Heartbeat on the Mátra artery - Experience tour above Parádfürdő

Itinerary:

• We climb up the Mátra ridge on the P trail to the Domoszló Gate.
• On the ridge, we follow the K trail to the Markazi Gate.
• From the ridge we descend on the Z trail, then take a short detour on the Z● trail to the Ilona Valley Waterfall.
• We return to the Z trail and follow it back to Parádfürdő.

About the hike in detail:

In the forelands of the Mátra 

We start our Mátra adventure tour from the Parádi-Tarna valley at the Parádfürdő youth camp. Just across the Recski country road, we immediately enter the dense forest on the P trail, where our forest walk begins among beautiful, centuries-old oaks. The impressive legacy trees can be seen in several places at the beginning of the path as we climb up the hillside. Until the mid-20th century, there were still pastures here where Palóc people, an ethnic group, used to graze their flocks and herds during the summer heat under the remaining oaks. Today, animal husbandry has receded, and forests have grown in the area, but the old grandfathers stretching in all directions still guard the forest of changing age.

The hiking trail starts climbing right away in the first kilometer. We ascend higher and higher above a cut between the cones of Vörösvár and Hegyes hill. On the summit of Vörösvár - which we do not visit this time - medieval fortification remnants hide in the forest. Although there is no mention of the fortification in any historical records, it was presumably built after the Mongol invasion, similar to the other castles constructed on mountain peaks in the Mátra.

When we reach the saddle, the climb eases, and from here we traverse more or less level for a longer stretch to the Várbükk forester's lodge, between the gentle oak forests of Veresagyag and Macska-bérc. The main massif of the Mátra and the older northern volcanic block form the base of the mountain range with soft sedimentary rocks. The gentle, sunny slopes provide excellent habitat for warmth-loving oak forests, and fungi also thrive in the sparse, old forests. At the end of the gentle section, we arrive at the connecting road between Várbükk and Ilona Valley, flanked by orderly planted pines.

In the Várbükk forests

The bulldozer road bends off to the impressive Várbükk forester's lodge, and crossing the atmospheric meadow behind it on the opposite side of the lodge, we enter the grove-like forest. After a short climb, we reach the road to the Domoszló Gate, which is also partially followed by a cyclist's trail. At Vár-kút, where a high-voltage power line crosses the forestry road, the P trail branches off onto a path climbing to the saddle.

At the base of the extremely steep northern slope of Oroszlánvár, we zigzag between the dark beech forest and the power line clearance up to Domoszló Gate. The natural breakthrough used by locals to pass between the two sides of the Mátra was formed by a stream cutting into the main ridge in the presumed caldera of Nagy-Szár hill. Here, we cross the bulldozer road again at the saddle, where we can take advantage of a simple rest area to catch our breath after the exhausting climb.

On the Mátra ridge

On the next very challenging section, we join the stream of the Mátrabérc endurance hike, which also includes the famous ridge route crossing the mountain range, marked with a blue ʍ letter. This is also an emblematic section of the National Blue Trail, where we can wander in the most exposed parts and in remote, abandoned areas far from settlements. Uniquely in Hungary, here we walk on the "jagged" main ridge high above the surrounding landscape, surrounded by viewpoints.

The next three distinct, steep cones impose three waves on the ridge. The very first is the steepest: the rocky ascent of Oroszlánvár is the toughest challenge of the entire route. The sparsely bushy slope with dogwood bushes gains a hundred meters of elevation in a short distance. At the summit, we see a peculiar ring-shaped depression around the central rocky cone, which may be the core of a former fortification standing here. The castle was likely built after the Mongol invasion by the ruling Kompolti family and possibly destroyed during the Turkish era.

Although little is known about the fortress, local legend tells that the builder, the bachelor lord Kompolti, was seduced by his horse groom’s daughter. Since the medieval landlord did not want to marry, he said that if she could find a girl who could ride the lion, he would marry her. The maid tamed the circus lion with a trick and sat on its back, winning the respect and heart of the local lord, who kept his promise. After the beast died, it was even carved into stone, and the statue was supposedly kept in this castle. Perhaps the only lion at the end of the Árpád era to be tamed was the lord himself in the Mátra region—but anyway, we ride the lion’s back and descend to the saddle along the west side’s grassy ridge.

The path only passes the side of Cserepes-tető, but we still overcome a steep height difference before arriving at the opposite Cserepes saddle. There used to be a hunting lodge here, but now not even ruins can be seen.

However, the next summit, Nagy-Szár hill, is the highlight of our tour in several respects. A strong ascent starts from the saddle, leading through mixed hornbeam-beech-oak forest to the grove-like peak. This regular volcanic cone, separate from the Kékes massif, is the highest summit of the Eastern Mátra. The Kékestető attracts the tourist crowds from the area, so this lesser-known mountain has retained its original atmosphere.

