The western part of the range was named the Kamnik Alps (German: Steiner Alpen) in 1778 by the scientists Belsazar Hacquet and Franz Xaver von Wulfen, after the town of Kamnik (Stein) in the valley of the Kamnik Bistrica River. Its eastern part was named the Savinja Alps (Sanntaler Alpen) or Solčava Alps (Sulzbacher Alpen) by the mountaineer Johannes von Frischauf in 1875, after the settlement of Solčava (Sulzbach) and the main river, the upper Savinja (Sann).
The entire main chain is today part of Slovenia. Historically it formed the border between the Inner Austrian duchies of Carinthia, Styria, and Carniola. The tripoint was located at the Carinthia Mount Rinka (Slovene: Koroška Rinka).
There is also a small glacier below Mount Skuta, which is the easternmost glacier in the Southern Alps.
In total, 28 peaks surpass 2,000 m. The total area of the Slovene part is about 900 km2. About three-quarters of the area is covered with forest, and many of the higher peaks are bleak and rocky.
The most important passes are the Seebergsattel (Slovene: Jezersko sedlo) between Austrian Carinthia and Slovenia's Municipality of Jezersko, as well as the Pavlič Pass. On the Slovenian side, there is a skiing area, whereas tourism in the Vellach Valley focuses on health spas.
Gallery
The Kamnik–Savinja Alps; the highest peak in the picture is Storžič.