Hármashatár-hegy running loop under the shadow of paragliders and the lion

Itinerary

• From the bus terminal, go straight into the forest following the Z↺ sign, passing the forest playground until the Határnyereg junction.
• At Határnyereg, turn left and briefly follow the K and S signs, then after about 100 m run up a steep, unmarked single track to the Homok Hill.
• From Homok Hill, turn left going downhill, running along the west side of the glider airfield, and finally crossing to the other side to start back.
• In the middle of the east side, turn left onto the perpendicular, wide and straight dirt road running up to Vörös-kővár.
• From Vörös-kővár, cross over to the Hangár building, then continue to Határ-nyereg.
• From Határ-nyereg, run straight on the K path to Árpád lookout.
• From Árpád lookout, run back to the bus terminal on the Látó Hill road following the Z↺ circular route sign.

Detailed description of the run

After the bus terminal, an easy, steadily ascending section with pleasant forest floor leads to the parking-playground-picnic area complex (km 1). On the left side, there is one blue pressed path, the only one on the route. Continuing to ascend gently on a wide forest road, you reach Határ-nyereg. This is a busy crossroads, but to the left and uphill is the easily found path marked with K, S, and P↺ signs.

After about 100 m, take the unmarked, steep, convex ascending short path on the right to reach a clearing on the top of Homok Hill. Say goodbye to the shade of trees for a while: the next few kilometers will be on open terrain. There is a wide view of the glider airfield and Hármashatárhegy from Homok Hill.

On the left path, descend steeply to the airfield (km 2) and run on the same side on flat terrain to the end (km 3). Circumvent it and start back on the other side. Around halfway there is a wide, well-visible road leading perpendicularly upward to Vörös-kővár. This is a 400-500 meter-long steady climb, gaining 70-80 meters in elevation – especially in hot sun this is one of the harder sections of the run. The peak itself is a bit inward, left at the edge of the bushes; not far from it is a pole always with a windsock. From here, the next target is clearly visible: the stone-built Hangár at the base of Újlaki Hill, above which is the launch ramp used by hang gliders and paragliders, and on the other side of the airfield the previously mentioned Homok Hill is also visible.

Passing the Hangár (km 5) on the right and turning right, you can find the unmarked but wide dirt road leading from Újlaki Hill back to Határnyereg. Here turn left (km 6) on Glück Frigyes Walk following the K mark of the National Blue Trail, partly on gravel until Árpád lookout. Along the way, you run past Oroszlán Rock, and on the right there are many beautiful views of János Hill.

At the end of this panoramic route (km 7), the path in the forest starts to ascend steadily, becoming rockier, and remains so nearly up to Árpád lookout. From here, you will be rewarded with a view decorated by the Parliament building, Castle Hill, Gellért Hill, and the downtown Danube bridges. Right next to the lookout, continue on the Z↺ marked path which takes you back to the bus terminal (km 9).