JK09

The JK09 — officially the Julius-Kugy-Dreiländerweg, or Julius Kugy Three-Country Trail — is a 720 km circular long-distance route completing a full circuit of the Southern Alps through Austria, Slovenia and Italy across 30 stages and approximately 270 hours of hiking time. Established in 2019 under the International Walking Network (IWN), it accumulates 45,000 metres of elevation gain and peaks at 2,401 m at Dom Planika pod Triglavom in Triglav National Park, making it one of the most demanding and culturally rich multi-week Alpine loops in Central Europe.

About the JK09

Named after Julius Kugy (1858–1944) — born in Görz (now Gorizia, Italy) and a longtime resident of Trieste, Kugy was a physician, writer and mountaineer who pioneered dozens of first ascents in the Julian Alps during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries — the trail was conceived in 2004 by the alpine clubs of Carinthia, Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It was officially inaugurated in June 2019 and ceremonially formalised at the historic tri-national Dreiländereck border junction in 2020.

The route earns its subtitle Mountains of Friendship (Berge der Freundschaft / Planine prijateljstva / Montagne dell’Amicizia) from the ongoing collaboration between three national alpine federations that jointly waymark and maintain it. As of 2026, the JK09 connects six cities and 42 villages across three countries, traverses 24 named mountain massifs, 28 valleys and 48 passes and saddles. At signed junctions throughout the route, QR codes link walkers to live digital stage maps on the maPZS platform and the official trail website.

Terrain is varied: roughly 43% signed mountain paths, 17% gravel roads, 16% forest tracks and wild terrain, 8% asphalt and approximately 3 km of secured rope passages on the most exposed stages. The official difficulty classification is demanding, and the organising clubs advise above-average fitness, prior multi-day Alpine experience and competence on roped terrain before attempting the full circuit.

The JK09 moves through the Alpe-Adria cultural zone — an area where Carinthian, Slovenian and Friulian heritage share mountain architecture, dialect, cuisine and folklore. A single day on Stage 13 takes a hiker from Slovenian mountain huts in the Julian Alps through a WW1 peace path into the Italian town of Kobarid (Caporetto), passing Habsburg military cemeteries en route — a cultural density that sets this route apart from purely technical Alpine traverses. Walkers planning only the Slovenian section should read our guide to the best hiking trails in Slovenia 2026, which covers the JK09 alongside shorter options like the Juliana Trail and the Slovenian Mountain Trail.

Route Overview & Stages

All 30 stages start and finish at the Bertahütte (~1,200 m) in Carinthia’s Rosental valley, roughly 20 km north of Triglav National Park. From the Bertahütte, the route moves east along the Karawanken ridge into Slovenia, drops south through the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Julian Alps, reaches the Soča Valley at Kobarid (198 m — the circuit’s lowest point), crosses into Friuli-Venezia Giulia and arcs west through the Carnian Alps and Gailtal Alps before returning north to close the loop.

Stage distances range from 13.3 km (Stage 6 — technically the hardest) to 37.0 km (Stage 30, the closing approach to Bertahütte), with a mean of around 24 km. The official 270-hour walking estimate implies roughly nine hours per stage for walkers doing one stage per day — manageable on valley sections but challenging on the exposed Kamnik-Savinja and Julian ridge stages. Most thru-hikers plan 35–40 days to allow rest days for weather or difficult terrain.

Highlights & Points of Interest

The 720 km circuit packs an exceptional concentration of natural and cultural landmarks. Eight stand out as defining experiences across all three countries:

