Risnjak Peak

Risnjak is the peak that gives its name to the Risnjak massif and the national park that covers it, in the Gorski Kotar highlands between Rijeka and the interior. At 1,528 metres, it is the highest point of the massif and the goal of the classic hike in the park, a rocky limestone crest rising above a vast expanse of beech and fir forest.

The peak gives one of the widest mountain views in Croatia, taking in the Kvarner Gulf and its islands on one side and the high Dinaric chain on the other. The massif is named after the ris, the Eurasian lynx, which still lives, in small numbers, in these woods, and the area is one of the few in the country where the animal survives.

The standard ascent starts from the mountaineering hut at Lokvarka or from the source of the Kupa river and climbs through forest to the open rocky summit ridge. It is a proper mountain walk, not a stroll, and the weather changes fast up here.

For photographers, the rocky summit crest against the sea of forest and the wide view to the Kvarner islands are the shots. Carry mountain footwear, water and a layer, and check the forecast, the peak catches cloud even when the coast is clear.

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