Circular walk in the Nyíregyháza Sóstói Forest

• From beside the Sóstói úti hospital, opposite the bus parking lot, we walk on an unmarked path to a closed-off tree plantation.
• Entering through the gate, we pass through the plantation, then exit through another gate and continue 200 meters to the railway tracks.
• After crossing the railway tracks, we continue along a forest path for 30 meters until it merges with the P trail.
• We proceed right following the P trail to Tölgyes Street.
• On Tölgyes Street, we turn right, then first turn left and cross the former narrow-gauge railway tracks.
• Past the narrow-gauge railway track, we continue on Tölgyes Street to Sóstói Road.
• Crossing Sóstói Road, we go straight ahead to the Sóstó shore. 
• At the Sóstó shore, we turn right and follow the shore to the Boating Lake dock.
• At the Boating Lake dock, we turn right and continue to Balah Lujza promenade. 
• On Blaha Lujza promenade, we turn left and continue along the K trail all the way to the outdoor gym.
• We go straight past the gym, the open-air stage, and finally past the playground to the forest parking.
• At the forest parking, turning right, we take an unmarked forest path to the Sóstói road, back to the starting point.

Detailed description of the tour

Through gates and tracks

We start our walk next to the Sóstói úti hospital, where the forest path begins behind a wooden barrier opposite the bus parking lot. We pass by the hospital's fence, where several birdhouses can be seen on trees – many more will appear along our walk. On this part of the tour, there are no trail markings yet, but the path clearly leads through the young forest and don't be deterred if shortly you find a large gate blocking your way in what looks like a fenced clearing. Feel free to step in and walk through the tree plantation; the fence protects the saplings from roe deer in the forest. The sign on the other gate reveals that an aged oak forest was revitalized here, and besides the stalked oak, the main tree species of Sóstói Forest, other trees previously living here were replanted: maples, elms, lindens, and wild fruit trees.

After leaving the other gate, we walk in a "regular" forest again, and after about 200 meters, we reach the railway tracks. Be very careful here because the main Budapest–Záhony railway line crosses our path. Head right along the tracks, and after a few meters, you will spot the continuation of the forest path on the other side. Crossing the tracks, we come to a forest road, where we follow the P signs to continue. Taller and older trees tower over us, and deadwood lies on the ground in many places.

From poppy to oak forest and the wolf's territory

There are many legends about the origin of the Sóstói Forest, the best known of which tells that in the 17th century, a landowner from Nyíregyháza (who lived in Vienna) ran out of money and, since the price of poppy was rising, wrote to the local ispán to sow 1,000 acres of poppy on his estate. When he personally came for the poppy harvest a year later, he was disappointed to find that instead of poppies, oak saplings adorned his estate. It turned out that he had forgotten the accent in his letter for "poppy," so instead of poppy, acorns were sown on his land.

Of course, this amusing story is just a fiction, as trees were already growing here when humans were not around. The Sóstói Forest is one of the last remnants of the formerly continuous Nyírség oak forests: originally oak-dominated sandy oak forests and smaller woods made up this diverse habitat. These ancient oak forests were interspersed with small and large marshes, swamps, lakes, or temporary waterways, and on dry sand dunes there were shrubs and grassy clearings rich in wildflowers. Wolves and wildcats lived in the forest, and even aurochs and black grouse roamed these areas. Today these species are no longer found here—although the wildcat might return—but fortunately, despite ongoing human impacts like clear-cutting native stands, introduction of non-native species, urban expansion causing habitat loss and fragmentation, and new pathogens and invasive pests spreading along with climate change and drying landscapes, the Sóstói Forest still holds many natural values.

An urban sanctuary

The forest once was 588 hectares in 1774 but today covers just 360 hectares, only about 8 hectares of which contains trees older than 140 years. Most of the forest is a Natura 2000 protected area, dissected by the north-south Záhony railway line and Sóstói road. The two largest old forest sections lie west of the railway tracks and east of the Sóstói road. The former is in a more natural state and contains the aforementioned older trees, which is why the Sóstói Forest was included in WWF Hungary’s Sanctuaries of Forests list. Our tour begins in this section, where tourist infrastructure is consciously less developed, leaving undisturbed habitats for the animals and plants here. As a result, there are fewer tourists, allowing a quieter observation of details from tiny insects and mushrooms to birds chirping or drumming on trees and playful squirrels.

You can count over fifty tree species along the hike, including several oak species. Besides the stalked oak, there are native Turkey oak and others native to Hungary, and trees from other continents like red oak, which fortunately causes no trouble. Unlike the invasive late cherry. Alongside maples and elms, there are lindens, ashes, wild apples, wild pears, and unfortunately, acacias, as well as some pines.

About thirty shrub species provide excellent food for animals, and their branches offer great nesting sites for birds. These include blackthorn, hawthorn, elderberry, dogwood, blackberry, dog rose, honeysuckles, ivy, broom willow, and among invasive species, black locust is also present.

