Kékes

1,014 m

Hungary

Also known as Кекеш, კეკეში, +1

Кекеш · კეკეში · Modravá

Elevation: 1,014 m
Prominence: 774 m
Difficulty: 1/10; Easy walk
Best Season: May–Jun
Routes: 1

Routes

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The standard walk to Hungary's highest point: 3.6 km and about 345 m of ascent on the blue-waymarked National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra) from the resort of Mátraháza, past the Veronika meadow and up the line of the southern ski run through beech forest to the red-white-green summit stone at 1,014 m. About 1½ hours up.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 3.3 km; one way
Ascent: +305 m; start → summit
High Point: 1,018 m
Time Up: 1h 26m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 1h 08m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Start in Mátraháza (about 680 m), the resort on main road 24 between Gyöngyös and Parád, where buses stop and there is free roadside parking. The National Blue Trail (blue stripe waymarks, section OKT-21) leaves the village alongside the access road towards Kékestető, then turns off on the left and climbs past the Veronika-rét meadow (about 770 m), the bottom of the southern ski run. From Veronika-rét the trail climbs steadily on forest paths and along the southern ski run, Hungary's longest piste, through beech woods with some stony, steeper pitches. It comes out on the summit plateau of Kékestető beside the ski lifts and the sanatorium, and the summit stone painted in the national colours stands on a small rise near the 180 m TV tower, whose lift-served viewing platform (45 m up, fee) gives the best view. The Hungarian blue-trail authority gives 3.6 km, +345/−45 m and 1 hour 30 minutes. Return the same way, or make a loop: the marked network allows a circuit back to Mátraháza via the Som-nyereg saddle or the southern ski run, typically 6–7 km and 2–3 hours in total. The summit can also be reached by road (bus to Kékestető, Mátrai Gyógyintézet), so expect crowds at the top at weekends.

Start

Mátraháza, autóbusz-állomás713 m

Volánbusz buses from Gyöngyös to Mátraháza run frequently; a few direct buses a day run from Budapest (Stadion bus station) to Mátraháza and Kékestető.
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Mátraháza, autóbusz-állomás → Kékes	3.3	305	0	1h 26m

Waypoints

Station:
Mátraháza, autóbusz-állomás713 m
Bus stop and centre of Mátraháza; free roadside parking nearby; OKT stamp at the Mátra büfé
Feature:
Veronika rét783 m
Meadow at the foot of the southern ski run
Summit:
Kékes1,014 m

Key Passages

Veronika-rét meadow
Climb along the southern ski run
Summit stone and TV tower viewpoint

Equipment

0/4 packed

Footwear

Walking shoes or light bootsstony, steep pitches; muddy after rainRequired
Microspikesicy paths in winterRecommended

Clothing

Rain jacket and warm layerthe summit is about 5 °C colder than the lowlands and often foggyRecommended

Other

Waterno drinking water on the trail; cafés at both endsRecommended

Downloads

Route confidence 80%

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Overview

Hungary's highest point (1,014 m), a forested andesite summit in the Mátra hills crowned by a 180 m TV tower, a sanatorium and the country's longest ski run. An easy 1½-hour walk on the National Blue Trail from Mátraháza, or a bus ride to the top.

Kékes rises in the High Mátra, the volcanic andesite range of the North Hungarian Mountains about 90 km north-east of Budapest. The summit is a broad, wooded dome rather than a peak: the high point, marked by a stone painted in the national colours, sits on a plateau shared with the resort hamlet of Kékestető, the Mátra sanatorium, ski lifts and the 1981 TV tower, whose viewing platform 45 m up is the only place with an all-round view over the forest.

For walkers it is a short, easy objective, usually climbed from Mátraháza on the National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra), whose highest point it is. The more rewarding walking lies on the long ridge east towards Sirok, which the Blue Trail authority calls its toughest section, with narrow andesite crests and natural viewpoints. A road reaches the top, and on fine weekends the summit is busy with visitors, cyclists and, in winter, skiers.

The climate is noticeably cooler and wetter than the lowlands, with an annual mean of about 6.4 °C, frequent fog and snow cover often lasting into spring, which makes Kékestető Hungary's main ski area.

Climbing Notes

No mountaineering skills are needed. The Mátraháza route suits families and anyone able to walk 3.6 km uphill on forest paths (about 345 m of ascent, 1½ hours); good shoes help on stony and muddy sections. For a fuller day, combine it with the Blue Trail east along the Mátra ridge, or start lower in Mátrafüred or Parádfürdő. In winter the paths can be icy and the road to the summit is sometimes closed to cars in snow; microspikes are useful. Fog is frequent, so carry a map or use the well-marked trail network rather than relying on views. The OKT stamp for Kékestető is at the summit (OKK signpost), and Mátraháza has its own stamp at the Mátra büfé.

History

The Mátra Association, a section of the Hungarian Tourist Association, built a 20 m wooden lookout tower on the summit in 1888; named after the minister József Vass, it was extended with a shelter in 1926 but closed as unsafe in 1938 and demolished during the Second World War. After the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 Kékes became Hungary's highest mountain, replacing Gerlachovský štít in the Tatras. A luxury spa hotel and the 5 km road from Mátraháza were completed in 1933; the hotel became a state sanatorium in the 1950s. The southern and northern ski runs were cut in 1933–1937. The first transmitter tower dates from 1958; the present 180 m TV tower was built in 1977–1981. The tricolour summit stone was first set up in the late 1950s and has stood on its present base since 20 August 1985. Since 2001 the climb from Gyöngyös has regularly hosted the summit finish of the Tour de Hongrie.

Season

Best May–Jun

January: Possible
February: Possible
March: Possible
April: Good
May: Best (best window)
June: Best (best window)
July: Good
August: Good
September: Best
October: Best
November: Good
December: Possible

Jan: Snow and ice; ski season; road may close to cars in snowfall
Feb: Snow and ice; ski season
Mar: Lingering snow and mud
Apr: Spring; muddy paths
May: Fresh beech forest; good walking
Jul: Summer weekends busy; cooler than the lowlands
Aug: Busy; thunderstorms possible
Sep: Clear, settled days are common
Oct: Autumn colours in the beech forest
Nov: Fog and early frosts
Dec: Winter conditions; icy paths

Access & Permits

Fees

No fee for the summit or the trail; the TV tower viewing platform charges an entrance fee (HUF 1,600 for adults according to the operator, with discounts for children, over-65s and groups)

Rules

Keep off groomed ski runs while the lifts are operating
The road from Mátraháza to Kékestető is often closed to cars in snowy weather

Getting There

Gyöngyös (about 18 km by road)

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD)

Bus: frequent Volánbusz services from Gyöngyös to Mátraháza and Kékestető; a few direct buses a day from Budapest Stadion bus station
Car: M3 motorway to Gyöngyös, then main road 24 into the Mátra to Mátraháza; the access road continues 5 km to the summit car park
Train: Budapest–Gyöngyös (via Vámosgyörk), then bus

Hazards

Weather