• Potočka zijalka, Olševa plateau (Stages 4–5): A rock shelter at 1,700 m on the Olševa ridge in Slovenia’s eastern Karawanken. Excavations from 1928 unearthed Ice Age cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) bones alongside flint tools — one of the highest-altitude Paleolithic cave sites in the Alps, open to hikers passing through on the trail route.
• Logarska dolina, Kamnik-Savinja Alps (Stage 5): A glacier-carved valley floor at 700 m flanked by walls rising above 2,000 m. The Rinka waterfall at its head drops 90 m and is visible from the trail path above the valley floor — one of the most dramatic waterfalls in Slovenia.
• Triglav Lakes plateau (Stage 11): Seven glacial lakes spread across a karst limestone plateau at 1,685–1,994 m elevation in Triglav National Park. The lowest lake (Dvojno jezero) sits directly beside the stage overnight hut, Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih, making it an easy evening walk from the hut door.
• Dom Planika pod Triglavom — highest point (Stage 11): The trail’s summit at 2,401 m, situated just below Slovenia’s highest peak at 2,864 m. On clear days the hut terrace offers a direct line of sight to the Adriatic coast, approximately 100 km southwest.
• Soča Valley and Kobarid (Stages 13–14): Stage 13 delivers hikers down over 1,100 m of net elevation loss to the turquoise Soča River, whose mineral-blue colour from glacial rock flour is one of the most photographed river shades in Europe. Kobarid’s museum of the Isonzo Front, which won the Council of Europe Museum Prize in 1993, stands 200 m from the trail route.
• Monte Mataiur memorial, Friuli (Stage 14): A hilltop WW1 monument at 1,642 m marking where the German–Austrian Caporetto breakthrough of October 1917 culminated. The summit gives unobstructed views toward the Adriatic and the Venetian plain on clear days.
• Wolayersee Peace Stone, Carnic Alps (Stage 23): A monumental peace sculpture inaugurated on 29 June 2024 beside the Wolayersee alpine lake on the Italy–Austria border. It stands at the site of WW1 Alpine combat and is the trail’s most recently added permanent landmark, embodying the founding Berge der Freundschaft philosophy.
• Dobratsch nature park (Stage 28): A 3,300-hectare protected area on the Dobratsch massif (2,166 m) above Villach. The trail traverses the full summit ridge for approximately 8 km with unobstructed panoramas across the Drau valley, the Karawanken and — on clear days — the Dolomites to the southwest.

Practical Information

Best Time to Hike

Mid-June to mid-September is the standard window for the full JK09 circuit. Snow clears from high passes on the Kamnik-Savinja and Julian Alps sections by late June in most years, but Stage 6 (Kamniška koča to Zgornje Jezersko) and Stage 11 (the Triglav Lakes traverse) can hold winter snow into early July after a heavy-snow winter. August sees peak hut occupancy — Vodnikov dom and Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih on Stages 10–11 typically book out 3–4 weeks ahead for July and August nights. A late-June start offers alpine wildflower meadows and long daylight hours; September offers cooler temperatures and fewer fellow hikers on the trail.

Accommodation

The route’s stage system is built around a chain of mountain huts (Hütten in Austria, koče in Slovenia, rifugi in Italy). Indicative nightly costs as of 2026:

• Austrian mountain huts: €20–30 per person in a dormitory (Matratzenlager); half-board (dinner, bed, breakfast) approximately €50–65
• Slovenian mountain huts: €15–25 per person dormitory; half-board approximately €40–50; showers often charged separately at €3–6
• Italian rifugi: €25–40 dormitory; half-board €55–70; some accept adjacent wild camping at €8–12 per tent

Valley guesthouses and agriturismo properties in the Friulian section (Stages 15–20) run €50–80 for a double room and offer the best resupply window between Kobarid and Tolmezzo.

Getting There & Back

The Bertahütte start/finish point is most conveniently reached via Klagenfurt Airport (KLU), approximately 35 km away, or by rail to Villach Hauptbahnhof — the trailhead lies about 20 km northeast of Villach city centre. Villach sits on direct rail lines from Vienna, Ljubljana and Trieste. International travellers typically fly into Vienna (VIE), Ljubljana (LJU) or Venice Marco Polo (VCE) and connect by train to Villach or Klagenfurt.

The circular format is a genuine logistical advantage: you return to your starting point with no vehicle shuttle or second airport required. Walkers taking only the Slovenian section (Stages 4–13) can reach the trailhead by bus from Velenje or Tržič and exit at Kobarid, which has daily buses to Ljubljana (~2.5 hours) and Trieste (~1.5 hours).

Permits & Fees

As of 2026, no trail permits are required in any of the three countries. Entry to Triglav National Park (Slovenia) on the standard hiking route is free; the Triglav summit permit applies only to the actual summit ascent and does not affect the JK09 route below 2,401 m. Austrian and Italian nature parks on the trail impose no access fees. The main costs are accommodation, hut meals and personal alpine rescue insurance — the latter strongly recommended for any stage with secured rope passages or exposed ridges above 1,800 m.

