Logar valley is located in Kamnik-Savinja Alps and is by name divided on lower part of Log (wet, grassy clay world), middle part of Plest (mostly wooded world) and the upper part of Kot (wooded and graveled world). Individual homesteads in the valley consist of a 35 inhabitants in total. The valley was in year 1987 protected as a regional park, which stretches over 24 square kilometers.

Logar valley is surrounded by Strelovec (1763 m), Krofička (2083 m), Ojstrica (2350 m), Lučka baba (2244 m), Planjava (2394 m), Brana (2252 m), Turška gora (2251 m), Mrzla gora (2203 m). It ends in the gable below the cirque Okrešelj, where in height 1280 wells out ice cold Savinja (3°) and flows towards waterfall Rinka.

Altough the Logar valley is not exactly narrow valley, as its minimum width is approximately 500 meters, inversion phenomen due to influence of the northern anticyclone is very common. With such distribution of various temperatures on slopes, a difference between sunny and sunless position becomes evident and results reflect in variety of winter and ice conditions.

ALPINE GLACIAL VALLEY

Logar valley is one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in Europe. The valley is of a tectonic origin and has been made as a result of tectonic cracks of parent rock, that is made of various limestones. The last strong designer of the valley was the glacier. Since the period of glaciation, the most traces are showing, that valley belongs to the youngest geological era – Pleistocene. The ice, which was sliding through the valley, was slowly filling it up. It was carving the ground and taking along rocks from surrounding hillsides, which caused spreading of the valley. After each climate warming, the glacier left deposited material as a trace. For the glacial deposits, large rocks – boulders, are characteristic. They are seen around all the valley. Moraines are layered rocks of various sizes, which were separeted from the rest of deposits without a pattern, so those are not arranged. Glacier dammed itself and thus began to thicken. Behind moraine, which was left in lower part of the valley by retreating glacier, a lake was formed. Lake clay was deposited here and this is building a bigger part of Log today.

Glacier with such an action carved valley to its present form. Rocky shelves are typical here and above them cirques from which streams of waterfalls are shedding towards flatter valley bottom. Valley today lost a lot of its origin due to mass visit of motorized visitors.

LANDSCAPE PARK LOGAR VALLEY

The attractiveness of the Logar valley is reflected in the almost pristine environment and many natural attractions that attract nature lovers. A characteristic mark was also made by farms, which over the centuries created cultural landscape. Because of these benefits the Logar valley was declared as landscape park in 1987, in times when due to uncontrolled development of tourism valley was endangered.

The locals obtained a concession for the management of the landscape park in year 1992. They edited utilities and tourism infrastructure.

FOREST AND LANDSCAPE

On favorable places the ancestors felled the forests for farmland. The farmers were inhabiting the remote areas by Upper-Castle Benedictine monastery from 12th to 14th century. In 1426, two farms were already registered in land register of mentioned monastery, because of their obligation to pay certain taxes. That means that the farms were economically strong and able to emit taxes. People at that time were using only hand tools for cutting out forests, and also helped themselves with fire. Therefore areas for deforestation were choosen wisely. Today the process is reversed. Abandoned farms, steep pastures and meadows are being rapidly overgrown by shrubs and trees.

FAUNA AND FLORA

Trees
The forest gives seal to the landscape and life in the valley. The most common tree species are beech and spruce. Spruce is naturally growing in some parts of forest, but in other parts it was quickened by a man because spruce wood was reaching higher prices when sold. Fir can be found on the northern slopes of the valley. There is a lot of scots pine, especially on sunny rocky slopes of the middle ridge. It is often accompanied by spruce, especially where conditions are highly unfavourable, like on the bottom of the valley. Higher on slopes larch is also joining beeches, and it is growing to the forest boundary. A bit more high up the slopes dwarf pine, which grows in the bush form, joins beech trees. Knee pine can also be seen on the bottom of the valley.

Beech trees forest
Beech trees forest is characteristic for Logar valley. Under the beech trees, many herbs are thriving. The high-mountain beech forest is giving shelter to a rare and beautiful Čeveljc, our largest orchid.

Alpine plants
Here we can find plenty of flowers, called Mountain Avens, and this flower is specific, because it has eight petals, instead of usual five. It blooms in spring. We find bushes of red hairy Rhododendron and Alpine bell. In the middle of the shingles yellow Kerner poppy is growing, and this flower is endemic for Kamnik-Savinja Alps and Karavanke. Here we can find kinds like: Julian smiljka, purple onion, Kamnik ox-eye daisy.

