Israel 60 Birthday Anniversary

Israel Government Announces National Plan for Cycling Routes Created by KKL-JNF for Israel 60 Birthday


At the Israel cabinet meeting that took place last week at Beit She’arim National Park to mark Love of Nature & Environment Week, Stenzler presented a national plan for creating cycling routes throughout Israel. During the meeting, attended by heads of KKL-JNF and the Nature & Parks Authority, the government decided to allocate resources to promote two environmental projects: cycling routes and camping sites in nature. By doing so, the Israel government will be realizing, through KKL-JNF, another of Theodore Herzl’s visions, who over one hundred years ago praised “the light bicycle that brings new life”.


According to the decision, KKL-JNF will be responsible for creating routes through forests and open spaces, the Trans - Israel Bicycle trail from Metula to Eilat, and special cycling routes in the four largest cities to connect them to the open spaces around them. The central such project, which KKL-JNF announced only recently, will be KKL-JNF’s sixtieth anniversary gift to the State: a 70-kilometer coast-to-mountain cycling route from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel.


At the meeting, Stenzler said: “I am pleased to be at this cabinet meeting, which is being held during Israel’s 60 year and at the beginning of Love of Nature & Environment Week, that addresses topics such as concern for the public welfare and developing infrastructures for cycling routes. This is especially relevant now when all over the world people are focusing on means to stop global warming and decrease the use of carbon burning fuels.


“At the initiative of the Israel Prime Minister's Office, the Ministries of Tourism, Environmental Protection, Transportation, Finance, Culture, the Nature and Parks Authority, and of course KKL-JNF, committed themselves to creating a five-year plan for developing an infrastructure for a network of cycling routes. To date, KKL-JNF has created hundreds of kilometers of forests trails that are suitable for cyclists and the ever-growing number of bicycle riders attests to just how popular this sport is becoming in Israel. The plan is based on two principles: developing infrastructures that are as accessible as possible to all the different sectors of the populace and cost-free entrance to the forests and recreation sites.”


To date, KKL-JNF has developed hundreds of kilometers of trails for pedestrians and cyclists, including almost 200 kilometers of routes specifically designed for bicycles. The routes have varying levels of difficulty, beginning with trails for the entire family, to steep, challenging trails and “singles” which are narrow trails for single riders. The routes were blazed throughout the country, from the Hula Lake to Timna Park, with the help of friends of KKL-JNF worldwide.


KKL-JNF began activities in this field about eight years ago. It sponsored three workshops with experts from abroad, blazed trails in accordance with international standards and signposted them. This infrastructure of bicycle routes was in response to public need in a country in which the sport of cycling is growing at a rapid rate. In addition, this project makes an important contribution to the environment and towards lessening greenhouse gases emissions, since it reduces dependence on motor vehicles.


Cycling Suggestions


Hula Lake

· Length of route: 8.5 kilometers

· Cycling time: approximately one hour

· Degree of difficulty: easy

· Nature of riding: a circular route on a paved road, without inclines and declines

· Technical difficulty: easy

· Suitability: the entire family and beginners

· Season: the entire year. Recommended: autumn, winter, spring

· Starting and finishing points: Hula Lake Visitors Center. The lake can be accessed from the Rosh Pina – Kiryt Shemona highway (Highway 90, between kms. 457-458).



Aminadav Forest

· Length of route: Long routem, about 15 km. short route, about 8 km.

· Cycling time: long route – about two hours; short route – one hour

· Degree of difficulty: medium

· Nature of riding: a circular route on packed dirt roads. Medium inclines

· Technical difficulty: easy

· Suitable for: experience biked riders

· Season: the entire year. In summer, not during the afternoon.

· Starting and finishing points: Kennedy Memorial. Turn south from the Tel-Aviv – Jerusalem highway (Highway 1) at the Harel interchange, drive to the Sataf circle. Turn left at the circle in the direction of Hadassah Hospital to the entrance to Orah. Continue to Moshav Aminadav, bypass the moshav and continue another 500 meters to the Kennedy Memorial.




Be’eri Road Ring

· Length of route: 23 kilometers

· Cycling time: 2- 4 hours

· Degree of difficulty: medium plus

· Nature of riding: circular route

· Technical difficulty: medium

· Suitable for: experienced bicyclists only

· Season: the entire year

· Starting and finishing points: KKL-JNF recreation site at the entrance to Kibbutz Be’eri, about 200 meters before the “La Medavesh” bicycle center. Access from the Sa’ad junction – Re’im junction (Highway 232).