At the "Old Water" spring area

Itinerary

• On Ösvény Street, then turning left from there, we climb up to the hiking trail sign.
• Turn left and follow the S mark to the forest.
• After a barrier, turn left a few meters onto the unmarked trail of Table Rock.
• Leaving the views behind, turn right onto an unmarked trail leading to Nyerges Hill.
• On the S trail, climb left up to Nyerges Hill, then descend to the Standing Meadow.
• Still following the S trail, visit Red Stone.
• From Red Stone, turn left (northwest) and follow the P trail passing through the Pap Meadow to Szarvas-szérű.
• From Szarvas-szérű, take the Z+ trail or the asphalt road to reach the rest area on the Pilisszentlászló road.
• Turn left on the Z trail and descend to the end point of the route (the last few meters are without markings).

Detailed description of the hike

Saddle up!

We begin our hike in the city district climbing the increasingly steep slopes of Nyerges Hill. Among the houses with magnificent views, from the bus turning point heading north along an extremely steep street, we reach the S trail, where we turn left. On the right, behind the houses, the forested hillside rises over the city, while to the left we catch glimpses of Szentendre spreading out below. After leaving the buildings, we cross a barrier on a bulldozer road and wander in a sunlit oak forest. The monotonous forest view does not last long: we must turn left on an unmarked path to reach the ridge trail of the hill.

Although unmarked, a well-trodden path runs along the edge of the steeply sloping ridge, scattered with dark breccia blocks. It may be a remnant of an old hunting trail, but the track of Table Rock behind us offers one of the most striking and captivating panoramas of the range. From the open rocky grassland, a massive section of the Visegrád Mountains is visible, especially impressive as the undulating mountainous massif extends from the Danube plain up to Dobogókő at full height. The Pulpit Rock also stands out; to the south, behind Stone Hill, lies the Pilis, and further back the Buda Hills rise. This is one of the finest views of the hills surrounding Budapest.

The wonderful panorama continues along the few hundred meter stretch of the trail. Below, the Sztaravoda Valley deepens; it was named by the Serbian inhabitants of Szentendre (the Hungarian equivalent is the Ókúti Valley), who occasionally referred to the spring as Sztaroga, inspired by the age of their former patriarch. (Its significance is highlighted by the fact that the Ókút spring was the first officially designated water source in the mountain range in 1741. However, this spring does not feed the upper branch of the stream, which originates below Pap Meadow.) The stream cuts deeply between Berseg and Málnás Hill; the inviting views do not suggest the asphalt road running below. This latter was built in the 1930s at the request of Miklós Horthy between his castle in Szentendre and his favorite hunting grounds in Visegrád. (This is evidenced by the timber-framed building standing next to the road at the base of Nyerges Hill, known as the Horthy Garage.) The road marked the fate of the narrow-gauge railway running through the narrow Apát-kúti Valley but also marked the beginning of the paving of the mountain range's currently existing surfaced exploration roads.

The trail eventually shifts into a sparse, scrappy oak forest. Be on the lookout to find the rightward path leading to a bulldozer road, which again merges onto the S trail. On this we climb left up to the summit of Nyerges Hill, named after the depression between its two humps. Interestingly, it was formerly known as Hortobágy, as indicated by the name of the Kis-Hortoba forest section on the western mountain slope. The explanation is sought in the German words hart (old: forest) and bach (brook), though nothing is certain. At the top of Nyerges Hill, a large logging area is now reforested, and thanks to the slope, we get a magnificent view over Budapest and the Danube ribbon above the game damage prevention fence. Although only about 500 meters above sea level, the mountain offers an astonishing altitude experience: it feels like floating above the bustling suburban world below.

Let it be red!

The trail finally turns left at the summit, where from a narrow pasture we have a view towards Red Stone. Although the eastern ridge of the mountain range culminates in flat ridges, the rapid uplift along structural lines and the resistance of the rocks have carved particularly steep walls between the streams. This is reflected in the northward-facing, atmospheric trail that leads down a steep slope to the clearing called the Standing Meadow. (From the meadow, a short detour leads right to the Zerge Spring.)

We remain on the S trail, which gently climbs the prominence of Red Stone. Its trace is barely visible now, but once near the meadow stood the Viktor hut (or as it was formerly known: Viktor lodge), a venerable hunting house visited by Kálmán Kittenberger during his stalking expeditions. Later, until its destruction in the 1970s, it operated as a mountain hut. We ascend on a deep path; beech trees appear around us, then we descend into a shallow valley. Finally, after a more tiring ascent, leaving the brush, we arrive at the huge shelter at Red Stone.

Walking to the 521-meter peak, grandiose views open: the Great Hungarian Plain almost fills the view, with barely perceptible undulations of the Gödöllő Hills. The riverside settlements almost merge, but the southern end of Nyerges Hill hides much of Budapest. Behind the forested foothills, we notice the Danube ribbon surrounding Szentendre Island, and a prominent view is the scarred mass of Naszály with the Vác cement plant. The “fox” concrete obelisk is a worn remnant of the “Liberation Memorial” inaugurated in 1948; it was chosen partly because of the hill's name and its prominent location. Until 1989, organized hikes visited and laid wreaths at the monument every early April. (It is said that the German artillery had a firing position at the summit.) The memorial is not without precedent: between Szentendre and Visegrád stretched a mostly closed hunting area inaccessible to the public, much loved by Miklós Horthy, who even connected the two settlements with a private road. Forest policemen and foresters were reluctant to welcome hikers here; movement was only possible with permits and serious restrictions, or not at all. The memorial also symbolized the lifting of these restrictions and the opening of the eastern part of the mountain range to tourist traffic.

