The world of karst – Around Ómassa on the plateau

Itinerary

• From Ómassa, we start on the S+ trail crossing the Száraz Valley.
• We turn right onto the S● trail, which leads to the Meteor Spring.
• From the Meteor Spring, we follow the P● signs to the asphalt road.
• On the asphalt road, we turn left onto the P trail, which leaves the road to the right.
• We follow the P trail to the Bánkúti parking lot.
• On the asphalt road, we turn right. On the K▲ trail, we can make a detour to the Bálvány lookout (we return the same way).
• The Z signs lead us to the edge of the Nagy-mező.
• We turn left onto the K+ trail, which we follow to a sheltered resting place with a rain shelter.
• At the asphalt road junction, at the resting place, we turn left onto an unmarked section and soon find ourselves on the K/ trail. This leads to Jávorkút.
• At Jávorkút, after the pension, we turn right and follow the P signs.
• We turn left onto the P◼ trail, pass the Sebes-víz pension, and reach the asphalt road.
• We descend on the S trail to the Sebes-víz waterfall.
• Arriving at Ómassa, we turn right onto the K trail, which leads to the village center.

Details about the hike

Ómassa, the cradle of the metal industry

Ómassa lies at the confluence of the northern Kis- and southern Nagy-fensík, separated by the Garadna river spring and other watercourses. The narrow, rarely sunlit settlement's name refers to a former iron smelter: Henrik Fazola searched at his own expense in the second half of the 18th century for suitable iron ore in the Bükk and Mátra regions, and when he finally found it near Uppony, he built his first large smelter here (below are the hearths). However, due to terrain conditions, the plant producing 500 tons of raw iron annually was built too close to the stream, and the wet soil reduced production efficiency. Therefore, after lengthy planning, it was relocated to Újmassa at the beginning of the 19th century (this more modern furnace had double the capacity and can still be visited today as a monument). The factory finally moved to Diósgyőr, making Ómassa, this charming, peaceful village, considered the cradle of the region's metal industry.

Along the wanderers' homestead

As we start our hike next to the pub (or from inside it), it is worth looking around: the small center barely lets the bus turn, and the steep slopes rising like walls create a rugged mountain frame for the streets. The lives of the inhabitants are noticeably more exposed to nature’s whims, and it is not uncommon that the village is cut off from the outside world for days by severe storms or heavy snowfall. Leaving the houses, we find ourselves in a gorge-like environment: rocks jut from the slope along the swift stream, only the power line slightly spoils the natural experience.

On the S+ trail, we quickly turn into a side valley stepping into the wilderness of the Száraz Valley. The name may refer to a karst phenomenon: stream water sinking into the rock body, thus invisible or only appearing in places. Huge, proud rock formations greet us on the valley's sides in the Bükk karst world. Only the long-undisturbed vegetation forms such a dense green screen that the rocks are not always easy to detect: the forest is sheltered, varied, overall reminiscent of a primeval forest. Watch your steps on the wet valley floor, not only because of the rocky path but also because yellow-black spotted salamanders like to stroll in this Edenic, clean environment. The valley widens at one point (here was Ómassa’s football field), and we reach a forest road junction. Be alert from here, as we follow the S● signs on the right branching side valley.

We climb wedged between dense undergrowth and narrow slopes, the path bordered by a babbling stream. Soon we arrive at a clearing with dilapidated cabins and a resting place – opposite is the Meteor Spring, emitting icy water from the karst's depths. The Veteran Farm huts were allegedly used by 1956 revolution heroes after the uprising, and the people of Ómassa helped them during their years of hiding. The little enclosure was originally fenced to keep cattle outside but has deteriorated: storms in the 2010s toppled trees onto the huts. On the upper valley section (marked now by the P● trail), the slope steepens, and the stream disappears. (Above, there is another spring; if it flows, the brook runs on the path, making progress a bit harder.) The beauty of the dense, closed forest remains unchanged; fallen trees across the path make progress adventurous (but not impossible).

In the spruce forests of Kis-fensík

We cross the Bánkút asphalt road and continue climbing on the left branch of the P trail – to the left, there are views over the Garadna valley guarded by forested heights. We continue climbing in dense beech forest, now treading the neck of Kis-fensík. This unites with Nagy-fensík at Bánkút; just ahead is the narrowing between Száraz Valley and Ablakos-kő Valley, only about 100 meters wide. Soon, we cross a logged spruce plantation meadow once a favorite path of active Bükk nature guide Miklós Czékus – now there is no reason to turn here.