Birds
Logar valley is home for several species of tits (Parus genus) – great tit, coal tit, crested tit and more rarely for blue tit. In winter, when there is enough food, they are merging into larger mixed flocks. A red crossbill is seen mostly in the flock. Black woodpecker is the largest among slovenian woodpeckers. The role and presence of woodpeckers in the woods is important, as they are carving holes into trees by themselves. When they abandon them, other animals settle in. Among birds that prey, two pairs of peregrine eagles are nesting in wider area of the Logar valley. The valley is also habitat of the peregrine falcon. Also some other raptor birds live here: buzzard, goshawk and sparrowhawk.

Wild animals
Chamois in summer live high in the remote mountain pastures, but in winter they descend to steep and sunny areas. Capricorns live on the peaks of Planjava, Lučka Baba and Brana. In the valley, main species that live there are deer. Mountain hares live high in the mountain pastures. Field rabbits, which are rare, live on the bottom of the valley. Here we can also find forest hens, capercaillie, black grouse and ptamigan. Rare guest of the Logar valley are also lynx and brown bear.

See other valleys in Slovenia!

Walking path through Logar valley
Path through Logar valley is natural ethnographic path that leads through the beautiful corners of the conserved nature of the landscape park. Many natural and ethnographic sights along the way attract the attention of the walkers. The path is also intended to bring people closer to the nature. [_Read more_]

Logar linden tree
Much landscape value in Logar valley gives Logar linden tree, which is a symbol of view on the valley. Linden tree thrives in the lower part of the valley, approximetly 300 meters before farm Logar in Log, on the left side of the road. The tree has several peaks, circular and dense treetop ends. [_Read more_]

Plesnik elm
Beside Logar lime a registered trademark as a sign of panoramic view in Logar valley is also mountain elm named as Plesnik elm. The tree, which grows in the central part of Logar valley in Plest, has great landscape and aesthetically value. Scope of the tree is around 370 centimeters and has height of 25 m [_Read more_]

Woodcutters’ (forest) hut
Along the way in Logar valley stand Woodcutter’s hut and next to it is a wooden rice (slide) for harvesting timber. Nearby we can find lumpy autumn trees. In the hut we can feel pleasant cracking fire in an open fireplace and we can left our self to the stories, which were made by hard life of forest workers. [_Read more_]

Scottish cattle
Scottish cattle is similar to domestic cattle, only they have longer hair and differently curved horns. An adult male weights up to 900 kg, a female up to 600 kg. Scottish cattle is extremely adaptable to weather conditions, that is the reason why it so popular in the Alps. [_Read more_]

Golica in Krejda
Place, called Golica in Krejda, shows geological events in the past. We can find it in a corner, that is opposite of the Pasture hut in Logar corner. Golica, which was revealed by a flow, that emerges with torrential rain, named Kotovec,  shows that the valley floor in its corner is covered with fine grained stones. [_Read more_]

Waterfall Rinka
Rinka is waterfall of river Savinja, actually its original stream in the gable of the Logar valley. Rinka is one of most beautiful and visited waterfalls in Slovenia. It is on of the tallest free falling waterfalls in Slovenia and the highest of twenty (permanent and temporary) waterfalls in Logar valley. [_Read more_]

Waterfall Palenk
Waterfall Palenk is seen on the right bank of the valley. The waterfall falls over a broken cliff from the hieght of 78 meters. In the summer it is almost dried up, but after rainfall it changes into a mighty appearance. Above the waterfall is a narrow gorge with extremely picturesque waterfalls. [_Read more_]

Rastovški waterfall
Waterfall, named Rastoviški jump, is located on the right-hand slope of the Logar valley in Log. The stream, which feds on the slops of Strelovec and Kofička, encouters almost in the valley on the preciptous rock jumps high beteween 10 and 20 meters. [_Read more_]

Iron water
Spring water is rich with iron, magnesium and calcium and is quite sour. The contents of manganese, zinc, aluminium, nickel and barium are compared to other springs in Karavanke increased, slightly increased is also the content of the so called “rare soils”. [_Read more_]

Chapel of Christ the King
It all started with intention of Belgrade Dr. Šuman to his sans, who were the victims of two different accidents, builds in Logar valley Mausoleum, especially because his son Pavle died at Mrzla gora (Cold mountain). Dr. Šuman ordered the plans at architect Plečnik in Ljubljana. [_Read more_]