Half way between the Equator and the North Pole, the Gacka river is in Lika, a historical-geographic region of Croatia. Gacka goes through Gacko polje (425-481 meters high, 80 Km2 ). It springs in the south-east corner of the field (Tonkovića spring and Majerovo spring) and flows toward the north-west. The Gacka valley is the lowest part of Lika. It is full of fields, coves and isolated small meadows. On the west side the Gacko field closes Senjsko bilo, on the south-west, Velebit, and on the north-east the field looks at Mala Kapela.
The populated areas are mostly on the edge of the field or on elevated areas in the field, far from the flooded meadows of Gacka and its tributaries. The villages and towns are spread, although since the military era the population was encouraged to concentrate. The central town of Gacko field is Otočac (population 4300). This region had the largest population in the beginning of the 20th century, twenty years after the demographic transition. After that, a long period of migration arrived. Many inhabitants left the area in the recent period, mostly as a consequence of the recent war.
Lika is on an important position between Velebit and the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, what means it is an important traffic corridor in Croatia. Gacko – Lika road goes through Gacko field, and in Žuta Lokva it connects on the Josephine road, on the south it leads to Gračac, where it connects with the state road D1. The railroad tracks, built in 1925 go high above the Gacka source. These are the well known “Lika tracks”, which is still the most important railroad direction that connects central and southern Croatia.
The easiest and most frequent way used to come to Gacka is the road. In the next few years, the infrastructure will change because a highway is under construction. The north edge of Gacko field will be the junction of the Adriatic-Ionian highway that will lead toward Rijeka and Trieste and the new state direction number 1, that will lead toward Bosiljevo, Karlovac and Zagreb. From the junction the highway goes south in one direction (Zadar – Split – Dubrovnik – Greece).
Until then we have to use the existing directions. As the point of arrival we can use Otočac, and the access to the Gacka river will be explained in the end of this text.

 

Distance from Otočac:

· From Zagreb – 165 km (via Karlovac (110 km), Josipdol, Žuta Lokva (Josephine road))
· From Rijeka – 110 km (via Senj (40 km), Žuta Lokva)
· From Zadar – 170 km (via Maslenica, Prezid, Gračac, (95 km), Gospić (45 km))
· From Šibenik – 210 km (via Drniš, Knin (150 km), Gračac, Gospić)
· From Split – 245 km (via Klis, Sinj, Knin, Gračac, Gospić)
· From Plitvice Lakes – 50 km (Via Vrelo Koreničko, Vrhovine)

 

How to reach Gacka?

The Gacko – Lika traffic direction goes parallel with the river Gacka, and it is easy to approach any part of the river. To approach Tonković spring we have to turn in Ličko Lešće on a side road that leads to Sinac. The road leads to Tonković spring, and on the left side toward Sinac you can reach Majerovo spring. The location Malinište and the former hotel “Gacka” are only 500 meters away, south-east from the bridge across Gacka in Čovići, and for following the flow of the river downstream, it is necessary to turn in Čovići off the main road toward Prozor. In Prozor you can cross Gacka on several bridges, or continue on the right bank to Vivoze. The way toward the upper Švičko lake from here leads through Otočac to Donji Grad, through Poljice toward Švica, and if you continue over the bridge in Švica only several hundred meters away there are locations from where you can see the valley which was once filled with waters of Donje Švičko lake.
The access to the right backwater of Gacka is possible with a road which from Otočac leads to Glavace, Drenov Klanac, Babić Most and Brlog where it connects with the Gacko – Lika road. The road is in a bad condition, the villages are deserted and devastated, and there is a danger from left over mines and bombs. The bed of the Gacka river is dry here and it is not recommended to use this direction.