Paths
Barefoot trail
The barefoot trail situated near the Piroska Lake is based on a health monitoring method, developed by a German naturopath, Sebastian Kneipp.The trail is made of different materials and while walking on it we can stimulate the different reflex points of the sole.Walking barefoot is recommended especially for children as they don’t have a developed foot vault.
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Relaxing walk in Sovata
Take a self-guided walk in the old town - Sovata. Following this path, you can stroll through the past and present sights of Sovata and get to know the resort's most impressive buildings. Duration: 1 hourSovata started to become famous as a balneo therapeutic health resort in the late 1800s, when József Veress founded the salt spring-water health center „Gera Bath” in „Lower Sovata”, on Géra Street. Today there is a Unitarian church on that spot, but the existing salt spring water source reminds us of the former „Géra Bath”. Walking from the salty water well in the direction of the Bear Lake you reach „Upper Sovata”, which has expanded over the years and is now the central part of the resort. Year after year Sovata became more famous because of the healing effects of its lakes, which attracted more and more visitors. As a result, villas that evoke the atmosphere of the 19th century were built, which can be seen along the way. The next notable point is the Mary's Well , which was named after actress Mari Jászai, who was a great fan of Sovata Resort. Not far from here you can see the Judges' Villa, which was built for the treatment of the officials. The next two emblematic buildings are Pacsirta Villa, also known as the Twin Villas, which, after renovation, faithfully reflects the architecture of that era. Right next to these Villas is the former Greek Catholic wooden church, which now belongs to the Orthodox Church. Walking further from here we reach the heart of the resort, the Bear Lake, where once two iconic buildings were standing: the Mushrooms. Today only one of them, the Little Mushroom building is still standing.
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The Bear Educational Trail
Itinerary: Bear Lake – Piroska Lake – Tivoli Lake – Toplica Hill – Bear LakeRoute length: 1200 mDifference in elevation: 77 mThe trail starts on the path around Bear Lake and after a round trip it returns to the Northeastern part of Bear Lake. The Bear eco-didactic route is the longest of all, which offers the possibility to admire the landscape from 3 lookout points. During an easy 40 minute walk we can discover the flora and fauna characteristic of the place.
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The Salt Educational Trail
Itinerary: Bear Lake – Snakes Lake – Blackbird Lake – Salt Valley – Hazel LakeRoute length: 970 mDifference in elevation: 50 mThe tourist trail starts on the western side of the Bear Lake, leads through swampy areas, hills and areas marked by salty formations, it passes by the Blackbird Lake and returns to the south-western shores of the Hazel Lake, through the Salt Valley.Walking through the trail we can discover the rich and varied wildlife of the protected area, the oak, hornbeam and beech forests, rare plants, the interesting peat bog and the special plants of the salty area (glasswort).
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Tivoli Alley
Itinerary: Bear Lake – Tivoli Street – Tivoli LakeRoute length: 600 mDifference in elevation: 49 mAfter a 20 minute walk on this alley, we can reach Tivoli Lake.The artificial, fresh water lake, situated at the foot of the Cseresznyés(Cherry) Hill, was created with the purpose to collect the meteoric waters from the surrounding hillsides, allowing controlled discharge of fresh water into the Bear Lake.The route, going through deciduous and mixed forests, starts next to the Bear Lake and splits after an initial steep ascent, both segments connecting directly to Tivoli street. From there the route follows the line of Tivoli street until it reaches Tivoli Lake.
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Red and Green Lake alley
Itinerary: Bear Lake – Green Lake – Red Lake – Salt HillRoute length: 190 mThe route, connected with the Bear Lake alley, guides visitors along the shores of two lakes up to the foot of the Salt Hill. During a short walk we can visit the Red and the Green Lakes, with a high concentration of salt and the Salt Hill, on whose surface, due to the continuous erosive action of precipitations, karst-like formations have been created in the Salt Hill, by digging thousands of channels separated by variable-width crests.The two lakes entered a state of conservation for regeneration, so bathing is forbidden and a wooden protective fence was placed on the West side of the lakes.
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Western tourist alley
Itinerary: Bear Lake – Salt Hill – Forest road – Lookout towerRoute length: 515 mDifference in elevation: 48 mThe western tourist alley, the second route after Hazel Lake, starts from the path around Bear Lake, ascends forest-capped hills up to the boundaries of the protected area, where it crosses with the forest road leading to Lake Tivoli. The trail was created with the purpose to connect Bear Lake with the tourist area located in the northern part of the city. At the beginning of the path, above the Salt Hill, an observation-spot offers a panoramic view of the Red and Green Lakes and after advancing between deciduous and mixed forests, it reaches the sinkholes of the Salt Hill, which are funnel-shaped circular depressions.The end of the trail is marked by a strategically placed, two level structure overlooking the north-eastern part of the town. Leaving the observation spot behind, on the forest road leading towards the town, we can easily reach the 28 m high lookout tower, the lookout tower.
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