A Trip to the Waterfalls in the Brusnik Gorge

A Trip to the Brusnik and Stopnik Waterfalls in the Julian Alps

Starting point

Parking lot in the village of Koseč. There is a donation box for voluntary parking fees next to the parking lot. The road to the village of Koseč leads from the town of Kobarid.
 

Description of the hike

From the village, we set out along a wide path that begins to descend just past the last house. We quickly reached a small church. Beyond it, the trail continues downhill between stone walls. We reached the first waterfalls on the Slopnik River fairly soon. Further on, the trail descends steeply; in some places, stairs and railings have been installed for safety. Gradually, we walked along the trail past more waterfalls. The trail actually follows the stream’s course and descends steeply alongside the water. The landscape here resembles a rainforest more than a European forest. After descending into the lower parts of the forest, we crossed the stream via a footbridge and continued through the forest toward another gorge—Brusnik. The trail leads directly into the stream bed. The gorge itself is very high, with steep rock walls towering high above us. In addition, the Brusnik stream forms a waterfall here, which enhances the beauty of the place.

Another major advantage is the low number of visitors to this spot. Unlike other gorges and waterfalls, there are very few tourists here. From the waterfall, we continued along the stream bed to a footbridge over the water. From there, a steep ascent follows; there’s even a steel cable to help with the climb. The trail continues to climb, and we slowly made our way back to the village. The trail is full of roots and rocks, and in some places the climb is steeper. Finally, we reached a paved road, which we followed back to the village of Koseč.
 

Difficulty

The trail has quite a few descents and ascents. Some of them are quite steep. Steel cables have been strung up as handrails because the descent into the gorge is quite steep. There are also stairs in some places. However, this is not a via ferrata. Fit children and dogs can handle the trail.
 

Water availability

Although there are many streams along the way, we had our own drinks and didn't drink water from local sources.
 

Mountain peaks

The route does not pass through any peaks.
 

Danger

The trail drops steeply in places and runs along the edge of the canyon. There are guardrails installed in several spots, but you still need to be careful, especially with small children. The climb out of the ravine is also somewhat challenging; there is a steel cable there as well.
 

Food

The route is short; all you need is a small snack for the trip.