Oaks' Trail - green tour (short)

Itinerary  

• Follow the green Oaks' Trail signs throughout the route.

Detailed description of the route  

On the western branch of the circular route – mixed forests around the Azáleás Valley

Starting from the Alsóerdei Sports and Leisure Center, at the beginning of Azáleás Street, we set off from the information board presenting the three Oaks' Trail. We walk along the shortest of the thematic routes that network the city-near forests, drawing two interconnected loops around the Azáleás Valley and the opposite side of Lukahegy. Of the two loops, the one surrounding the Azáleás Valley is shorter, so if we want to enjoy the forest purely for recreation, it is worth completing this part of the route. Here, we can also shorten the initial climb by heading along the blue trail, climbing the area's most scenic, arboretum-like valley, connecting on a shorter section to the green trail running transversely on the hillside.

Our path continuously follows the Green Tour sign on a green background starting from Azáleás Street, then at its end, we enter the dense mixed forest that almost surrounds us throughout the tour. We quickly begin to ascend, but since we are in the Zala Hills, the climb quickly subsides. We only need to climb about 70 meters on a steep but well-maintained path compared to the hills. The forest here is rich in pines, mainly fresh natural regrowth; thanks to the cool and humid climate around the nearby Azáleás Valley and careful planting, non-native species such as spruce and red pine are present. Also found here are poplar, black, and giant pines and several thuja species. In this pine forest mixed with oaks, beeches, and hornbeams, we can find many mushroom species in wetter weather and spot some more spectacular woodland flowers, such as the pink-flowered clustered cock's comb orchid.

We cross the gravel road winding to the TV tower, where the red trail branches off, but we continue on the forest path. If it is rainy or muddy, it is worth ascending the hill on the next few hundred meters on the gravel road along the red trail markings, where the green trail again crosses the Panorama Road and the red trail. Approaching the hilltop, the slope eases, and we walk in a sparser, sunnier oak forest along the ridge above the Azáleás Valley. For a while, our return follows the blue trail, then we briefly descend towards the Azáleás Valley, but soon the path turns transversely. At first, we walk through planted spruce forest, then through hornbeam-oak forest mixed with beech, where the dense shady forest and the valley's wetter climate allow the appearance of fern clusters. The beech apparently thrives here, which could be unusual given the 250-meter average altitude, but in this wetter, milder climate of the country, beech appears in valleys as a species typical for mountainous areas. We briefly cross a larger linden group, which is especially refreshing during early summer blooming.

On the steepest part of the hillside, our path is crossed by the returning blue trail. From here, with a short but challenging detour, later switching to the P▲ marking, we can visit Zalaegerszeg's symbol, the TV tower built in the early 1970s. From the 53-meter-high viewing platform, we can see most of Göcsej, the Zala River and Upper Válicka valleys, but mainly Zalaegerszeg from a bird's-eye view; if fortunate, we can even catch sight of the Alps' ridges on the western horizon.

The dozer road leading down the steep slope curves widely back towards the city, then begins descending along the edge of a clear-cut towards our starting point. Looking back at the clear-cut, we can see the TV tower rising above the forested ridge and the forests we just crossed. We enter the valley through old oak forest, where an informational board recalling past times draws attention to interesting aspects of the area's sports life. Between the two world wars, there was one of the country's few bobsleigh tracks with a lift here, a sledding run about 1.5 kilometers long, allowing impressive slides. The lift's engine house burned down in the first winter season, so the track accessible on foot only operated for a few years.

We bypass a forest clearing at the valley bottom, then parallel to Alsóerdei Road, we return to our starting point through a park forest, from where we can explore the other branch of the double circular route. If we feel like resting, eating, or drinking, the Erdőgyöngye Restaurant is located across the road.

On the eastern branch of the circular route – nature trail and forest gym in the Bird Forest

Continuing our route beside the Alsóerdei Sports and Experience Park on the bike path leading on the other side of the road. Here, in an enclosed area, there are all kinds of sports fields, even an adventure park, climbing wall, and plastic-covered ski slope, and you can eat or drink and use the toilets in the main building's buffet. Children can engage with towers connected with slide and climbing systems, mushroom and acorn houses, but the experience park mainly offers opportunities for relaxation, active rest, or dining after the route.

We walk alongside old oaks at the edge of the fenced-off area, then cross the forest road named Sugár Street, beyond which lie the marshy meadows nourished by the Aranyoslápi spring, embraced by the forests. We can peek into the lavender garden here, which calls from afar during early summer lavender bloom with its intoxicating scent and purple bushes. At this time, we can also pick lavender ourselves in a "pick your own" event, and in September, we can visit the spectacular flower garden on open weekends.

Turning eastwards along the meadows on Forrás Street, which navigates towards the spring emerging between sand dunes through willow groves. At the end of the elongated meadow, we see the spring-fed, willow-bush-surrounded swamp, popular with frogs; above it, there is a curved red concrete retaining wall with a spring enclosure and benches. The informational board presents the spring's local significance.

On the path before the spring enclosure, we cross the meadow, then on the other side enter the oak forest again along the Madárerdő nature trail's signs. On the colorful, impressive information boards, we get to know the local birdlife's singing, vocal representatives, but we do not follow the entire nature trail; turning up the hill, we just barely catch the edge of the forest gym. At the end of Keresztes Street, we can see the expansion of the county seat, as family houses push into the forest from Jánka Street, while the increasingly shrinking oak forest's sturdy trunks still hold on the sandy hilltop. Here, we can rest on the forest gym benches or even do some extra physical exercise.

We descend on the hill’s northern side through an oak forest dotted with old legacy trees; here, we can see the pre-expansion state of the city. Ivy shoots climb the huge trunks, and from the ancient oaks to the sprouting seedlings, all age groups are represented in this forest. Although in a true primeval forest fallen, old, rotten trees would also be present, compared to a park forest, this oak forest is in great condition: it has survived relatively in an original state, a notable representative of Zala's oak forests. At the foot of the hill, the forest road curves sharply, and in a knobbly, grove-like area, we avoid the lower Alsóerdei bike park visited by mountain bikers. We reach Alsóerdei Road but remain in the dense oak forest and bypass the Erdőgyöngye Restaurant and Pension, reminiscent of a forester's house, along intricate forest paths, where we can eat or drink something after our tour. On the other side, next to the fence of the Alsóerdei Sports and Experience Park, we return to our circular route's starting point, where the adventure park and forest playground offer adventurous finishing options.