On the most beautiful trails of Mátra

Itinerary

• Start running on the S trail.
• After Rózsaszállás, when reaching the asphalt road, switch to the S● trail.
• By the trout lake, look for the K+ trail; continue running on this trail.
• At the Sötét-lápa saddle, join the K trail and follow it along the ridge.
• At Markazi gate, leave the dirt road and follow the Z trail down.
• A few hundred meters later, turn right and continue running on the Z● path.
• After the waterfall, our path soon joins the Z trail, which leads us back to the starting point.

Detailed description of the run

We start our run from the parking lot next to Szent István-csevicek road. The carbonated mineral water, which locals have used since ancient times for its healing effect, can be pulled up from a nearly 10-meter deep wooden well with a crank. After starting on the S trail, walk carefully after 300 meters, as our path turns right off the asphalt road and crosses the Ilona stream. We climb uphill through beech forest, gaining elevation on steep but runnable slopes with cautious steps. We proceed on a mix of narrow paths and two-track dirt roads. The increasingly wet soil shows the area's richness in streams and springs. We cross the trickling Pál-Bükki stream twice, then at the height of the visible Rózsaszállás building, we reach the worn forest asphalt road and remain on the paved road for 2 kilometers. This will be the easiest, most runnable part of the uphill section of our run.

Soon we reach the specially laid-out resting place by the atmospheric Trout Lake, where we say goodbye to the asphalt and the trail followed so far. We continue running left on the K+ trail. First, we pass a spring feeding the lakes, then start tackling the hardest climb of the day. For about one and a half kilometers, forced walking will likely be our main movement form. At the third of the climb, we reach the Gabi-halála memorial, and after overcoming the very rocky terrain, at the Sötét-lápa saddle we find ourselves on the main ridge of Mátra, turning onto the K trail.

From here, we continue on particularly wild paths. The single-track, rocky, winding trail offers wonderful views in all directions on clear days. At one point on the narrowing ridge, the Sas-kő viewpoint is worth stopping at: within a few meters, a magnificent panorama opens to both north and south. From nearly 900 meters elevation, we steadily lose altitude and soon arrive at the Markazi gate, where the landscape becomes more gentle. Switching to the Z trail, we jog on a two-track dirt road, and then for a very short time, we visit the other section of the asphalt road already encountered, before heading toward the Z● marked path.

Turning toward the Ilona stream, we can observe the incredible shapes carved into the rocks by the flowing water over millennia. After a short while, we descend on a steep path, climbing over rocks to reach the area's most beautiful natural wonder, the Ilona waterfall. It is hard to tire of the sight, but in time we must continue along the stream. First, the Z trail joins us, then we join the asphalt road leading into the valley. We jog back in a straight line under the shade of a picturesque chestnut avenue to the parking lot serving as the starting point.