Parking
Use the park’s panoramic train to reach Labudovac stop St3. The route finishes at boat dock P3 at Kozjačka Draga, so check your selected programme’s return transport before setting out.
Overview
About Plitvica Trail
Why go
- Finishes beside Plitvica Stream and Great Fall
- Forest and meadow interpretation stops
Heads up
- One-way endpoints need a return-transport plan
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Plitvice Lakes map
Full mapElevation527–905 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Plitvice Lakes alert
- CautionRoadwork lane restrictions on A1 and A6If you drive to Plitvice Lakes on Croatia’s A1 or A6 motorways, expect roadwork-related lane restrictions and allow extra time.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Plitvice Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Plitvica Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Plitvice Lakes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Black River on Velika Poljana0:00 / 0:32
“Black River Steak and Pasta House is coming up on Velika Poljana, near Entrance Two. Stop here if you want a full sit-down meal, with steak or handmade pasta as the main draw.”
Plays on the road 2.1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Plitvice Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hotel Jezero and Kozjak Café
- Entrance 2 and the Upper Lakes
- Mukinje and Vučnica Bistro
- Hladovina and the Medveđak Ridge
- 39 audio storiesacross Plitvice Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Beaver, Grey Heron, Great Cormorant, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 15 trails, 36 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Plitvica Trail
The full through-hikeThe Plitvica Trail is a 9 km one-way forest hike from Labudovac panoramic train stop St3 to…
The Plitvica Trail is a 9 km one-way forest hike from Labudovac panoramic train stop St3 to boat dock P3 at Kozjačka Draga. It crosses forest and mountain meadows, then follows Plitvica Stream downstream to Great Fall. The mapped stage times add up to 3 hours 20 minutes; allow about 3½–4 hours if you stop at the boards and waterfall. The end is not back at the start, so sort out your return before setting off.
Walk it in three stagesFrom St3 to point 1 is 3.2 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes, along the shared forest approach.
From St3 to point 1 is 3.2 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes, along the shared forest approach. At point 1, take the direct 3.6 km route to point 3. The longer branch via point 2 leads to Čorkova Uvala and belongs to a different, 21 km itinerary. Small educational boards and resting places are marked along these forest routes.
Follow the stream to P3From point 3, the final 2.3 km follows Plitvica Stream downstream to Great Fall and the P3 dock.
From point 3, the final 2.3 km follows Plitvica Stream downstream to Great Fall and the P3 dock. This is the trail’s most distinctive finish: small cascades thread through the greenery before the route reaches the water. P3 is a boat dock at Kozjačka Draga, so plan how you’ll get back across the park.
Hills, forest and meadowThe walk is long and the terrain varies.
The walk is long and the terrain varies. A 25-point elevation sample suggests about 290 m of cumulative ascent, with a high point near 905 m before the trail descends to P3. Treat the climb as an estimate; no detailed grade or footing breakdown is published for this route. Expect a forest hike with meadow openings, not a level boardwalk.
What lives hereThe park describes bear, wolf, roe deer, red deer, lynx and wildcat habitat in these forests…
The park describes bear, wolf, roe deer, red deer, lynx and wildcat habitat in these forests and meadows. You’re more likely to notice tracks than to see a large animal, and sightings aren’t promised. The interpretation boards cover forest habitats and local historical and cultural sights; listen for woodpeckers and other birds along the way.
Access and rulesYou need valid park entry.
You need valid park entry. St3 is a panoramic train stop, and P3 is the boat dock; check that your selected transport programme gets you to the start and back from the finish. Stay on marked routes, and don’t start in snow, heavy rain, thunderstorms or strong winds. Dogs are allowed on leash, including on park boats and trains.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Plitvice Lakes
20 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
29 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsGreat CormorantMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
84 sightingsMerganserMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
13 sightingsDipperMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
201 sightingsMallardMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Plitvice Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
