Saddle circuit among pine forests and viewpoints

Itinerary

• From the parking lot, we start downwards following the S mark, heading east (entering the forest).
• A few meters down, we turn right and from here we follow the K+ mark to Mátra Saddle.
• At the saddle, we turn back and ascend to Galyatető by heading left on the K mark.
• We can also make a detour to the lookout tower by following the K mark, or choose the unmarked path from the parking lot (the tower is always in front of us).

Details about the hike

Galyatető

At Galyatető, a tourist house already stood at the end of the 19th century, which was later destroyed and rebuilt several times; most recently taking form in 2014 as the Galyatető Tourist Center. Unlike other villages in the High Mátra, this small settlement owes its existence to tourism, which still defines its character. From the parking lot, we immediately enter the forest, following the S signs eastward. A few meters later, we must follow the K+ mark branching off to the right (initially the S mark continues with us but later detaches).

Down among the pine forests

Due to former skiing activity and intensive forestry, numerous forest logging roads and ski runs penetrate the forest here, which does not look very scenic directly below the mountain peak. On a muddy path fed by spring water, we approach the bend of the road and, after detaching from the S mark (following the K+ marks), we soon cross it. We step under an old pine forest, but do not expect the pine scent to last long! Soon, we reach the edge of the stand, and from here mainly descend along the fence preserving regeneration, through clear-cut patches across a grassy pasture – in front, the back of Kékes with its antenna tower dominates the view.

The forest does not look very pretty, but at least the rising Kékes peak opposite offers some consolation – climate change at this low altitude affects the introduced, precipitation-loving pine forests, which is probably one reason for their logging. The Blue Trail used to wind here, but luckily it now runs on a much more scenic, although not more consoling route from a forest management perspective, as we will see uphill. Towards the end of the first hour from the start, we bypass the Nyírjes forest house, where many signs indicate logging activity. After a dense needle carpet, we turn into a beech forest a few meters later. We start ascending a wide path; about 180 meters of elevation gain awaits us to the top of Csór Hill.

The beautiful windbreak forest is penetrated by the noise of the Galyatető road, which will accompany us almost all along our hike. We cross the asphalt and before storming the mountain peak, our path diverts right, then again with a short descent we arrive at the Mátra Saddle. The steep serpentine road starting here is a favorite acceleration section for motorcyclists, but luckily, we do not have to linger long at the junction: we turn left and ascend on the K mark of the Blue Trail route.

A ruined lookout tower

We conquer Csór Hill with a grueling steep climb, crossing a clear-cut and just by looking back we witness the almost threateningly towering Kékes peak behind us. We can also make an interesting observation: the northwestern, angular cliff of our country's highest peak is covered by a primeval forest patch. This stand was never logged by humans, as it stands out even from a distance: unlike the surrounding forests, we do not see a uniform canopy level, as the age of individuals differs – they were not planted all at once. Instead of a green carpet, it looks more like a fluffy fabric.

The 730-meter peak is covered in beech forest – a lookout tower named after Károly Kós stood here from the mid-1980s. It was made for the 100th anniversary of the Transylvanian architect's birth but only lived for 10 years. The lance-shaped, tall structure moved shortly after handover, its structure twisted to some degree; this was temporarily treated with later intervention, but the campfires built by tourists on the terrace and vandal axe carvings sealed its fate. It was closed, but as this did not deter the more daring visitors, it finally had to be demolished.

On the ridge of panoramas

The dark forest is pierced again by sunlight coming from another large clear-cut, as we follow the Mátra ridge on a proper trail. We can only pass through a dense young forest by bending, with a particularly steep cliff freezing the ridge from the north – from the Bagoly Rock andesite quarry, we overlook the Parádi Basin. The rock's shape was formed by the ice age characterizing the Carpathian Basin's frost climate: the water expanding and freezing repeatedly in the rock's cracks due to freezing point temperature fluctuations fragmented and carved the rock into the current cliff.

Strong winds often howl through the Mátra forest, which is soon interrupted by a larger clear-cut. The landscape opens as only a few beech trunks resist time in the charming yellowed grass clearing. On the right, facing an astonishing depth, we can see the entire northern foot of Eastern Mátra behind Parádsasvár, also observing more distant settlements. Behind all this, the huge Bükk plateau is blue, and the white wall of Bél-kő is clearly visible. From here, the northern break of Mátra's asymmetric structure is excellently perceptible: next to the ridge, the gentle foothill surface starts without transition.

The next station of the roller coaster is Vércverés (a Blue Trail stamping spot), where the trees again extend a roof over our path. According to legend, the peak was inhabited by three goblins (lúdvérc in Hungarian), who kept watch on the people living below and made their lives miserable when going among them. The locals prayed to the Virgin Mary for help, who descended to aid the hardworking mountain people and cast out the demons – since then the place has been called Vércverés, meaning the defeat of the goblins.

The soil becomes rocky and crumbly; on our left, the quarry of Nagy-Lápafő bites into the already narrow ridge top. The 679-meter “peak” is rather just a small hilltop, its name refers to its peculiar position: a raised point of the slope (marsh). From the aptly named northern side called Mátra Shadow, intermittent streams meander down, and a small amphitheater-like valley head bends in front of us.

The ridge becomes so narrow that for the next kilometer the asphalt road and the hiking trail squeeze side by side – although the trail descends faster as it tackles the ridge of Nagy-Lipót. From its top, next to a remaining old pine forest, we can again look back at Parádsasvár. We cross a forest road (a rain shelter and bus stop are at the bend), and from here we ascend towards Galyatető in mixed forest, now without panoramas.

Back on the top

Finally, we arrive back at the parking lot through a young forest, then among cars. It is worth visiting the lookout tower as well, which crowns our hike and offers the finest panoramas experienced along the route. We can look back to the saddle, Kékes, and the eastern ridge; the Bükk, Karancs region, and also Börzsöny, Visegrád Mountains, and Zemplén can be seen on clear days. The mountains of Upper Hungary ripple one behind the other if mist does not curtain them. At the end of our hike, we can enjoy the services of the Galyatető Tourist Center or the nearby restaurants.