Mt Velebit

Destination: SE Velebit - Crnopac - The Little Prince Trail

Start & end: Parkplace Šimlašica, near Prezid pass (about 1000 m)

Length: 5 h / 7,3 km;  Uphill: 600 m;  Elevation range: 987 - 1171 m

Difficulty: Fit: 🥾🥾⚪⚪;  Technical: very difficult (see Difficulties)  

Tagline:

• "At this trail the time actually ceases to exist, because you are totally amazed by the beauty of the landscape so that you forget everything else." says Slavko Tomerlin - Tatek, the explorer of that part of Mt Velebit and the author of the trails.
• Although it requires a climber's skills, the selected route - the Little Prince Trail is certainly more interesting than difficult.
• It is beautiful but a difficult circled trail, easy accessible (just 40 min of walking far from parking place). It is convenient for refreshment during summer vacations in North Dalmatia.

Route:

• Parking/crossing at Šimlašica -> Mt Shelter Crnopac: 40 min
• Mt Shelter Crnopac -> Put Malog princa  (Konoba -> Dvori -> Niska vrata -> viewpoint -> Zdenko' s hole -> Šušnjevac -> Slipi klanac (Blind Gorge)-> Tisni klanac -> Papratnjak -> Krivi klanac -> Stankina vrata -> Kičma -> Nebeska vrata ->  Bili kuk) -> Parking/crossing at Šimlašica
• Options:
  • Kita Gaćešina peak: +2,5 h 
  • Orlov Kamen:  +30 min

Route description:

• Velebit at SummitPost created a very good description of Crnopac (including the Little Prince Trail) with nice photos

• The northern route requires only 40 minutes of walking from a convenient parking place to The Crnopac Mountain Shelter

• The signed ascending trail passes a few times the forest road and after 40 minutes of walking you arrive to the shelter. There are two branches: the branch to Kita Gaćešina (after 20 minutes) and trail to the Little Prince Trail and Bili Kuk just before the shelter.

• From the shelter, you need to return 50 m and turn on the right, descending to the crossing Bili kuk - Put Malog princa (the Little Prince Trail)

• In order to visit Kita Gaćešina, the peak beside the Little Prince Trail, it is recommended to visit Little Prince Trail first, then Bili Kuk and after that, you can either go to the shelter (30 min) or to get back 15 min to the end of the Little Prince Trail and the branch to the Kita Gaćešina.

• The trail leads from one to another breathtaking karst form through gates, canyons and ridges. We recommend you to visit all signed (and not signed) structures.

• Little Prince trail is very well signed. The only doubt is whether to visit Konoba (Tavern) or Dvorska Vrata (Castle Gate). Konoba is a short dead end extension and the trail goes through the gate.

• The circle of the trail has 600 m in diameter only but it requires 3-4 hours of walking. It depends on the number of breaks, visiting extensions, taking photographs...

Approach:

• For basic approach see GoogleMaps Interactive map of Crnopac. From the continental side, the main approach is from the town Gračac, and from the coastal side town Obrovac or Zadar. Gračac is accessible from Zagreb by highway A1 (220 km from Zagreb, exit 14 - Gračac, Lovinac, Sv. Rok) and then by state road D27.
• From the road Gračac - Prezid (- Obrovac), 6 km from Gračac, there is a bad forest road (but passable for personal cars), on the left, backward, about 1200 m before the tunnel (Prezid pass). There is a very sharp turn to the unpaved branch on the left.  After about 4 km of this forest road there is the crossing and widening convenient for parking.
• If you miss this branch  you can proceed 200 m up to a widening of the road or to the next one (where another route to Crnopac starts) and to return.