Gear & Packing List

Thirty stages and 45,000 metres of elevation change demands gear that handles everything from river crossings in the eastern Karawanken to glacially exposed ridges in the Carnic Alps. The Friulian section (Stages 14–22) requires a 4–5 day food carry between Kobarid and Tolmezzo, pushing ideal pack volume to 55–65 litres loaded to 12–16 kg on departure from a resupply town.

Footwear is the first decision. Stage 6’s Kamnik-Savinja ridge and Stage 11’s roped Triglav approach require ankle support and a rigid sole for toe-hooks on rock. For the longer valley and Friulian sections, a more cushioned shoe substantially reduces leg fatigue. The Altra Timp 4 offers a MaxTrac outsole with a wide toe box and 0 mm heel-to-toe drop — a trail-runner choice that manages the extended Stage 13 descent into Kobarid particularly well. Add gaiters for the Stage 4 Karawanken river crossings and pack a spare pair of socks every three days.

On a circuit accumulating 45,000 m of cumulative descent, trekking poles are close to essential. Stage 13 alone drops over 1,100 m of net elevation into Kobarid over 35 km. The Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z trekking poles fold to 33 cm for storage in a rifugio gear room and weigh just 218 g per pair — practical for the constant switches between technical scrambles and long valley walking across all three countries.

For the pack itself, the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60 handles the longer food carries at 645 g total pack weight, well under 1 kg. Its frame suspension manages heavier loads without the penalty weight of traditional mountaineering packs. For a full comparison of 55–65 litre options at different price points, see our 2026 ultralight backpack test. On daily calorie requirements: nine hours of alpine hiking burns 3,500–4,500 kcal for most hikers, depending on body weight and pack load. Our hiking calorie guide gives a formula to calculate exact resupply quantities — particularly relevant for the Friulian food carry where no hut meals are guaranteed on every stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to complete the JK09 Julius Kugy Alpine Trail?

Most hikers complete the 720 km circuit in 35–40 days. The official documentation records 270 hours of walking time across 30 stages, averaging roughly 9 hours per stage. This leaves zero rest days — most thru-hikers build in 5–7 extra days for weather on the exposed Kamnik-Savinja and Carnic Alps stages. The fittest walkers attempt the full route in 30 days at one stage per day, but any injury or storm delay forces a reset of the whole schedule.

Is the Julius Kugy Alpine Trail suitable for beginners?

No. The JK09 is officially rated difficult by the three organising alpine clubs. Stages 6 and 11 involve secured rope passages on exposed ridges, and the Friulian section (Stages 14–22) includes a 4–5 day food carry with limited bail-out options. Beginners should complete at least two multi-day alpine routes first — a 5–7 day hut-to-hut circuit in the Julian Alps is a reasonable baseline — before committing to the full loop.

What is the highest point on the JK09 and is technical climbing gear needed?

The highest point is 2,401 m at Dom Planika pod Triglavom, reached on Stage 11 in Triglav National Park. Fixed ropes on the steepest passages assist hikers, but a harness, crampons or ice axe are not required in normal summer conditions between mid-June and mid-September. A helmet is recommended on the exposed ridge approach above Vodnikov dom, where loose rock sits above the main path.

Are there resupply points along the Julius Kugy Trail?

Spacing varies considerably. The Austrian and Slovenian stages (1–13) pass near towns with shops — Bad Vellach, Tržič, Mojstrana and Kobarid all have at least basic provisions available. The Friulian section is more remote; Tolmezzo (Stage 19) is the main resupply town and hikers should plan for a 4–5 day carry from Kobarid. Valley guesthouses between stages often stock basic provisions for sale to passing walkers.

When does the Julius Kugy Alpine Trail open each year?

The route has no formal opening date, but the high-alpine sections — Stage 6, Stage 11 and parts of the Carnic Alps traverse — are typically snow-free by mid-June in a normal year. The organising clubs and the official trail website publish current conditions before the summer season opens. The huts on the Slovenian Julian Alps section (Stages 10–12) generally operate from mid-June to late September, with exact dates published each spring by the Slovenian Mountain Association (PZS).