On the highest wooded ridge of the Budai Hills

Itinerary:

• We climb up from Nagykovácsi to the Kopasz Forest on the P trail.
• We cross the Red-Puddle ridge to the southern escarpment of the Black Mountains on the P▲ trail.
• On the Z▲ trail, we take a detour southwards to the Tarnai-rest viewpoint, then head north through the Great Kopasz towards the border of Nagykovácsi.
• We return to Nagykovácsi on the Z trail.

Detailed description of the hike

Following the red spots

We exit the village within the first couple of hundred meters along the P trail. After crossing the Devil's Ditch stream, we have to overcome a hellish climb; we leave most of the elevation behind on the asphalted Forest Street. Looking back from the last houses, opposite us stretches the grassy ridge of the Great Szénás, reminiscent of Carpathian peaks, above Nagykovácsi. Facing us is the continuous oak forest of the Kopasz Forest, broken only in a few places by young woodland patches. The proximity of the city is clearly felt in the network of paths running through the forest, with their widely worn routes: the paths are trodden all the way down to the karstic bedrock, and the hiking trail is rough from rounded limestone outcrops. Around us are old hornbeam-oak forests interspersed with beech trees; this is the characteristic forest community of the higher and northern slopes in the mountain range.

After one kilometer, a young forest growing from a clearing breaks up the shady canopy of old oaks. In the growing forest, only a few old black pines stand tall in slender groups; their trunks have been smoothed by wild boars living in the brush. The P trail leaves the gently ascending forestry road. Without changing direction, but now on the P▲ trail, we continue the slow ascent in the oak forest. We climb to the Red-Puddle ridge, where indeed the red clay left from limestone dissolution shows reddish in a few deep pits used by pigs for wallowing. The limestone surface can also be seen on the worn rocks around the top area close to the summit. Before the rock outcrops, the concentric imprint of an old lime-burning site is also discovered, where master craftsmen of a bygone era burned lime in lime kilns heated with wood from the surrounding forests.

The magic of Tarnai-rest

With the lateral wave of the path, we descend into a shallow dry valley behind a shrub forested, karst ridge. The trail navigates through a network of forestry roads to the edge of the tilted limestone plateau, supplemented by the more traceable Z+ marking. The ridge area draws attention with a clear vegetation change; from here we hike typically in karst shrub forests broken with clearings and, thanks to human intervention, in patches of black pine forests.

It is worth taking a short detour further south, where valleys cut into the limestone block and prominent, steep ridges dissect the landscape among groups of pines. In a few places, bare grassy ridges open up panoramic views. The Black Mountain, the massif of the Budai Hills, drops dramatically down into the Zsámbék Basin below, with the colorful strings of the better-known villages visible around, but the real treasures of colorful patches lie right at our feet. The extreme conditions typical of dolomite cliffs can be endured only by a few drought-tolerant plants, making the dolomite rock grassland community unique. Pasque flowers, iris, and cornflowers brighten the early spring surface with lively spots, but thanks to constant sunshine, some kind of flower blooms here throughout the entire vegetation period.

On the steep mountainside's wildly twisting cut of the path, we can also see the barely a few centimeters thick soil layer held together by a network of roots clinging to the easily eroded, gravelly surface. Where this root mat is broken by trampling and runoff water, an increasingly deep-cut, white, crumbly rock surface emerges. This is why signs warn us not to leave the marked trails in the strictly protected area, but unfortunately, it is clearly visible that not everyone follows this.

Panorama at the summit

After a few hundred meters of detour, we continue north towards the highest point of the mountain range, Great Kopasz, climbing on the Z▲ trail. Near the edge of the limestone block, we pass through groves of pine clusters and karst shrub forests. At the summit, the path winds through tunnels of hazel, dogwood, and hawthorn bushes, finally reaching the highest point opened with a small clearing, where a lookout tower covered with a dome-shaped shell stands.

Just as the lookout tower's namesake, Pál Csergezán, wished to showcase the beauty of nature with his painting, so the lookout also raises us to a higher level so that we can admire the picturesque panorama above the dense shrub forest. Upon reaching the tower's observation deck, our gaze immediately falls on the most distinct silhouettes of the Budai Hills. Next to Hármashatár Hill with its towers, rise the domes of Hárs Hill and János Hill, while behind the long back of Széchényi Hill, the uneven ridges of Csíki Hills close the line. To the west, over the villages sitting on the edge of the Zsámbék Basin, the Vértes and Gerecse massifs rise in the distance, while the waves of Gerecse’s northern ridges connect with the Pilis Mountains. To the north, behind the truly bald grassy ridge of Great Szénás, the slanted plateau of Pilis Peak is clearly recognizable; at the western end of the mountain range, the double waves of Kevélyek are visible over the Danube Valley.

The route descending from the summit alternates between beech and oak forests, descending into the border of Nagykovácsi, with interpretive stops explaining the environment along the Sisakvirág nature trail signs. After the Cherry Forest, characterized by wild cherry clusters, we descend towards the young forest border at clearings with energy, reaching the clearings that mark the forest edge. Opposite to the board explaining the cleared patches, the nature trail continues on an unmarked path towards Nagykovácsi, which is worth following, as it is the most atmospheric and shortest path back to the village. Our marked route continues along the Z▲ trail, along a similar forest-edge bulldozer road; however, upon reaching the Z sign, the road leading to Nagykovácsi becomes a widely worn, dusty gravel road. At the shepherd’s cross, we arrive at the village border.

Fortunately, from here the Z trail runs through the riparian grove behind the houses, from where we have a good view of the Devil's Ditch stream source area framed by Kutya Hill and Great Szénás. While the former competes with Great Kopasz for the title of the mountain range's highest point at the same height of 559 meters, Great Szénás represents a true endemic, for on its grassy crest lives the only small yellow flower of the Pilis flax in the world. The strict protection and rarity of its habitat earned the Europe Diploma certification, as experts protect the sensitive community. At a votive cross, we return to the old village’s house street, from where a short walk leads us back to Nagykovácsi's center. You can take a bus at István Tisza Square or walk back to the starting point.

The detailed description of the hike can be read under the Directions menu.