The best of the Tokaj Mountains

Itinerary:

• From Kőkapu we follow the Z marker to Rostalló.
• At Rostalló we turn right onto the S marker, staying on it until the next hiker's path junction.
• We turn left onto the K+ marker, following it until the next junction.
• Turn left onto the K marker of the Blue Trail.
• The K▲ marker leads to Pengő-kő on the right.
• We continue on the K marker.
• We make a detour to the left to Nagy-Péter-mennykő on the K▲ marker, then return to the Blue Trail.
• We continue on the K marker passing István-kút to Mlaka-rét.
• From the clearing, we climb right to Sólyom-bérc on the K▲ marker, then return the same way.
• We leave Mlaka-rét heading north on the S marker towards Rostalló.
• At Rostalló, we turn right onto the Z marker, which takes us back to Kőkapu.

Detailed tour description:

The Kemence Valley

As narrow-gauge train sets clatter past the lake, the reflection on the water reveals an almost organically growing hunters' castle (now a hotel) from the rocky cliff. Trains pass through a tunnel cutting through the Kőkapu rhyolite rock, passing beneath the building. (Interestingly, this rock is rare in the Tokaj Mountains: a preparated rhyolite dyke, a rock mass formed from lava that filled underground fissures before cooling. Erosion has carved away the softer layers.)

The striking castle was built by the Károlyi family of forest owners modeled after Swiss style. Since the regrowing shoot forests after nearby clear-cuts were popular hiding places for abundant game, Kőkapu soon became famous as a hunting ground. Noble guests were accommodated at the Füzeradvány Castle and escorted here for 1-2 days of stalking. Legend has it the prey was so easy to hunt, even the lazier guests could shoot from their window. The "Radvány Trophy" was prestigious; local press regularly reported on hunts by dignitaries such as Miklós Horthy or István Bethlen.

Kőkapu lies in the central part of the mountain range, far from settlements; its connection to the outside world is by road and narrow-gauge railway. The Kemence stream cutting the valley derives its name from the Slavic "kamenica," meaning "stone"—referring to the sizeable grey cobbles in the streambed, since its waters flow deeply from the heart of the mountains. Its branches erode and transport the ridges of the High Zemplén over millennia. Temporarily settled people mainly transported wood along the stream; muddy road conditions sometimes hindered transport, while post-Austro-Hungarian Compromise economic expansion and markets of nearby Košice furniture factories demanded increasing forest yields. Hence, before the turn of the century, the first track network was developed, predecessor of today's Pálháza narrow-gauge railway. At its peak, tracks extended over 17 kilometers, reaching even the uppermost parts of the valley system. The railway once ran to Sárospatak, and at times tracks stretched as far as Nyíregyháza. Eventually, with the strengthening of road transport, the narrow-gauge railway was mostly dismantled, but since the 1990s a short section has resumed passenger service.

Into the Wild

Turning our back to the settlement (where there is a restaurant and a small summer buffet), we start our trip on asphalt along the Z marker towards Rostalló. To the left among trees lies the embankment of the narrow-gauge railway, which crosses our route only at the stream crossing. Looking at the closed forest, it hardly reminds us that once beautiful swamp meadows adorned this valley (only a few tiny representatives remain near Pálháza). Likewise, the ski slope reminiscent of a snowier winter is no longer the old one—visible only by crossing the educational trail.

Walking further in the valley, we soon arrive at Rostalló, the terminus of the narrow-gauge railway, where a covered resting place is found, as well as the Rostalló Eco-conscious Education Center. The local architectural style resembles a "mini open-air museum," with an interactive exhibition on the forest’s wildlife, and alongside the forest school, accommodation operates on the small site. From the late 18th century, the regional beech forests were sacrificed to the demands of the Regéc (modern-day Háromhuta) and mountain-area glassworks for ash and flux; in service of this, perlite and quartz sand from the stream, and saltpeter were ground at a nearby stone-crushing water mill. After the glassworks closed, the Rostalló beech forests were treated with care, only occasionally thinned.