The area's timber hunger in the 18th-19th centuries cleared huge patches of forest, and grazing hindered reforestation. Pine species (especially spruce) grow fast, so representatives were deliberately planted in the Bükk at one time to quickly remedy timber shortage (also in other central mountain ranges). The warming and drying climate and missing persistent snow cover undermined their health, and the forestry did not allow the forest to die standing but cut it down.

In the heart of Bükk, on top of Bükk

After a sharp left turn, we again cross the asphalt and arrive at Bánkút on a wide forest track under the shelter of stately beech woods. The Síház (ski lodge) welcomes us, operating today as a tourist house, an excellent rest place and starting point for plateau hikes. We can refresh ourselves in its restaurant; in winter, ski slopes are also available. The former tourist house, located across the parking lot, operates as the Fehér Sas pension. Built by 1930, the building was made available to tourists by Count Alfonz Károly Pallavicini, the area's owner – it fell into complete ruin in the second half of the 20th century and was restored only in recent decades.

From the parking lot, we start the detour to the Petőfi lookout on the K▲ trail through rocks. The path crosses a thin ridge, then climbs a wider ridge to the 956-meter Bálvány, sharing its lookout tower. The tower has stood since 1948, built on the 99th anniversary of the freedom fight, from the signaling tower of the Diósgyőr ironworks. Narrow stairs and a ladder, challenging for those with fear of heights, lead up to the panorama level.

We can enjoy one of Northern Hungary’s most beautiful views: below us, the undulating Bükk Plateau stands out, and the entire Northern Central Mountains can be seen (in clear weather). To the east is the Zemplén, to the northeast the Aggtelek karst, to the left the Heves-Borsod hills and Karancs rise, sharply towering above the surroundings also the long ridge of the Mátra. Between the Uppony Mountains’ backs, the Lázbérc reservoir mirror glistens. With luck, the Börzsöny and even the Visegrád Hills can be glimpsed behind the gentle hills of Cserhát. The mountainous terrain breaks up like islands. To the north, the terrain's dynamic seems endless, as the distant Slovak Carpathians appear in wide splendor: the Gömör-Szepesi Ore Mountains and volcanic range backdrop reveal wild giants like Krizna at the southern end of the Great Fatra main ridge, the meadow-covered Alacsony-Tátra massif behind the intermontane basins, and above all the High Tatras, the rocky crown of Upper Hungary. Leaving the lookout, we can return the same way to Bánkút or choose a steep, unmarked but beaten path beside it leading to the tops of ski slopes. Following the edge of Csurgó meadow’s upper side, we get a beautiful perspective of the plateau before descending under the trees back to the parking lot.

Meadows and karst depressions in the center of the karst

Turning right next to the Fehér Sas pension, we head off on the Z trail along the power line clearing. To the left, a sign warns about the closed chamber of the Diabase sinkhole cave. Its name is misleading: it mostly drills into limestone, touching the magmatic porphyrite in places, which was incorrectly identified as diabase at naming. With a depth of 161 meters and about 1 km length, it is one of Hungary’s 10 deepest caves, with a spring whose water surfaces at the Garadna spring. Interestingly, in the 1980s, it was proposed to use the tourist house as a water reservoir; a passage was bricked up but the attempt failed and the blockage no longer exists.

At a junction, we continue straight, slightly left, descending into beautiful beech-fiber forest. A narrow clearing corridor opens up, and the signs lead us to a concrete road – this is where we arrive at the edge of the huge Nagy-mező meadow. Although our path continues left along the K+ trail (on the far side of the asphalt strip), it is worth walking out on the motorway to the middle of Nagy-mező and looking around: huge, bowl-shaped depressions ringed by lush grassy meadows rise on the plateau heights. The flat surface is dotted with small karst depressions (poljes), reminiscent of their formation conditions. When the Bükk plateau was covered by volcanic debris rocks (from nearby volcanoes like Mátra), streams ran together from different directions here. These waters cut through the relatively soft volcanic cover, reaching the limestone surface, which they naturally began to dissolve. This created sinkholes that channeled precipitation replenishment into the limestone’s interior. However, sediments eventually clogged these, and streams opened new passages next to them through the tufa layer. The remaining depressions and sinkholes slowly formed larger basins ('poljes'). The volcanic cover eroded long ago, leaving the exposed lime surface adorned with sinkholes, and the water finds its way inside the karst. The treeless terrain is the result of grazing: by the early 20th century, roaming cattle prevented regeneration, creating a large, continuous pasture from Létras to Jávorkút and the Nagy-mező. The species-rich meadow grass is strictly protected, and reforestation is currently prevented by conservation mowing.