Let's proceed a few more meters along the trail because the real panorama awaits. The unusually large shelter can accommodate larger groups; its features were even adjusted for the April celebrations. Opposite it, an almost undetectable unmarked trail cuts through the foliage: let's follow it downhill! It's only about a minute descent on increasingly rocky terrain until we reach a magnificent viewpoint—the namesake rock's terrifying peak. The exposure and depth are accompanied by a rugged surface, so it is recommended to sit and calmly enjoy the panorama, which is truly spectacular from here. The impressive mass of Börzsöny with Csóványos appears, several ridges of Cserhát surround Naszály, and generally the Mátra ridge appears blue in the distance.

The irregularities of the rock surface tell of a particularly exciting period in Earth's history when intense volcanism began on the freshly formed edge of the Carpathian Basin. The Visegrád Mountains are among the oldest representatives of this volcanic chain extending to the Hargita in Transylvania. The volcanism started about 16 million years ago in a marine environment, mainly ejecting andesitic-dacitic rocks, and the now gentle-appearing mountain range may have reached heights of about 1,500 meters in its youth. On the bare slopes of the steep structure, huge glowing debris avalanches sometimes thundered down, and variously sized grains and blocks fused into hard breccia bands on the ancient mountain range. Since the volcanic structure has mostly eroded away, these resistant rocks are often found on the higher, summit-proximal parts of the range—the erosion has exposed them from their softer surroundings. Red Stone belongs to this group and reveals some post-volcanic activity episodes: some mountain blocks, including our rock-viewpoint plateau, have been uplifted due to structural movements.

To the north, Naszály and the adjacent Pilis are formed of limestone, a sedimentary rock lying buried beneath the lava rocks of the Visegrád Mountains. Thermal water emerges from it in the deep karsts of the Transdanubian Mountains, utilized by the thermal beach in Leányfalu thanks to a 1,000-meter borehole. After enjoying the clear highlight of our trip and one of the most easily accessible, captivating panoramas around Budapest, a long and colorful forest walk awaits us.

To the other side!

The P trail runs on the top of a tilted plateau near the ridge, surrounded by wind-swept oakwood and sheltered forest. At one point on the summit’s edge, the foliage opens slightly, revealing Naszály again; otherwise, it is surrounded by dense forest. After a junction, we cross a forestry road, then the narrow trail twists with a steep initial ascent becoming gentle further on. Moss-covered lava rock fields lie on the ground for a few meters. We cross Kis-Bükk Hill and descend to a wide exploration road, beyond which the meadows of the Vértes field spread on the right. One grove even has smaller standing water — this serves wildlife watering but likely has natural “roots.” The meadow lies in a low-rimmed, poorly draining basin that is soaked by accumulated rainwater and has difficulty draining away. According to records, a hunting lodge once stood here until the early 20th century, surrounded by pines. We stay on the P trail, which turns left at a junction, inviting us into the mountain's interior.

We tread the gently undulating ridge of the mountain, passing the long-mowed Zánkó Meadow, finally reaching another clearing in the dense forest. Only a few meters away, we see that the elongated mowing area of Palóczki Meadow already merges with Pap Meadow. Where a forester's lodge stands behind fences, a small pond can be discovered on the clearing: once grazing took place here, far from settlements on the mountain ridge, and a pit was dug to provide standing water for the animals. The lodge was once a hunting cabin visited by Horthy as it was a significant site—the highest point of the car track cutting through this mountain range.

We keep left, following the asphalt strip, which the trail soon leaves to cut across the neck of Szent László Hill (the hill's name likely refers to the former noble hunting parties, similar to the village's name). We can stay on the easier- walking forestry road; at the curve’s end the marked trail re-joins, and from a point, we also have views to the rugged ridges rising on the other side of the stream valley, showing clearly that we have circled around the watercourse. A forest walk brings us to the clearing of Szarvas-szérű — its name means compacted flat soil (which is immediately understandable upon seeing the terrain), and (like Pap Meadow) it is also a remnant of past grazing and mowing. From here, we can switch to the Z+ trail following the long side of the clearing (or stay on the exploration road), which snakes with the asphalt to the saddle marking the edge of the Pilisszentlászló basin, where the Szentendre road reaches its highest point (resting place). From here, we turn left on the Z trail, which initially slopes through oak forest, later under the protection of beeches mixed with hornbeams. Gentle terrain is replaced by steep shapes, and our path is accompanied by mossy rock fields — below, the deep ditch is carved by a watercourse avoiding large andesite boulders. The unexpectedly, yet moderately wild landscape then vanishes, and on loosely settled, sunny oakwood clearings, we can catch a glimpse of Szentendre. Finally, following a young forest and leaving an old quarry, we turn onto the main road, where a bus stop is only a few meters away on the left.