Turning right on the S marker, we follow the old narrow-gauge railway’s path on worn asphalt into the Határ Valley. Steep, high slopes are covered by dense, dark forest shadows. Few hiking trails explore the valley systems of the Central Zemplén massif; eastward for example, none lead to mountain villages. To the right, the foot of Csattantyús Hill rises—a notable elevation, believed by some researchers to have been an independent volcanic eruption center; its side bears the pattern of drainage and curved valleys indicating the volcanic dome’s structure. In a hornbeam forest, we reach the simple forester's hut of Mar-lak, behind its meadow the valley forks.

The S marker turns left in Határ Valley, rising past abandoned rhyolite quarries hidden behind a plant curtain. Unexpectedly, above on the hillside, erosion has carved a significant rhyolite rock from looser perlitic surroundings: Sólyom-kő. Its summit, surrounded by pine forest, ends in twin spires, next to wild cliff walls providing a memorable view of the central massif. The forest path loops to overcome elevation differences, eventually a faintly marked, bushy trail leads to a small clearing.

On the volcanic border

The saddle approximately marks the boundary between rhyolitic and andesitic rocks that build the main Tokaj Mountains massif. Crossing the northwest-southeast aligned line, we traverse dark gray andesite rock walls, seeing the realm of often harsh cliffs. Not long after turning left on the K+ marker, we meet this rock. We bypass the Susulya-Hill slope in beech forest, and across the narrow, semi-shaded ravine of Cserenkő stream, moss-covered scree slopes rise below the left-tilting rock row of Hosszú-kő. The scene with fallen trunks and broken branches already condenses the unique, wild atmosphere of the High Zemplén ridges.

To the west, the Nagy-Sertés-hegy Forest Reserve begins on a neighboring ridge, where natural processes prevail without human regulation. This wilderness, together with the huge surrounding forest, is frequented by wolves—making it a favored area. Due to climate change, walking along the edge of the once extensive, beautifully memorable Dorgó pine forest mostly cut down, it’s worth observing the mud around puddles: we may see large footprints similar to dogs’ but distinct; these wonderful predators avoid hikers and mark their territory. Further ahead, birch trees emerge along swampy meadows—the heralds of forested areas which poorly tolerate shading by taller species and thus usually remain temporary. Fallen, they enrich the soil, preparing it for more sensitive associates. After open clearings, we join the K marker along a forestry fence, turning left continuing our walk.

Land of Rocks

This section is characterized by varied, wild forests and diverse forms of gray andesite, one of the most splendid parts of the massif. Circumventing Tokár Hill, to the right, mossy hummocks crowd a short detour inviting us with the K▲ marker: let’s walk up to the Pengő-kő tower! The dark rock colossus is overgrown by forest, no view from it, but geological features explaining the formation of similar cliffs in the massif are observable. The andesite blocks were shaped by frequent freeze-thaw cycles typical of the last glacial period, water repeatedly froze in cracks, expanding and slowly breaking the rocks into small pieces. At their base, extended scree slopes testify to this slow, less intense ongoing process producing walls or towers from raw rock surfaces.

Returning to the K marker, looking out through a large clear-cut fence, we overlook the proud ridge of the Regéc Castle and the rolling ridges in the background. Some researchers believe the basin and surrounding heights are remnants of a collapsed volcanic structure (caldera), and the Regéc castle hill is a solidified volcanic vent fill. In exceptionally diverse forest, we wind around a cliff hidden behind a curtain of trees to the rear of Nagy-Péter-mennykő.

