From the foothill to the heart of the Bükk (Bükk trekking 1.)

Itinerary

• Starting from the bus stop, head towards Diósgyőr on the asphalt, following the P mark until it connects with the Z mark.
• Turn right on the Z mark, which we follow via the Gulicska rock to the Fehérkőlápa tourist hut.
• From the hut, take a detour on the Z, then Z▲ marks to the Fehér-kő, finally returning on the same route.
• From the tourist hut, follow the P mark to the cross near Bükkszentkereszt.
• From the cross, descend on the S mark to Bükkszentkereszt.
• Follow the S mark through Hollóstető all the way to Szarvas-kút.
• From Szarvas-kút, climb to the plateau on the S+ mark, passing the Sugaró, following the mark to the end of the Kecskeláb clearing.
• From the clearing, turn left onto the K, then immediately onto the K+ mark.
• When the K+ and the K bicycle marks diverge, stay on the latter and follow the asphalt to the junction in the middle of Nagy-mező!
• From Nagy-mező, turn right onto the Z mark, which we follow to the Bánkút parking lot.
• From the parking lot, follow the K mark down to the Bánkút tourist hut.

Detailed description of the tour

At the gate of the limestone empire

Our journey begins along the asphalt, walking only a few meters at its edge to the small bridge over the Szinva. We are at the edge of the Bükk for now, but the sizeable creek already carries the water of the karst depths and points the direction to the plateau. After crossing it, we strive upwards on the Z mark – to a shard of the plateau sawed off by the upper section of the Szinva from the Great Plateau block. Leaving the houses behind, we cross mostly unused tracks of the Mahóca narrow-gauge railway, starting an extensive climb. Soon, an 'X' sign indicates a detour due to railway tracks since at this point we cross the line known as the Lillafüred railway. Formerly, it transported wood and stone from the Garadna valley environment to the center of Miskolc, but nowadays rails end in Diósgyőr, and tourists rattle on the wagons.

The increasingly steep ascent crosses two dozer roads and initially passes through oak woods. The trail breaks through a patch cleared to bare ground, overgrown with vegetation up to the shoulders, ending with a large, fell beech trunk lying across the path. Further up, the forest becomes mixed, as species have spread on the sunny slope following an earlier clearing. In older stands on the side of Bánya-bükk, beech becomes dominant, its tall canopy suppressing its competitors. The terrain also transforms: sharp limestone outcrops peek from the thinning soil, and the ridge mostly hosts low, spindly trees, typical karst shrub forest habitat. After a right turn, the canopy opens, making the ridge visible, and the view appears ahead.

Views from the karst edge

Stepping onto the Gulicska cliff, a magnificent panorama rewards the effort. The arc of the long, deep Garadna valley draws the eye deep into the split plateau where Magos-kő, Sólyom-kő, and Köpűs-kő guard the Kis-fennsík edge. To the right, you can gaze across the inner curve of the Carpathians: the terrain rises in seemingly endless waves, and in clear weather, the High Tatras dominate the horizon. A crevice opens on the Szinva side of the rock — a former spring cave elevated by the plateau’s vertical movement to its present position.

We return to the trail, which invites us on terrain covered with mixed forest and moss-covered stones. The section in Mély-völgy is a narrow little hollow we cross quickly, appearing in the narrow mowing meadow of Hegyes-rét. The trail cuts across the grassy field and under the trees, turns right onto a wide forest road. Old stands and young shoots alternate before, with a left bend, reaching the building of Fehérkőlápa tourist hut. Previously, a fragrant pine forest rustled next to it, but the dry, unnatural patch has been cut down, now leaving a sunny gap outside the fence. It’s worth entering the friendly-looking building densely fitted with windows for lunch; its cozy restaurant is a nice place to refresh. Since it also offers rooms, the building fully operates as a tourist hut and is an excellent rest point or starting place for tourists wishing to explore the surroundings of Lillafüred and Bükkszentkereszt. The building was erected in 1937 as a tourist hut and later served as a key hostel for decades before regaining its original function.

