Slovenia, despite the fact that it is a really small country, can offer a lot for the bikers! People from Ljubljana within a radius of 100 km, have at least 7 well developed bike parks. One of the biggest and more interesting is Bike & Fun Park Cerkno.
When we are looking on the Bike Park map, we can see a good network of trails on which practically everyone should find something interesting. In total, we have 7 trails available, which we can connect in our own way. Five of trails are available from the chairlift, while the additional two are enduro variants so You can enlarge the riding area but then You have to pedal yourself back up.
Cerkno as a ski resort is considered as one of the most modern in Slovenia and this quality also applies for the infrastructure used in the summer. Riders are transported by a fast 6-seater chairlift, equipped with special hooks for bicycles. The trip up takes about 5 minutes, so that during the day You are able to do a lot of descents. On the site there is a bike rental, and also bike service. In the summer season, there is also a bar at the bottom lift station and a restaurant near the upper lift station.
If it is about trails at Cerkno bikepark, there is a lot of variety. I think that everyone will find something for themselves here. We can choose from fully prepared flow trails with a lot of rollers and profiled berms, or we can go on more natural trails with exposed roots and rockgardens. The length of the trails ranges from 1.5 to over 2.5 km in length, which gives us 3-5 minute descents with pretty fast runs. Marking of the trails is good and it is hard to get lost on the way down.
Trails:
1 – DH – Ta deuvi – flagship DH trail – we find on it everything that should include a good downhill course. A lot of rocks and roots, a few places where you can get really fast, but also some technical sections and a large rock garden. In the middle section a few pretty big jumps..
2 – Vaznkaš – It is going close to the DH trail, but it goes by more natural single track. There is also a lot of stones and roots here, but it is not as fast, and a little bit easier.
3 – Snežet – It is typical flow trail that is going by many profiled berms under the chairlift. A lot rhytm and flow, and a few small jumps.
4 – Vlakavc – classic natural single trail winding down through the forest. Some roots and rocks on in but also few profiled berms, which give a smooth flow.
5 – Marjetica – The easiest trail, which on its entire length is a fully prepared as a typical flow trail. A lot of profiled berms and rollers. Beginners can easy enjoy a nice ride without big obstacles, while the more advanced riders will appreciate its smoothness, and can use some of the rollers as jumps.
6 – Kapiše and 7 – Pstina – unfortunately I did not have enough time to check them personally, but they are enduro forest single trails packed with roots and stones. Their start is near parking lot and You can go down by them to the asphalt access road, which you can pedal back up.
I visited Cerkno on 30/09/2018, and despite the fact that the weather was perfect, it was one of the last weekends when bike park was opened that season. In some parts of the trails, there were noticeable holes and bumps from braking, but before the next season, renovation of trails was planned.
In my opinion, it is a very good bike park, which is worth visiting. If someone chooses Slovenia as a country where he/shw would like to ride a bike, Cerkno definitely should be on his/her list of places to visit. The number and variety of trails, gives us a lot of riding possibilities, and both beginners and more advanced riders will find something interesting here. It has also very good infrastructure of the entire resort and very fast lift. Even if 10 km of prepared trails is to little for You, there is also a whole network of bicycle paths nearby, and the locals will be happy to show you even more trails such as this:
Practical information:
- Bike & Fun Park Cerkno is located about 20 minutes by car from the city of Cerkno, near the Pocivalo lift.
- In the low season April-June, and September – October, Bike Park operates only on weekends and non-working days, while in July and August everyday between 10-17.
- When planning a longer trip, it is worth staying overnight in the hotels that cooperate with the Bike Park, thanks to that You can get a discount on the bikepark pass.
- The daily pass (excluding the discount) costs EUR 25, but cheaper passes are also available for sinlge rides or for two or four hours.
- Accommodation is available in the “Alpska Perla”, which is located near the upper lift station, or in the Hotel in the city of Cerkno, where swimming pool with thermal water is available.
- You can rent an enduro or DH bike on the site.
- If you want to spend the whole weekend in Cerkno it is worth to use specially prepared packages: accommodation + food + ticket to Bikepark. For more detailed information, please visit: ski-cerkno.com/en/packages/activities.html#div-bike-park-package
- In addition to the bike park, in the area, there are attractions for the whole family such as playgrounds, or hiking trails.
More information:
More information about the bike park can be found here: bike-fun-cerkno.si. In the case of bad weather conditions, the lift and bikepark can be closed, for current information it is worth checking the Facebook profile: facebook.com/BikeAndFunParkCerkno. For information about the whole area, and also for accommodation, please visit: ski-cerkno.com.
For more information about Slovenia and its tourism possibilities, I invite you to our blog: balkanyrudej.pl/category/kategorie-wpisow/slowenia
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Text: Marek Chabros balkanyrudej.pl
Photos: Marek Chabros & Ola Zagórska-Chabros balkanyrudej.pl