here we move along a practically flat dirt road with a total length of 4 km and enjoy the view of the mountain peaks on the opposite right side: Vrtop (2555 m), Treskavec (2435 m) and Kobilitsa (2528 m). After a total of 5 km, we leave the dirt road along a hiking trail to the Gorna Leshnica pass at the foot of the Plat peak (2398 m) and here the real enjoyment begins: on the right the mighty Plat, while on the left Sin Vrv (2550 m) and Karabunar (2600 m) – we are in the heart of Shar Mountain. After a total of 7 km, we arrive at Gorna Leshnica (2153 m), one of the most magical landscapes of the Shar Mountain. In front of it rise Turchin (2702 m) and Titov Vrv (2747 m), and if you are ready and decide to climb the Plat peak, right behind Titov Vrv is our highest peak Golem Korab. From Gorna Leshnica we successfully descend to Dolna Leshnica in a length of 4.5 km and we are ready for more rest and enjoyment next to the cold waters of the Leshnica river.
Our recommendation for return: 13 km long dirt road to PD Smreka with a height difference of 500 m. (the track is included in the GPS file). Photo with background – Sreden Kamen peak (2465 m) is an obligation of every visitor to Leshnica :)
Mountain trails nearby:
Bike trails nearby:
