Kékestető – Sirok (Day 49 of the OKT Hike)

A small tourist center has sprung up on the Kékes plateau, Hungary’s highest point at 1,014 meters. In addition to enjoying the panoramic view from the TV tower, you can also have a cup of coffee there—but there are several restaurants on the mountaintop as well. Unfortunately, there are no grocery stores or lodging options on Kékestető, which has a somewhat haphazard layout and a fragmented range of amenities.

Kékes was already significant during the “heroic age” of Hungarian hiking, at the end of the 19th century, when nature enthusiasts from the Mátra Society built a lookout tower at the summit of the mountain range. At that time, it was merely the highest peak in the Mátra—it gained national recognition after the Treaty of Trianon, when it became the highest point in the country. From that point on, the development of Kékes (and other villages in the Mátra) as a resort area began. The hotel (now a sanatorium) and the paved road were built, followed later by the TV tower, and today it has become one of Hungary’s most visited tourist destinations.

The stamp is located on the signpost at the corner of the central clearing, near the northern ski slope. The Blue Trail leaves the summit heading east and immediately plunges into the summit’s beautiful beech forest. On the northern side of the mountain lies the Kékes Forest Reserve, home to Hungary’s only “true” primeval forest. Although our hike does not take us through either the core area or the buffer zone, we do encounter the isolated remnants of the Sanctuary Forest: mostly around the buildings at Kékestető, but we’ll also come across such a patch of forest much further on, at Cserepes-tető, which lies at the one-third mark of our route.

We leave the mountain plateau via the comfortable trail through the beech forest of Kékes. Visitors to the mountaintop typically do not venture this way, so we quickly leave behind the summit, which is quite bustling—especially on weekends. We pass beneath Kékes’s eastern, 1,011-meter-high cone and the weather station located on it, then leave behind the empty Csonka Villa, situated within the sanatorium grounds.

Architect László Csonka’s firm built the Kékes pulmonary sanatorium between 1926 and 1931, and they also constructed a villa in its garden for the family. The hospital—along with the villa—was nationalized in 1949; it was subsequently reserved for Mátyás Rákosi, and later served as a nursery, kindergarten, and school. The building stands empty today and is easily accessible through the fallen fence.

After the villa, the trail begins to descend, winding its way down a slope of loose rock to the Sötét-lápa saddle. A “lápa” refers to a depression in the ground or a valley floor; the area on the northern part of the mountainside is called Sötét-lápa. From the saddle, there is a beautiful view to the south, taking in the Markazi Reservoir, the Visonta Power Plant, and the endless expanse of the Great Plain.

The K trail markers begin to ascend, and it’s a good idea to get used to this: all the way to Sirok, we’ll be walking almost entirely along the elongated main ridge of the Eastern Mátra, with mountain peaks and saddles alternating one after another.

We pass by the St. Elizabeth Cross, erected in 2000 by the Szentimrevárosi Association. Since 1996, this civic organization has been “christening” a mountain from time to time—their work is evident in the crosses at Istállós-kő, Prédikálószék, Nagy-Gete, Rakodó-Nyeregi, Zuppa-Tetői, and the Látó-Hegy cross on Naszály.

Just a few more meters, and after crossing the section of the ridge that narrows to a single rocky outcrop, we arrive at the summit of Sas-kő. The narrow ridge drops steeply to the north, offering a beautiful view of the settlements in the Mátrala Valley, the hills of the Vajdavár region, and the Karancs range rising in the distance; on a clear day, the mountains of Slovakia are also visible. At the summit stands a memorial, erected in 1930, honoring tourists who lost their lives in World War I. A few meters further south, we also have an unobstructed view of the valley winding toward the Great Plain.

After Sas-kő, the Blue Trail briefly leaves the ridge: it descends to the northern mountainside to reach the lookout point at the Disznó-kő rock. A short detour along the K▲ trail leads us there. The panorama is similar to that from Sas-kő, but the sense of space is more striking: the mountain drops off steeply beneath the boldly shaped tower. The two cliffs share the same geological origin: on the steep northern slopes of the south-tilting mountain massif, rock fragments were brought to the surface by landslides and rockfalls, and the ice that formed repeatedly in the cracks of the andesite during the Ice Age expanded and eroded the rock until large walls and towers were formed.

