Through marsh and stone sea to Kékes

Itinerary:

• From the bus stop, we head north following the P+ trail; on the right, we see the Kőris Marsh. 
• At the Trout Lake, we turn south on the K+ trail. The Big Spring feeding the lake can be found on the K● trail with a short detour.
• At the Dark Marsh Pass, we follow the K trail to Kékes, then on to the bus stop marking the end of the route.
• In Mátraháza, we reach the Saint Ladislaus Spring via the K● trail with an out-and-back detour.

Detailed description of the route:

To the Kőris Marsh

From the bus stop, we head north following the P+ trail. After passing the Hidasi forester and hunter's lodge, a charming view opens northward towards Haluskás and Som Hill, and before us, the steep side of Sombokor rises above the forest trees and power lines. Soon, the beautiful wind-beech forest closes overhead, and on the right appears the first small marsh spot. We pass a spruce forest and reach the Kőris Marsh spreading at the foot of the steep slope of Sombokor, which is actually a spring marsh. This depression, formerly called Green Lake, likely formed about 10,000 years ago due to a large landslide during the warming phases of the Ice Ages. As its former name suggests, it fills rapidly, thus the former lake turned into a marsh and then a spring marsh. Its main botanical treasure is alpine bentgrass. This rare, tall grass species is known to have only a few habitats in our country. Folk observations say the marsh, or the similar places once called moszka around here, "buzzes" before weather changes, which can be clearly heard in the Parádi Basin. This is because the wind often gets trapped under the slope of Sombokor, producing a whistling sound. South of the marsh, we find the starting point of the former Kékes-Parád downhill ski slope, once connected by a cross-country ski track through the forest reserve to the northern ski slope.

From Trout Lake to Dark Marsh Pass

We soon reach the Trout Lake from the Kőris Marsh. The trail is well marked and requires no significant altitude difference, so this section can be completed quickly. The lake is fed by the Big Spring above it. While fish have not lived in the once fresh stream bed for years, the strictly protected alpine newts and spotted salamanders still use it as an important breeding habitat. The resting area on the opposite side of the trail is comfortable even for larger groups.

From Trout Lake, we head south on the K+ trail beside the Big Spring, whose source is found on the K● trail. We climb steeply between stone seas and debris deposits up to the first large junction, called Gabi Death. According to local legend, this name commemorates a lumberjack who died here in a wagon accident.

It is worth taking longer or shorter breaks here, as from this point we begin an even steeper climb to the Dark Marsh Pass. The rare shrub species of the scree rock forests here, such as red-berried elder and alpine currant, grow alongside several protected fern species among the stones, including the rock spleenwort, hairy spleenwort, and common oak fern. Another botanical curiosity is the presence of green dwarf moss, listed as a Natura 2000 indicator species.

Up to Angels' Meadow

From the Dark Marsh Pass, we continue on the K trail towards Kékes, crossing the former cross-country ski track. We step across rocks deposited by the volcano's explosive activity, including loose stones, facing a somewhat steep, scree-covered section.

The terrain gradually flattens out. We walk westward, parallel to the former fence of the Rákosi villa. The house was built in the 1930s by the Csonka family, founders of the sanatorium, then after World War II, it was nationalized along with the medicinal hotel and turned into a party resort. Soon we leave behind the meteorological station and only have to walk a few meters through the old montane beech forest to reach Angels' Meadow, topped by a TV tower.

Back to the starting point

From the peak stone marking the highest point of our country, we descend to Mátraháza on the K trail. We pass the developed resting place at the Javoros Spring and descend through the beech forest of the Somor Creek valley to the foot of Tölgyes Hill. Upon reaching Mátraháza, at the village edge, we make a short detour on the K● trail to Saint Ladislaus Spring. This is the most famous spring of the Central Mátra after the Rákóczi Spring. Its water is fed by precipitation falling on the slope of Kékes. Alongside the Csór-réti reservoir, this spring supplies water to Mátraháza and the State Medical Institute. There are resting and fire-making places around the spring. According to legend, once when King Saint Ladislaus fought against the Cumans in the Mátra, there was such a drought that all streams and wells dried out. Our great king camped around the then village of Bene with his army, while the Cumans were near Visznek. When the soldiers could no longer bear the water shortage, Ladislaus, with a few trusted commanders, set off to search for water up the Kallók valley. Finding none, they began a devout prayer, at the end of which the saintly king shouted, "The God of the Hungarians shall not abandon us!" He stabbed his sword into a rock, from which a spring burst forth, quenching his troops' thirst by feeding the Bene stream.

Reaching main road 24, we turn right and return to the forest behind the bus stop building. We descend into the Nagy-Hidas valley, crossing its small wooden bridge, and continue with a steady, gentle climb parallel to the main road. Before our path reaches the asphalt, on the right, we find the Vargák Well fashioned by the waterworks, where Mihály Vörösmarty also rested during his 1829 excursion based on a letter he wrote. On the opposite side of the main road stands the Vörösmarty guesthouse and bus stop built between 1956–58, from where we started our hike.