We stay on the Z mark, leading to a fork. Turning right, following Z▲, we reach the nearby Fehér-kő, whose back can be walked on a wild trail. We bypass a collapsed cave, the closed beech forest disappears, and at last, we step out onto the dizzying height of the towering Fehér-kő limestone cliff. Below, the upper Szinva valley intrudes as a deep fissure among the plateau tables. It seems clear that the now-distinct plateaus were once connected, supported by the limestone ribs which slope parallel on both sides before the Lillafüred outlet and once joined. The smooth, tilted surfaces of the Fehér-kő also show the immense force of tectonic influences. The Szinva cut through the elevated surface with laborious, fine work, carving a steep, straight-cut ditch.

Around Újhuta

We backtrack to the tourist hut and turn right onto the P mark. We can still sip some water from the Szent István spring supplying the hut before continuing. We pass the gently raised peak of Jávár-hegy through a long, narrow clearing with rest areas and a playground. Although sheltered, signs warn that a cable car operates on the other side of the trees. In the 1930s, several ski facilities were developed near Lillafüred, including a ski jump, sled, and ski slope. Where the latter’s lift once stood, it is now possible to ride a cable car over the Szinva valley. The path continues through a pleasant, "managed" impression of slender pine woodland, and further ahead near mixed forest, it recalls the state-planted wooded pastures created in the 1920s. Soon the grove fades, and we arrive at the edge of the still sizable pastures around Bükkszentkereszt. On the other side of the electric fence, horses graze; nettles soon demand attention. After crossing a wet, densely overgrown ditch, the trail turns left, and to our right, the abandoned ski slope of Kis-dél is green.

At a stone cross, there is an opportunity to visit a lookout, accessible right via an unmarked bike path. At the end of the short, about 10-minute detour, a small wooden tower looks over the idyllic environment of Bükkszentkereszt basin and the dark mouth of Szinva valley pressed by the mountains. In clear weather, the view extends beyond the mountain range, recognizing the Zemplén and, in the opposite direction, the mass of Kékes.

On the right and forward, we descend on the S mark along the pasture ring surrounding the village. Since the soil has been less suitable for plant cultivation, wooded pastures were mostly established around the settlement. Mowing currently prevents reforestation. Bükkszentkereszt, now popular due to its location, was known as Újhuta until 1940 because originally only the nearby beech woods and a glassworks were there. Slovaks settled here in the 18th century, operating the glassworks which gradually formed the village. They didn’t just make glass but also earned their bread through other forest work: lime and charcoal burning, wood processing. Due to insufficient arable land, they mainly obtained food from Lowland markets while selling mountain products. When iron production started in the eastern gateway of Bükk—Garadna valley and Diósgyőr—their products found the main buyers. The village has grown large, and walking through it takes time: the S mark turns right and follows the main street. We can choose from restaurants, pubs, and lodging, sometimes discovering local products before leaving the houses.

Where paths meet

The initially unfriendly electric wire pasture soon gives way to a magical slender pine hall, along which we bypass the slopes of the Dry-Szinva valley. Mixed forests and clearings, and partly logged spruce patches accompany us before joining the Hollóstető asphalt road.

Hollóstető was once known for its tourist hut (the current inn building is its continuation). Down below in the trees is a campsite, but traces of the 1930s golf courses or the bobsled track heading into the Szinva valley no longer exist. At the meeting point of the plateau and the Southern Bükk, the older, frequently used Hór valley road and the Eger-Miskolc highway and its Bükkszentkereszt branch meet, which explains its former traffic and popularity. (In the early decades of socialism, weekend buses ran on the Hór valley road.) The S marked hiking trail bypasses the highway and an electric pole pasture for the next 1.5 km. While the section is monotonous, the karst phenomena born from the contact of water and limestone below are exceptionally rich here, at the meeting of the plateau and the southeastern Bükk. Mine caves and stone niches gape in the hillsides, while many meters below our feet, an extensive passage system winds. Due to a narrow slate layer, some infiltrating karst water is forced to the surface, but what a series of springs exposes to daylight is barely lower where limestone again soaks it in through sinkholes. Soon we reach the Szarvas-kúti sinkhole hidden from view by trees. Changing to the S+ mark, we cross a wide meadow, then the Eger-Miskolc highway to cut into the Rejtek slope on the other side.

