Double peak tour around Hármashatár Hill

Itinerary

• We continue from the bus stop along the asphalt until we reach the K↺ then S marks.
• We climb up to Újlaki Hill following the S mark.
• We follow the S mark to the Virágos saddle.
• We turn to the K mark and walk to the summit of Hármashatár Hill.
• We leave the summit heading south on the K↺ mark.
• We walk back on the asphalt road to the Szépvölgyi dűlő bus stop.

About the route in detail

Setting off to the rocks of Újlaki Hill

From the bus stop, we head right on the straight asphalt road where we arrived on wheels. Soon the asphalt ends, and we follow the S mark leading to the forest climb. We walk on dolomite rocks, with the forest gradually opening up around us. Eventually the scraggly trees disappear, and we step onto rock grass offering a wonderful panorama: we stand on the southern rocky outcrop of Újlaki Hill's summit.

You can see almost the entire Buda Hills from here: opposite are Hárs Hill and János Hill, the latter continuing to the built-up Széchenyi Hill. You can just glimpse the rocky-grass twin peaks of Sas Hill. To the right of them are views to Pesthidegkút and the Remete Gorge, as well as the Szénások and the Nagy-Kopasz group in the background, with the airport meadow stretching directly below us. Leaving a pleasant clearing equipped with a bench, we walk a few meters through the trees on the rocks until an even wider and more beautiful landscape unfolds. From the top of the hang gliders' launch ramp, beyond the Pesthidegkút basin and the Buda Hills, the Gerecse, Pilis, and the distant Börzsöny are also visible. It's not worth rushing further, as this is probably the most beautiful spot of our route.

Along the chain of clearings to the Virágos saddle

Leaving behind the landscape of the lively hilly ridge, we descend once again into the forest on the northern side of Újlaki Hill. We must stay very alert not to stray from the S mark onto unmarked forest tracks, as their dense network weaves like a labyrinth through the forest – although getting truly lost is unlikely because of the small area, and sooner or later we will reach a marked path. The hiking trail circles the small ridge of Mária Hill, with a chain of clearings decorating the forest. We approach our next destination roughly level, and before arriving, we get a view to the surrounding hills on the left. The path opens a corridor through dense vegetation, and crossing it, we find ourselves at the Virágos saddle. This small mowed meadow is a hiking trail junction, but it's not easy to spot the markings and the initial sections of branching tracks.

On top of Hármashatár Hill

The K mark cuts straight across the meadow and takes on the climb of Vihar Hill. We ascend on a varied forest path, getting steeper and rockier, then descend sideways down a steep slope to the saddle on the other side of the summit. From here we head directly to the summit of Hármashatár Hill, then follow a short climb and, crossing another saddle clearing, enter the garden of Rotter Lajos tourist house. We walk among renovated buildings under beautiful pines, with the Hangár Bistro offering refreshment on the right. A few meters away, the lookout tower with a wooden dome built on the ruins of an anti-aircraft battery, named after Károly Guckler, marks the summit.

From the lookout tower named after Károly Guckler, who contributed to reforestation of the surrounding hillsides – depending on humidity – we can practically see all of Pest and explore a large part of Buda from a bird's eye view. Northwards, the Pilis and Visegrád Hills blend into the Danube plain, with colorful suburban areas creeping onto the foothills like a pattern. To the south, the Danube bend surrounds the small ridge of Gellért Hill and lines up all members of the Buda Hills.

Back to Szépvölgyi-dűlő

From the lookout tower, we walk out to the top of the southwestern slope of the hill, where we follow the K↺ mark downhill along a wide gravel pasture. As we approach the trees, the silhouette of János Hill slowly disappears, and we enter a winding karst scrub forest, which thickens into a dense thicket along the rocky ledge road. Our rocky path running on the ridge of Hármashatár Hill eventually merges with the concrete road, from where turning left leads us back to the bus stop within minutes.