The Jerusalem Trail is a 38 km long hiking trail along the city of Jerusalem. The trail begins at the Ein Handak campsite, continues east toward Jerusalem, encircles the Old City and returns west until it ends at the Sataf. The trail connects to the Israel National Trail at its beginning and end, so it can be considered as an expansion for it as it does not pass through Jerusalem itself.
In the urban area of Jerusalem, the trail is marked by a special trail marker in blue-gold-blue colors. Out of town the trail is also marked with standard Israli trail markings, mostly blue but also black and green. The trail was inaugurated during the Jerusalem March on Sukkot in 2006.
The Jerusalem Trail
The Jerusalem Trail can be divided into 5 sections, but as the trail is continuous, they can be done in a different sequence or division:
Section 1: From Ein Handak to Yad Vashem
The Jerusalem Trail officially begins in the Ein Handak campsite at the foot of Moshav Even Sapir. This campsite is also located on the Israel National Trail. In Ein Handak there are two springs hewn in the rock with water flowing through them all year round. Keep in mind that the water is not clean and it is forbidden to enter into it.
The site has easy access to vehicles and many nice picnic spots. A dirt road (with blue trail marking) leads to a gate with a sign indicating the beginning of the Hadassah Trail. This trail is mainly a dirt road leading to Maayan Miriam on HaMaayan Street in Ein Kerem, a neighborhood in the outskirts of Jerusalem, and from there to the entrance plaza of Yad Vashem.
Yad Vashem (literally meaning “a memorial and a name”) is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered, honoring those who fought against the Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need.
Established in 1953, Yad Vashem is located on the western slope of Mount Herzl, also known as the Mount of Remembrance. The memorial consists of a 180-dunam complex containing memorials and museums for the larger public.
Section 2: From Yad Vashem to Ben Hinnom valley
From the entrance plaza to Yad Vashem, the Jerusalem Trail continues along Herzl Boulevard to Danya Square and from there along the Beit Hakerem neighborhood to Givat Ram. The trail continues through Kaplan Street, The government complex and the Bank of Israel to the Israel Museum, and from there to the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) and the Rose Garden adjacent to it.
The path that goes through the rose garden will lead us towards the direction of Saker Garden and the Jerusalem Bird Research Station (a site belonging to the Society for the Protection of Nature). In a special hiding place on the site you can sit and watch the local birds do their birdy things.
From there, the Jerusalem Trail crosses the garden and leads us to the Rehavia neighborhood (via Binyamin Metudela Street) and from there to Alfasi Street. The path winds through the neighborhood streets and leads to the President’s house , the Jerusalem Theater and next to them the Moon grove (a pine grove where schools, nature classes and youth movements take place. The grove was planted in the late 19th century to serve as a garden around the nearby leper hospital).
From this grove, the path continues on the border of the Talbiyah neighborhoods and the German colony to the Yemin Moshe neighborhood, with the famous (and photogenic) windmill that stands at the entrance to it. Next to the windmill there is a plaza overlooking a spectacular view of the old city walls. The path continues downhill towards Ben Hinnom valley and the Cinematheque building.
The Valley of Hinnom is an important topographical feature surrounding historical Jerusalem from the west and southwest. Its name in biblical Hebrew is “valley of the son of Hinnom”, and according to the Hebrew Bible, it was where some of the kings of Judah sacrificed their children by fire. Thereafter, it was deemed to be cursed.
Section 3: From the Ben Hinnom valley to the Hebrew University
This section of the trail, which is about 4 km long, is the most visited part of the route and passes through a number of sites sacred to the three major religions (Jews, Muslim and Christians). The trail continues on a dirt road through Ben Hinnom valley and to the Arab village of Silwan, and reaches the Pool of Siloam. there, a number of rock-cut pools on the southern slope of the Wadi Hilweh, which is considered by some archaeologists to be the original site of Jerusalem. The pools were fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by the Siloam Tunnel.
The trail continues along the Kidron River, which descends from Mount Scopus, and from there passes near the Church of All Nations and up the Mount of Olives located east of the Old City. Due to its height, the Mount of Olives allows observation of the Old City and the Temple Mount complex.
The trail continues uphill towards Mount Scopus through the Tzurim Valley, which is a 170 square meters national park. The place has convenient parking, from which you can continue another 50 meters in a northeasterly direction for an impressive view of the Judean Desert.
Section 4: From the Hebrew University of Lifta
From the Hebrew University, the path turns west and descends on Eshkol Boulevard to Ammunition Hill, Shivtei Israel Street and Safra Square. This route is unmarked. The trail continues along Jaffa Street and winds from the downtown area, Zion Square, Nahalat Shiva and King George Street, and from there to Agrippas Street, Mahane Yehuda Market and reaching the exit from Jerusalem.
From there, the route descends to The International Convention Center, commonly known as Binyanei HaUma. This is a concert hall and convention center which is the largest in the Middle East. From there we continue under the Chords Bridge (known as the Light Rail Bridge), to the remains of the Arab village of Lifta located at the entrance to the city.
Section 5: From Lifta to the Sataf
From the starting point in Lifta, we continue on the trail marked in blue and descend to the Lifta spring and into the village. From there, we descend to the Nahal Sorek channel, which is one of the longest streams in Israel. The path winds along the channel and continues to the Arazim Valley and Nahal Khalilim. This is the last part of the trail. The marking turns black as we progress along a short section to Mount Herat.
The path surrounds Mount Herat, now with a blue trail marker, and continues along Road 395 to reach a traffic circle known as the Har Eitan junction or the Sataf junction. At this point there are bus stops and it is a possible ending (or starting) point for the trail. An additional ending or starting point is at the Sataf Traveler Information Station – which is actually the second connection point of the Jerusalem Trail back with the Israel National Trail.
The Jerusalem Trail Map
This is a map of the trail that was created on Google Maps. It is not the best, but you can use it to plan your hike – and it should be enough as the trail is marked quite well.