Bellevue –
Areh

You begin the ride at the top of Mariborsko Pohorje, at 1042 m above sea level. This is a popular viewpoint at the city of Maribor. Then you start to climb with your bike past the church of St. Bolfenk, along the asphalt road then immediately into the forest on a gravel path along the ski slope in a westerly direction to the Maribor lookout tower. From the parking lot, drive a little bit up the hill and continue slightly to the right along the marked gravel path in the direction of the lookout tower, at the top of the Stolp ski slope. We recommend that you take a couple of minutes and also climb to the top of the tower. You will be rewarded with the view at the city of Maribor and its surroundings.

Continue through the forest to the west along the popular path to Areh. On this route, you will have countless options that are offered to you along the way, so that if you turn a little out of the way, you can enjoy the various options. You will first ride past the pumping station then along the Videc ski slope, which you will bypass on your right. Continue along this path, where after a small ascent you reach Ledinekov kogel (1182 m above sea level), which houses the famous Radar for monitoring and controlling airspace and is a different type of building on Pohorje. After a short descent, you reach the crossroads at Bukev (1132 m above sea level), past the turnoff for Mariborska koča, where you continue to the right in the direction of Areh. Now you should be already passing the Partizanka ski slope, and you continue along the main gravel road, slightly to the left, further past the Green Eco Village Ruševec.

Continue along the ridge from where, after 2 slight ascents, you descend to a small clearing with an electric transformer through which the electric power from the Drava valley brings the electricity to the mountain. You will cross the gravel road from Ruše to Glažuta and continue straight in the direction of the lake - water reservoir towards Areh. Here you already reached the popular ski resort and can already see the church of St. Areh and next to it Ruška koča. From the water reservoir, continue straight up the children's ski slope, past Areški studenec (Romanov studenec) in the direction of the old Areh hotel.

When you overcome the last meters of the ascent, we reach the main parking lot on Areh, where we find ourselves at an altitude of 1254m. In the surroundings you can enjoy the extensive meadow with the church of St. Areh and the famous mountain hut - Ruška koča, stop or continue your cycling route in several different possible directions.

At this location, you can further plan different routes in the direction of Rogla, Ruše, Fram or return in the direction of Maribor.

The described route is interesting from several aspects. Due to the use of the cable car on the initial ascent, the Bellevue - Areh route and back can be completed in a few hours, which is impressive compared to the usual daily mountain crossing. The use of the gondola lift also means the start of cycling at an altitude of 1000 m. What impresses us the most is the nature and the wild, uninhabited landscape.

Pohorje will surely enchant you!