The K▲ signs branch left at a meadow, guiding us over a typically Zemplén high-grass hayfield and then a gnarled beech forest path to a viewpoint with breathtaking panorama: the entire northern massif unfolds. A sculpted terrain, countless relatively steep-sided hills and valleys, and a vast forest surround us. The Hegyköz basin appears, above it the white walls of the Füzér castle guard, with the Milic range on the border beyond, and to the other side the Szalánc Mountains rise. To the east, behind the curve of Kemence Valley, the pyramid of Fekete Hill and the peaks of the Sátoros Hills glow blue. We enjoy the magnificent view from a cliff wall several tens of meters high, similar to the Pengő-kő formation. Because of exposure, it’s believable its name comes from lighting that strikes here in summer storms. Rhyolitic tuff is already at its base, and the rock tower’s height preserves the thickness of the original lava bed. At its tallest point, the wall reaches 32 m, a record among similar formations in the massif.

In the heart of the mountain region

Filled with the pleasure of sightseeing, we continue on the K marker. The endlessly magical forest sporadically mixes with pines, the sound of a stream from PIn-kúti valley increases the Carpathian atmosphere. The forest around Regéc once served the first glassworks of the region in the late 17th century with tall beeches dragged into the Háromhuta valley. Later, by the 20th century, the glassworks closed, the managed forest strengthened, and in the 1920s the Waldbott estate owner built a railway from Olaszliszka Nagyvasút station to Háromhuta valley, then to adjacent slopes, embarking on ruthless often rule-breaking timber exploitation. Later, especially in the 1950s, pines were planted on northern slopes; their slim remnants sadly seem to lose in the struggle against drying, warming climate. Neighbouring estate owners, the Károlyi and Waldbott families invested part of the wood sale income into game parks, hunting castles, and roads for distinguished guests. Where the forest was untouched, royal hunts were organized in the 1930s.

Soon we leave the contour trench road and descend into the small basin of István-kúti birch grove. The landscape changes markedly as slender-trunked, white birches cover the slope. Sunlight filters through their crowns, but in the hollow where the stone walls of the hunting lodge (serving as a guest house) stand, conditions are quite dark.

Birches, liking wet, cool climates, expanded at the end of the last Ice Age's warming along with pines in the Carpathian mid-mountains, from where later they were mostly displaced. Today their extensive groves are seen in Northern Europe, but István-kút gently recalls the Lapland atmosphere: the path passes a dammed pond, surrounded by sparse groves, and at its edge, in the shade of an old oak, a cozy log cabin stands. The 2021 winter renovation gave the former forester’s lodge new form and function; staying here, star routes to the surroundings can be made. The valuable meadow with wildlife would be recaptured by forest, so conservation mowing ensures its survival. Behind the house, harmoniously blending with the landscape, the path leads to a perpetually flowing, icy (and clean) spring that, together with two simple buildings and a barbecue area, makes István-kút quite unique: a small settlement far from the world, offering everything needed for a few days.

Sólyom and the Devil

Leaving the tiny grove, we turn on a broad path through beech forest to the wet, marshy Mlaka meadow (the Slavic origin of the name means "puddle"). Before beginning the last section, it’s highly recommended to visit the Sólyom-bérc viewpoint by a right detour on the K▲ marker. It’s not easy to detect, as the narrow path is only visible up close in tall grass. The steep slope, among beech trunks, is well followed; it leads over increasingly large stone heaps, ultimately through moss-covered rock towers to the terrace of Sólyom-bérc. From the broad andesite cliff top, views stretch over the Háromhuta valley and its concealed ridges, and the nearby Regéc castle. Isolated, peaceful, and vast forest waves spreading—the finest of the Zemplén terrain—is visible all around. We observe all this from a harsh cliff with the same origin as previous ones, a rarely visited border deep in the wilderness. (Climbing paths network the bastion sides.)

We descend to the Mlaka meadow, where we turn onto the S marker wedged between trees at the resting place. The trail gradually loses elevation along the Devil's valley side in initially dense forest replaced on the right by a sheltered hollow formed by fallen trunks and stream-eroded rocks. We slowly reach the shore and ford the creek. The deeply incised, shaded valley finally joins its neighbor at Rostalló, from where the already known concrete path takes us back to Kőkapu in about 10–15 minutes.