Jávorkút’s pine forests

On the K+ trail, passing the temporary stable of Csipkéskút herd, we continue our hike; we walk in a groved landscape on the Nagy-mező’s back, rolling with sinkholes, a particularly beautiful area. The winding path stays on the edges between depressions and finally descends through dense, opaque pine forest to an asphalt road. We cut corners several times, and soon the forest disappears like erased from the surface. Due to climate change, weakened pine plantations are cut down for forestry economic damage control; we cross one such patch (more resistant mixed beech sprouts may regrow in place). Without markings, we approach Jávorkút settlement on the wide asphalt; shortly, it joins the K/ nature trail. On the slope side, we can admire the depressions covered by old beech forest. The tourist path briefly leaves the concrete, then returns, and soon we stand at Jávorkút. The half-timbered house operates as a restaurant, a welcome stop about two-thirds into our hike. In 1920, Count István Bethlen (who became prime minister a year later) built it as a hunting lodge, since expanded with several buildings. Being a pension, it offers accommodation, enabling us to prolong our stay in the Bükk. At the meadow’s edge outfitted with slightly retro rest areas, the drinkable Jávorkút spring bubbles out, and the houses are shaded by huge pines. Among the considerable pines planted in the second half of the 19th century is the 'Swedish pine,' with seeds imported from that country, and to the west, the first planted 'primeval pine forest.' Interestingly, these atmospheric but non-native stands officially formed one of the core zones of Bükk National Park established in 1977.

On the P trail, we leave Jávorkút forest settlement behind and, crossing the meadow edge, push through wet, muddy paths into perhaps the most pleasant forest section of our hike. We cover the next kilometers in an extensive pine-shaded grove, the resin-scented track – the forest scene is particularly exciting, fallen, log trunks are undisturbed, resembling the Upper Hungarian Murány karst plateau. (According to maps, we walk the Kühne Andor trail; along the way, a brief detour left to the Kühne Memorial – its namesake and family were active supporters of Bükk nature wandering.) After a clearing, the power line clearing divides the forest, and shortly, medieval beech forest replaces evergreens. A short descent leads to a fork: left onto the P◼ trail.

The Sebes-víz area

The forest gradually opens, and we reach the Sebes-víz pension building in a wet-bottomed grove. Even if you want to skip the higher-class accommodation and restaurant, it is worth looking around the dammed lake shore and enjoying the romantic setting. We begin the final section of our hike, walking towards the Jávorkút asphalt on the access road. On the far side, we must follow the S trail.

Entering the valley head, we descend in a primeval forest-like, lush vegetation environment. The slope becomes steep, and when it finally softens, a raw rock face glows to the right from the green carpet. After rains, a considerable amount of water bursts forth from the two source caves of Sebes-víz, alongside cold air – in dry periods, barely any trickles to the surface. Not far below awaits perhaps the most special sight of the path, a waterfall little known but similar in appearance and formation to the Fátyol waterfall. Its scene is much different: in dense, undeveloped forest, water rushes down with wild roar, dividing into thousands of silvery threads and veil-like rays over fallen branches, trees, and its own obstacles. (In drought periods, sadly, only dripping water replaces the stream, but the rock formations remain worth seeing). Sebes-víz has built a true tufa monstrosity beneath itself: rainwater falling on the limestone surface penetrates crevices, absorbing carbonic acid from the soil, and when reaching a spring, the carbonic acid dissipates, causing calcium carbonate to precipitate. This forms freshwater limestone, also called tufa or (due to its porousness) wasp stone. This crusts over obstacles in the stream’s path, and mosses and plants on it accelerate the process by extracting carbon dioxide. The waters cascading down the steps here paint a magnificent picture in the valley of Bükk’s highest waterfall.

Back to the Garadna

We return to the S trail, which traverses a steep mountainside on a deteriorated forest road above the Garadna valley. A rock outcrop on the left hides the Alabaster Passage Cave, once formed by streams flowing here, a tunnel crawling on a thin limestone belt. We avoid a narrow ditch head, then leave the wheel track and break through a few meters of brush to reach the power line corridor. The beauty of this section comes from slope steepness and valley depth: here and there, we can see Ómassa’s roofs. It is hard to imagine how the village fits into the tiny basin. Near the cemetery, we turn back into the houses - several houses in the upper village were built on freshwater limestone separated from the Garadna. Turning right on the K trail, we complete the loop when we reach Ómassa’s center by the pub.