Following a level trail and leaving the beech forests of the northern slopes behind, we arrive at the Markazi Pass. The main ridge, running west-southwest to east-northeast, can only be crossed at passes, so the saddle—much like the Domoszlói Pass, which we’ll reach later—truly serves as a “gate.” The intersecting Z trail connects Markaz with Parádfürdő, and along it we can also visit Hungary’s highest natural waterfall, the Ilona Valley Waterfall. We recommend this 2.3-kilometer detour only if you do not plan to complete the entire section in a single day.

We cross another mountain ridge and then join a wide forest road. Thanks to clear-cuts, we walk toward the Hármashatár forest lodge accompanied by a beautiful panorama: to the right lies the Mátraalja, and looking back, we can see the tower and southern ridge of Kékes. We turn onto a trail and find the next stamp for the Blue Trail in a rain shelter. Next to the structure—which is also suitable for camping—we find a bench and table, so we can gather our strength for the very strenuous, undulating stretch still ahead of us.

Hármashatár Forest House – Sirok

The climb up Nagy-Szár Hill is particularly exhausting. We ascend 100 meters over a distance of 600 meters, effectively returning to the elevation of Disznó-kő amid the winding path beneath ancient oak trees. The panoramic view from the grassy mountainside and the summit more than makes up for the exertion: we can see the Kékes massif and the Mátra foothills; from here, the country’s highest mountain range appears larger than from perhaps any other vantage point.

We descend from the summit along a steep trail, and no matter how difficult the hike may be, we can be glad we don’t have to climb it from the east. From the Cserepesi Saddle, the eponymous mountain, Cserepes Peak, comes into view. This is the peak that still preserves a small patch of the ancient Mátra forests—unfortunately, we bypass the summit, and thus the old trees as well, but at least we save ourselves a few elevation gains.

The next, more exciting peak is Oroszlánvár. From its western, grassy slope, a new view opens up: we look toward the northern slopes of Kékes, and the Galyatető massif and the transmission tower come into view. On the rounded summit, the meager, barely discernible remains of a medieval castle await. Beyond the elliptical moat encircling the castle, on the southern side of the peak, a section of wall roughly half a meter high preserves a trace of the former stronghold. The last mention of the castle dates back to 1607; it was destroyed during the Turkish era—excavating the ruins would require a great deal of work.

Another steep slope and another saddle: this time we arrive at the Domoszlói Pass. The forest road we encountered at the Hármashatár forester’s lodge crosses over to the northern side of the Mátra here, as does the high-voltage power line coming from the Mátra Power Plant. Passing by two sets of benches and tables, we climb to the summit of Jagus, then, bypassing an imposing hunting lodge, on to Nagy-Zúgó Hill. All that’s left is to climb to Szederjes-tető: from here on, there won’t be any significant ascents on the hike.

At the Jóidő well—which has no water—we turn left, then shortly afterward turn right, leaving behind the S trail marker that joins us briefly. We walk for kilometers along a raised fence: one of the Mátra’s game reserves stretches out here. Shortly after the Remete clearing, we arrive at the Gazos-kő lookout point, one of the most beautiful rocky lookouts on the eastern side of the mountain range. Columns of solidified andesite lava “support” the terrace, which offers a wide panorama to the north. We don’t see much that’s new here either—just the landscape features we’ve already encountered—but the steep rock face makes Gazos-kő relatively unique.

After leaving Gazos-kő, the ridge gradually narrows. Leaving Kalapos Peak behind, we turn southeast; our descent becomes steeper, and then, with a sharp left turn, we finally leave the ridge running toward Kőkútpuszta. We cross several forest roads and cut through the Sólyom clearing, bypassing its rest area. We can already hear the traffic from the main road; after a short stretch through scrub, we emerge onto the asphalt. Here, on a road signpost, we find one of Sirok’s stamp points.

The Blue Trail leads past the charming, pine-lined building of the Sirok train station—which has been out of service since 2007—and crosses the Kál-Kápolna–Kisterenye railway line. You can end the hike at the bus stop here, but the official endpoint is in the center of Sirok: after 3 km of monotonous walking along a paved road, you’ll arrive at the town center.