Triglav from Krma in October: up via Planika, down over Mali Triglav

Golden larches below, bare white limestone above and an unstaffed hut at 2,515 metres. That was Triglav for us in mid-October. The weather played along, a clear and calm autumn day from start to finish. We did it in two days from the Krma valley as a loop. Up past Dom Planika and through Triglavska škrbina, down over Mali Triglav to Kredarica, and back to the car the next morning.

Parking and the walk in

In Krma you can only park in the marked spots. We left the car at the bend by the water trough at the end of Zasipska planina, at about 930 m. Other spots are at Kovinarska koča and at the end of the valley, and the park suggests leaving the car even lower, at Kurja vas in Zgornja Radovna. Sleeping in your car is not allowed anywhere in Triglav National Park.

We set off at 7:12, just as the sun lit up the tops of the ridges. Forest and a gravel path come first, then the meadows of Vrtača and Malo polje, where the larches were glowing yellow. At the spring in Zgornja Krma (1,600 m) we filled our bottles and took a break. A little higher stands the shepherd's hut Prgarca, and that is where the valley ends and the mountain begins.

Konjsko sedlo, Planika and the škrbina

Past Kurica the path gets steep, with a short rock step that turns nasty in the wet. We hit Konjsko sedlo (2,020 m) at 11:36 and Dom Planika (2,401 m) just before one. Planika closes at the end of September, so don't count on it in October. From here the Gorjanska pot crosses the bowl of Triglavski kot and climbs scree to Triglavska škrbina (2,655 m). Then it gets serious. Pegs, cables, steep rock and stones knocked loose by whoever is above you. The Slovenian Alpine Association rates it very difficult and gives it 1 h 35 min from Planika. We needed a little over two hours and stood on top at 15:36.

Down to Kredarica

We went down the classic way over Mali Triglav (2,738 m). The rock is polished smooth by countless boots, so clip in even if you feel steady. We reached Kredarica at 17:10, about an hour before sunset. Day one on the watch came to 11.9 km, 2,017 m up and 419 m down, ten hours from car to hut with all the breaks.

Triglavski dom has been unstaffed since 5 October 2026, but you can still sleep there. The meteorologists at the weather station let you in, and you get a bed, a single-use sheet and a blanket. The rooms are unheated, the kitchen is closed and you can't book. Bring your own food and carry your rubbish back down. Even in season the water is collected rain and scarce.

Day two

The morning is the real reason to sleep up there. Low sun on Triglav, the valleys still in shadow. We left at 7:44 on the normal path over Kalvarija and below Rž, rejoined our route in Zgornja Krma and were back at the car at 11:33. That makes 9.7 km and 1,615 m of descent in under four hours.

Autumn notes and what to carry

The days are short. On 17 October the sun set at Kredarica around 18:20, and after the clocks go back on 25 October it is gone by about five. A headlamp is not optional. One cold front with a few centimetres of snow is enough to turn the summit section into crampon and ice axe terrain. Check the trail conditions on stanje-poti.pzs.si before you drive out. Pack a helmet, harness and via ferrata set, warm layers, gloves, a map and plenty of food and water. Nothing is for sale up there right now.

The summit section has its own page on climbing.place as the Kredarica–Triglav via ferrata.