Plateau meadows

Rejtek and its surroundings were designated by biologist-ecologist Pál Jakucs as a long-term research site in the 1970s, studying forest ecosystem processes — near here stands a former research house (now accommodation). We begin a gradual climb, ascending a sparse beech forest torn by windstorms and spring snowfalls on the plateau’s side. Evidence of logging appears: visibly utilised, bulldozed dozer roads, then we pass a wildlife feeder — meanwhile, the forest transforms beautifully into slender pine. Finally, through a dense young stand, we break out onto the uneven clearing of Sugaró, slowly foresting again. The shade of beautiful pine trees falls on the meadow, its green grass divided by small groves into sections. Among the vigorous pines, dead, dried specimens mix in. (Two explanations exist for the melodious name of the clearing: it may come from the verb 'to shrink', capturing the natural phenomenon of the forest’s contraction or from the adjective 'sokorú,' meaning a flat hilltop, hollow, or even winding, which the name condenses to indicate the dense alternation of hills and valleys in the area.)

It’s a matter of taste whether one enjoys the arduous, challenging sections ahead, but one thing is certain: here we truly enter the kingdom of nature, where vegetation often covers the path, the forest is an impassable maze, rotten dead trees lie everywhere, and we can see no more than a few meters at once through the landscape. The area spared from ravaged, recent forestry shows old-growth forest character and is used by wolves returning to the mountain range (hikers need not fear them, they detect humans from afar and avoid them). About 15-20 minutes’ walk from Sugaró, we reach the end of Kecskeláb clearing, best observed from here: the regularly shaped basin troughs stand out beautifully, their deep grass-lined depressions crossed by a charming bicycle track wave.

We cross the lovely meadow and on the other side turn left onto the concrete-following K, then immediately switch to the K+ mark. Shortly, the forest disappears as if the pine forest was erased from the surface. Due to climate change, weakened pine plantations are economically cut down by forestry for damage remediation. We cross such a patch here, where more resistant mixed beech regeneration may appear. Turning left at a rain shelter, the trail sometimes cuts through the road bends. The mark turns right, drilling into a pine forest (we may choose this direction, later rejoining), but our hike follows the asphalt further. Eventually, a narrow clearing corridor opens in the grove, reaching the edge of the extensive meadow of Nagy-mező. Huge bowl-shaped depressions ring this grassy meadow’s edges, with plateau summits rising around them. The flat terrain is dotted with small depressions indicating their formation circumstances. When volcanic debris covered the Bükk plateau (from surrounding volcanoes, e.g., the Mátra), streams converged here from various directions. These waterways cut through the relatively soft, thin volcanic cover and reached the limestone surface, naturally starting to dissolve it. This created sinkholes directing rainwater replenishment into the limestone body. However, sediment eventually clogged them, and streams opened new passages beside them by crossing tufa layers. Remaining depressions slowly became larger “bowls” (so-called poljé). The volcanic cover has long since eroded away, leaving an exposed limestone surface pocked by sinkholes, while water travels inside the karst. The treeless surface is due to past grazing: by the early 20th century, wandering cattle prevented forest regrowth, creating a continuous pasture extending from Létrás through Jávorkút to Nagy-mező. The species-rich grassland is strictly protected, and mowing prevents reforestation for nature conservation purposes today.

Towards Bánkút

At a rain shelter, the asphalt road branches; here, turn right. We observe a stud farm from afar and gently climb on the Z+ mark, now leaving the highway. In the plateau heart, we walk through beech forests towards Bánkút. Nearby, a sign warns about the closed chamber of the Diabáz water-drainage cave. Its name is misleading: mostly formed in limestone, it locally reaches magmatic porphyrite rock mistakenly identified as diabáz when named. With a depth of 161 meters, it is among Hungary's ten deepest caves (about 1 km long), containing a spring whose water resurfaces at the Garadna spring. Interestingly, in the 1980s, a plan emerged to use the tourist hut as a water reservoir. A passage was bricked up for this purpose, but the attempt failed, and the obstruction no longer exists.

We follow the electric line corridor and finally arrive at the Bánkút parking lot beside the Fehér Sas guesthouse, the former tourist hut’s successor. The original facility was completed by 1930, donated for tourist use by Count Alfonz Károly Pallavicini, owner of the area. It fell into disrepair in the latter half of the 20th century but was restored by the last decade of the century. Across the parking lot, we approach the last meters, descending to the Ski House inn, which today operates as a tourist hut and is an excellent rest or starting place for plateau hikes. The restaurant offers refreshment, and in winter, ski slopes are available.