Through the Visegrád Hills

Itinerary

Throughout the route, we must follow the P marking.

• We pass under the main road via an underpass, then head east along Rév Street. This changes at one corner to Nagy Lajos Street, then to Mátyás Király Street, but we don't turn off.
• At the hairpin bend of the road leading to the castle, we continue straight on foot. The P passes by the trout lakes; after a long walk the asphalt ends, and we enter the cool beech forest of the Szent László Valley.
• In Pilisszentlászló, we walk on Honvéd Street towards the village center. If we do not enter there, we must turn sharply left on the last street before Petőfi Square, heading upwards to re-enter forested terrain.
• The P runs together with the National Blue Trail K marking up to Pap-rét. Upon reaching a small plateau of the Visegrád Hills, we follow the asphalt, but the hiking trail climbs the hillside, cutting off a bend.
• From Pap-rét, we continue east along a wide forestry road. We leave Palócki and later Zánkói clearing, arriving at Vértes Meadow.
• At Vértes Meadow, our path takes a 90-degree right turn, then heads southeast. We climb Kis-Bükk Hill, and finally arrive at the panoramic clearing of Vörös-kő.
• The P marking descends on the southern side of Vörös-kő. The path initially descends moderately, then reaches the clearing next to Rekettyés Lake via a steep serpentines.
• The P hiking trail crosses a sunny clearing heading southeast, then descends on a forest dirt road to Leányfalu. Following Gyulai Pál Street straight, we reach the bus stop; if we walk another 50 meters straight ahead, we can finish the route with a view of the Danube riverside.

About the route in detail

In terms of landscape, the red route’s two mountain ranges are not distinctly separable from each other. The volcanism of the mountain belt here began during the plate movements that created the Carpathians, making Börzsöny and the Visegrád Hills the two oldest volcanic members of the chain. After their birth, they smoked over the surrounding water masses as barren island volcanoes. Their further history was shaped by decomposition caused by external forces and the emergence of the Danube; the geological similarities and geographical proximity created regions with very similar landscape features. In terms of elevation, the Visegrád Hills lag behind Börzsöny, but its most atmospheric parts can be found in its deeper points, in the valleys.

The Szent László Valley, typical of the rocky, water-rich, closed valleys of the mountain range, connects Visegrád with Pilisszentlászló via the Apát-kúti and upper sections. With some imagination, it allows one to feel immersed in the Carpathian wilderness. On the section near Visegrád, be sure to descend to the Ördögmalom waterfall, which contrary to its name is rather just a small roar; however, the emerald color of the pool below and the dark rock form a captivating sight. Leaving the asphalt road, we continue through dense forest: after picnic sites designed for weekend family outings, we reach the real hiking area. The valley’s unforgettable rock blocks and gorge trail cross the creek countless times, generally following it on a path barely wider than a person. In the dark beech forest, dead wood lies everywhere and mossy mounds cover the creek’s path; this few-kilometer stretch forms one of the national park’s gems—despite massive forestry clearings on one bank in the upper section.

At the valley’s end, we cross the stream once again over a bridge, and the forestry road eventually develops into a street next to the village. We just touch the village center before a short but steep climb leads us to the asphalt road at Pap-rét. From the curve of the concrete road, we have the opportunity to look over the heights surrounding the Sztaravoda Valley.

From Pap-rét, a long and pleasant forest walk begins; unfortunately, in many places, signs of ice damage caused by the freezing rain of 2014 are visible in the battered forest. At the end of a gentle climb following the clearings of Zánkói meadow, we reach a peaceful resting place at Vértes Meadow, which is idyllic in all seasons; just above it, at 548 meters, we pass the highest point of the Visegrád Hills trek. From here it’s only a short forest walk to the splendid rocky lookout at Vörös-kő. We turn right, climb a small crest, and soon see the sizable rain shelter. Next to it, we can examine the distant ranges of Börzsöny, from Drégelyvár to Csóványos—the full panorama opens if we descend a few meters on an unmarked path through the forest to the namesake rocky outcrop. The viewpoint clearing is 20 meters from the rain shelter.

It is no wonder that Vörös-kő was once used as an artillery firing position: behind the Danube riverside settlements sprawling below, the Szentendre Island and the Pest Plain also display themselves like on a map; from Vác and the towering Naszály Hill up to Pest, the landscape can be viewed. In clear weather, Szanda and, further away, the two masses of the Mátra are clearly visible. Right below us, in the foreland of the mountain range, stretches the fertile soils built and repeatedly covered by the Danube’s beneficial silt. At the viewpoint, a lonely natural stone column testifies that once the small rock crack’s name was enough for an ideology to claim the place for itself. Now it has simply been freed, becoming a destination for slightly tired hikers above Leányfalu.

A path starts descending in a steep, serpentine fashion toward the settlement. At the end of the descent, we reach a clearing; if we cut left here, among the trees we can discover an interesting warm-microclimate pond covered with duckweed in the dense forest. Finally, gentle forest roads lead us into the houses. Keeping straight, our path leads to the Danube riverside.