Ben Shemen Forest: the Herzl singletrack

From the car park on the road up to Mitzpe Modi'in in Ben Shemen Forest (יער בן שמן), join the blue-marked Herzl singletrack. KKL signs it one way, anticlockwise: it heads west through eucalyptus and pine, past a plot of the oldest Brutia pines in the country, planted in 1929, then south along the forest fence, east through a series of switchbacks and wooded valleys, past a small old dam, and north on a last climb back to the lookout. Where the singletrack meets a dirt road, KKL has set two big stones to show the way on.

It is 10.5 km round with 152 m of climbing; allow about an hour of riding. The grade is Easy: smooth, mostly gentle singletrack, the easiest of KKL's three loops here.

Ride only in the signed direction and follow the blue marks: many other paths cross the trail. Rocks and loose gravel appear in summer, and midsummer is hot, so ride early. KKL has closed the car park beside the lookout itself while it rebuilds the amphitheatre: park along the access road.

The forest is free. It lies beside Route 443 east of the Ben Shemen interchange, between Lod and Modi'in; there is no convenient bus.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.