We follow the P trail northward, intersected by several forest roads where detours can be taken. The diverse forest offers beauty year-round, with an abundance of wildflowers and mushrooms. Protected flowers here include the Hungarian iris, starflower, large bindweed, and many orchids like the two-leaved wintergreen, bird's-nest orchid, broad-leaved helleborine, and multiple species of Solomon's seal. In autumn, mushrooms dominate, including rare species typical of mountainous areas, such as the protected earthstar. Besides, you will find everything from yellow chanterelles through puffballs, cup fungi, oysters, and chanterelle mushrooms to deadly amanita.

The namesake saline lake

At a bend, the P trail leads out of the forest onto Tölgyes Street, marking the end of the first forest segment of our hike. We turn right on Tölgyes Street, then left and walk until the old Nyírvidéki narrow-gauge railway tracks crossing the road. The narrow-gauge operated from 1905 to 2009 and connected about twenty settlements and farms in the Rétköz region with Nyíregyháza. When reaching a fork, we can either continue the hike with a sharp right turn or take a detour to the Sóstó Museum Village, whose entrance is just 150 meters away. Soon we reach the Sóstó lake, but before rushing to the lakeside, it is worth looking around as several old buildings can be seen. On the right, there is the impressive Krúdy Hotel, built in 1911, now named after Krúdy Vigadó. On the left, embraced by beautiful trees, stands the also 1911-built Art Nouveau style water tower, behind which is the Bath House, built the same year. Behind the tower is the Alpine-style Swiss House built in 1866, a small boarding house where famous guests like Blaha Lujza, Frigyes Karinthy, and Gyula Krúdy, who was a great lover of Sóstó, once stayed.

After these buildings, we head to the nearly 9.5-hectare saline lake, already known by the name Igrice during the reign of King Matthias. Its water was considered medicinal centuries ago and has since been proven effective: the spring water is excellent for relieving spinal diseases, rheumatic, musculoskeletal, and gynecological complaints. Since 1927, it was officially declared a medicinal bath; its appeal increased further in the 1950s when 50-degree thermal water was found underground and brought to the surface by drilling, expanding the possibilities for hydrotherapy.

The lakeside promenade is shaded by trees before turning onto the K trail in front of the Lakeside Bath building – here we turn left. From the left, there is a great view over the other basin of the lake; on the right, hotels accompany the path, including the Nyíregyháza Zoo accommodations, as the path passes next to the zoo area. After a smaller forested section, we reach the busy Kemecsei road, which we cross, then cross the Záhony railway line again, this time at a light-controlled crossing. Walking right to the end of the platform at Sóstó railway station, we find the start of the second major forest block of our tour.

More effective without clothes

The forested area east of Sóstói Road is much busier compared to the western side, a true park forest where many enjoy the recreational opportunities nature offers. Mainly stalked oaks, acacias, and red oaks dominate here, and many benches and rain shelters can be found along the trail. The two-kilometer path includes two nature trails if you follow the K trail. The Kneipp path showcases Gyula Krúdy's novella "Nyíregyházi Beduins," which can be read in six parts on installed boards.

In the 19th century, the Kneipp treatment was very popular at Sóstó. It was based on cold water treatments but later complemented with healthy nutrition, exercise therapy, and barefoot forest walk in summer. Krúdy wrote in the mentioned work about how "retired court judges and other pensioners, who evidently have plenty of time to care for their health," marched through the morning dew forest to the bath. Later, the gentlemen also walked here nude for fuller effect, much to the fright of women heading to the market. Eventually, the authorities designated a separate footpath for the "Kneippists." On good days, you can try the barefoot version, though grass is rarely present because the heavily trafficked routes have been trampled bare and hard.

Busy people and animals

The other nature trail is named "Through the Forester's Eyes," where visitors can learn about the history and management of the Sóstói Forest, its characteristic trees, plants, and resident animals. Due to higher traffic, this eastern part of the forest is perhaps somewhat poorer in natural values, but there is still plenty to see and hear. For example, many bat boxes have been installed alongside bird boxes, from which you can hear intense chirping and twittering—unless you visit during the bats' winter hibernation period.

Besides several bat species, deer, hares, hedgehogs, squirrels, forest mice, hazel dormice, voles, and martens inhabit the forest. The birdlife includes a variety of songbirds and woodpeckers, owls, hawks, red-breasted flycatchers, and even nightjars and red-backed shrikes. Naturally, mallards also find great habitats in the lake, and several reptiles and amphibians reside in the forest as well, though they are less favored by the decreasing precipitation and increasingly frequent droughts. Among smaller animals, butterflies, dragonflies, and many other insects and beetles like the great stag beetle, large and small Hercynian beetles, cardinal beetles, ground beetles, wasps, and bumblebees enjoy the habitat.

We follow the K trail, but local forest visitors know well the alternative routes that weave through this part of the forest. Due to the busyness, you may not be able to immerse yourself here as deeply as in the other forest section, but the walk remains pleasant until reaching the outdoor gym. If energy remains, you can workout different muscle groups here, while kids can have fun on the playground.

Our hike concludes near the playground, where the path leads out of the forest to the forest parking lot, then turning right, we follow a forest road back to Sóstói Road beside the bus parking area.