Following some questions we received from readers we decided to write the following post, which will explain everything you need to know about trail markers in Israel. Today we will talk about the different marks, how to read them (during a hike and on the map) – but before that we will start with the basic question – who even makes (and maintains) those trail markings?
The answer is one – the Israel Trails’ Committee
Israel Trails’ Committee
The Israel Trails’ Committee, or in its former name the Trail Marking Committee, is a committee funded and supervised by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and is responsible for marking all hiking trails in Israel. It operates a team that marks and paints all of Israel’s trails, in colors donated by Tambour (one of the leading Israeli manufacturers of paint and other construction materials).
The marking is done using a rectangle 20 cm long and 15 cm wide, consisting of three columns each 5 cm wide. In most cases, the color in the center column is the color of the trail (blue, green, red, or black) – and it will match the color in which the same trail is marked on the map.
The color in the side columns is usually white, and its purpose is to emphasize the middle color. Despite all sorts of theories, it is important to know that trail markers colors have no meaning other than to indicate the trail on which they are located, and the color in which a trail is marked is selected – in most cases – just to avoid a situation where two trails of the same color intersect.
In general, the committee tries to adapt the trail route to the most beautiful, safe and clear route for hikers. The markings are made in such a way that they are easy to follow, and in most cases will be found on protruding objects, usually rocks or columns.
Trail Markers in Israel
The markers of trails in Israel has a clear “hierarchy”. Here is the main marks:
Short hiking trails
A trail of up to 10 km long will be marked in one of four colors – black, green, blue or red – and will appear on the map as a dotted line in the same color. As we have already said, colors have no meaning other than to differentiate between the different trails in the same area.
Long hiking trails
Long trails of 60 to 100 km long – those designed for a few days hike on a relatively long route – will be marked in orange or purple. To avoid double marking, when crossing or intersecting the route of another trail, they will be marked as a purple or orange dot added to the regular trail marker.
Examples of such long trails: the Negev Mountain Trail, the Ramon Trail, the Jesus Trail, the Springs Valley Trail, the Jezreel Valley Trail, the Ramot Menashe Trail, the Lower Galilee Trail and the Sharon Trail.
Read more about long hiking trails in Israel.
The Golan Trail
The Golan Trail is a long hiking trail of about 130 km in the Golan Heights. The trail was inaugurated in May 2007, following a five-month marking operation by the Israel Trails’ Committee at the Society for the Protection of Nature at the initiative of the Golan Tourism Association. Part of the northern section, from the Ein Kinia area, is an addition to the Israel National Trail.
The trail is marked in three colors: white (symbolizing Mount Hermon), blue (symbolizing the Sea of Galilee) and green (the Golan). The white color will always be on the right, whether facing south or north. On the map it will appear in light blue.
The Jerusalem Trail
The Jerusalem Trail is a 38 km long hiking route along the city of Jerusalem. The trail begins at the Ein Hendak 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, and can be considered as an expansion to it, as it does not pass through Jerusalem itself.
In the urban area within the city, the trail is marked by special trail markings in blue-gold-blue colors. Out of town the trail is also marked with standard trail markings, mostly blue but also black and green.
Israel National Trail
The Israel National Trail is a hike along the State of Israel, 1,050 km long, which begins at Kibbutz Dan in the north and ends at the Eilat Field School, on the shores of the Gulf of Eilat. But you already know that, don’t you?
The Israel National Trail is marked with the unique and familiar marker of white-blue-orange colors. The marking will usually appear in a graded manner when the top color indicates the direction of walking: white to the north and orange to the south, with white representing Mount Hermon in the north and orange to the desert in the south.
Turns and Splits in the Trail
So far we discussed the colors of the marking itself – now we will talk about the shape of the mark, and what it symbolizes.
Entrance to a trail
Will be marked as vertical marking (as opposed to horizontal markings all the way through).
Turn, Trail Junction
Another relatively intuitive marking – a turn will be marked as, well, a turn. And connection between two trails will be marked accordingly (in the example below, connection and crossing of a red and black trails).
End of a trail
This is a relatively rare mark that will mark the end of the trail, and will usually appear after reaching a certain landmark, vantage point or “attraction” to which it will reach – where we will be impressed, turn around and we will have to repeat our way back.
Transparent trail mark
A transparent mark (one in which the two white sides will be marked, but without color in the center) symbolizes a small local path that directs us to some point of interest that is not on the trail, but constitutes a small deviation from it (up to 150 meters). Given the small scale of the segment, it will appear only in real life, but not on the map.
Trail Markers in Israel – Summary
As we promised – it was not that complicated, right?
If you still have questions, feel free to ask us in the comments below.
Want to upgrade your navigation capability for Israel and take it to another level? Learn how to navigate even where there are no trail markers – and read our post explaining how to read a topographic map.