At the top, there is a rocky meadow offering wonderful panoramic views mainly towards the southern slopes, Upper Hungary, and the imposing Kékes massif. We deserve the sight and rest: the section behind us, pulsating at our temples, ends with the largest cone. From here, we only have to descend to the Felső-Tarjanka meadow, the saddle below the triple border, from where we traverse along the edge of the ridge for a long distance.

Around Markazi Gate

On the next section, we walk over easy terrain on rolling, sunny oak ridges. Our path leads through a very pleasant forest with minimal elevation gain, looping around Mraznica hill, turning north, and descending to Markazi Gate. Like Domoszló Gate, this passage was opened by a valley carved into a caldera—experts consider the Vár Valley, which cuts into the Kékes massif from the southeast, as the imprint of a caldera. At Markazi Gate, this depression meets the Ilona Valley stretching far north, where we also turn off following the Z trail.

The initial steep descent flattens out in the shaded north-facing forest. We pass the turning of the Parád Loop Road winding on the northern side of the Kékes massif. The Z trail continues on the bulldozer road, touching the Disznókő hunting lodge, but a much more scenic and rich-in-experience route is to continue from the turn on the Z● trail into the valley towards Hungary's largest natural waterfall.

At the Ilona Valley waterfall

We make a wide curve around the Marhád volcanic cone following the valley’s bend. On the summit, a medieval castle once stood, which can only be inferred today from the regular surface irregularities and the remains of collapsed stone walls. From the sparse southern slope of the peak, there is an excellent view of Kékes and the ridge undulating to the east.

East of the mountain, the stream cuts into the volcanic bedrock. We turn onto increasingly wild terrain in the forest closing above the rocky cliff. The stream carves a regular "V" shape into the north-facing slope, which we cross at one point, then descend along the rocky cliff and bypass a mysterious rocky drop, entering the Ilona Valley waterfall basin.

The previously solid andesite surface here changes to softer sedimentary rocks. At the rock boundary, a spectacular cliff has formed, carved ever deeper into the mountain by the slow, destructive work of the stream and freezing water in cracks. The water falling nearly 10 meters into the basin broke the bedrock into large boulders. Considerable scattered logs show the power of the occasionally raging creek. The stone figures built by tourists from stones rounded by the creek create a special atmosphere—they stand as silent guardians in the valley.

The hiking trail continues descending on a stony, winding gorge deeply cut in softer clay shale and sandstone between steep slopes. The adventurous section gradually eases as the stream loses strength, and the trail changes to a forestry road. Soon we reach the Gloriette rest area, where several side valleys and forestry roads meet. From here, we continue on a gravel bulldozer road in the widening valley.

Down into the opening Ilona Valley

Soon the Z trail joins from the left, which we also follow from here—though getting lost is impossible as we follow the main road winding at the valley bottom, which soon gets paved. It’s worth walking along the roadside verge.

If we are interested in geological curiosities, we can take a short detour at the start of the paved road to the left fork valley marked with the geological nature trail and visit a spectacular formation, the Devil’s Gate! The valley formed of soft clay shale is crossed by an intrusion of sedimentary rock filled and solidified with andesite. Since the lava rock is much more resistant than the shale, the creek and erosion sculpted the volcanic formation, which stretches across the valley like a massive, several meters high wall.

Returning to the paved road, our descent through the valley is accompanied by a chestnut tree row. The local lords of the reform era, the Károlyi family, planted these along the roads around Parádfürdő, which now provide shade with their impressive size and broad canopies. Soon we arrive at one of the most atmospheric resting places of the eastern Mátra, the Szent István Csevicek Road, located on the left side of the road across the stream. Under the lacey canopy of old trees, tourists are welcomed by a classic rest area with benches, tables, a fireplace, and a shelter. The Csevicek road's naturally carbonated mineral water, used since ancient times by locals, was the best remedy for dehydration after drinking alcohol.

The geological nature trail stations, which line the long valley with geological curiosities, break the monotony of the paved road. The massif rising above us to the right, which we climbed at the start of our tour, is built of Eocene-age volcanic rocks much older than the main massif of the Mátra. The ore deposit of Recski also contains many tunnels dug in recent centuries, and a timsóbánya (sodium sulfate mine) also operated near Parádfürdő. If we still have energy at the end of the tour, with short detours, we can explore the local geology and mining history with the explanatory boards of the trail.

On the last section of the valley, the paved road winds through meadows bordered by the chestnut tree row. We pass the former farm of the Károlyi family and a Marian sanctuary inviting us to rest and devotion in the shade of a huge oak tree. We slowly emerge from the Ilona stream valley; a Székely gate symbolizes the boundary of the Ilona Valley's natural environment, after which we see the reform era holiday buildings of Parádfürdő on the hilltop.

Before the junction on the Recski country road, we arrive at the Rákóczi tree, to which the prince supposedly tied his horse according to legend. Unfortunately, the huge oak dried up and fell over at the end of the 2000s, so only its sun-bleached trunk lying beside the road remains. This symbolically and practically marks the end of our route as we return to the main road of Parádfürdő.