Kékes Summit Trail

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Kékes Summit Trail: Hungary’s Highest Point Day Hike

Published 17 July 2025 Updated 5 June 2026

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HikeList Score

Kékes Summit Trail scored 82/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.

Great Hike

See score breakdownHide breakdown

Ideal length 55
Balanced challenge 100
Scenery & wildness 98
Varied terrain 64
Accommodation 75
Food & support 88
Path quality 98
Season flexibility 89

Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.

The Kékes Summit Trail is a 13 km, moderate out-and-back day hike from Mátrafüred to Kékes, Hungary’s highest point at 1,014 m, in the Mátra Mountains of Heves County. It suits hikers who want a clear, waymarked forest climb with about 700 m of ascent, summit facilities and no overnight logistics. For more mountain walking in Hungary, it pairs naturally with the Bükk National Park Trail or the Aggtelek National Park Trail.

Route Overview

There is no single officially named “Kékes Summit Trail”; several marked routes climb Kékestető. The standard version starts and ends at Mátrafüred, a resort district of Gyöngyös reached by narrow-gauge railway, bus or car. From Mátrafüred the route climbs through beech and mixed woodland to the mountain resort of Mátraháza, where refreshments are available, then continues to the developed summit area at Kékestető. After the summit monument and optional TV tower observation deck, retrace the same route back to Mátrafüred. It is a straightforward out-and-back rather than a staged trek; for a longer Hungarian waymarked objective, see the European Long-Distance Trail E4.

Kékes: from lookout hill to national high point

A wooden lookout tower was first built on Kékes in 1889. After the 1920 Treaty of Trianon redrew Hungary’s borders, Kékes became the country’s highest peak, and the area developed quickly: a road, meteorological station and mountain hotel followed in the 1920s–30s. Hungary’s first climate sanatorium opened here in 1932, using the cooler high-altitude air. The present TV and observation tower was built in 1980.

Notable highlights

Kékestető summit (1,014 m): Hungary’s highest point, marked by a stone monument painted in the national red-white-green tricolour. The summit area is developed, with cafés and a buffet.

Kékes TV Tower: A roughly 178 m reinforced-concrete and steel broadcast tower opened in 1980. Its public observation deck has a small entry fee and can give views towards the Tatra Mountains on clear days.

Beech forest: Much of the ascent runs through old beech and mixed conifer woodland in the Mátra Landscape Protection Area. The shade makes the climb cooler in summer.

Mátraháza: A mountain resort part-way up the route, useful for refreshments. Nearby is the Magyarok Nagyasszonya, or Our Lady of Hungarians, chapel built in the 1940s.

Mátra panoramas: Viewpoints open over the wooded ridges and valleys of northern Hungary as the trail gains height towards Kékestető.

Mátra climate sanatorium: Beside the summit stands the Mátra, or Kékesi, climate sanatorium, Hungary’s first climatic health resort, opened in 1932.

Challenges to expect

Expect a steady mountain climb rather than technical hiking: the main challenge is about 700 m of ascent over dirt, stony and rocky forest paths, with occasional gravel forest roads. The route is well waymarked, but several variants climb Kékes, so check signs and your return route. Spring to autumn is best; the summit is cooler than the lowlands and can hold snow in winter, when ski pistes operate.

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Ranked #345 of 974

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