The easiest hikes in Israel, by the numbers
Of the 28 trails in Israel in our dataset, 10 (36 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 10 are listed here, lowest rating first.
French Carmel trail has the lowest rating: 105 ft of gain over 1.3 miles, 81 ft per mile.
Across the 10, gain runs from 105 to 289 ft and distance from 1.1 miles to 5 miles; the median gain is 190 ft and the median distance 2.4 miles.
8 of the 10 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (2).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Carmel trail | 1.3 | 105 | 81 | 9% | 272 to 410 | 16.5 | |
| 2 | Nahal Yehudiya Trail | 1.1 | 233 | 212 | 20% | 390 to 623 | 22.6 | |
| 3 | Neot Kedumim | 1.8 | 206 | 114 | 8% | 404 to 610 | 27.2 | |
| 4 | Derech Nof Nir Moshe | 2.4 | 162 | 68 | 6% | 276 to 476 | 27.9 | |
| 5 | Tel Hadid Loop | 2.4 | 174 | 73 | 12% | 322 to 482 | 28.9 | |
| 6 | Tel Gezer LoopGezer | 1.9 | 242 | 127 | 14% | 499 to 741 | 30.3 | |
| 7 | The Lev Trail | 5 | 105 | 21 | 8% | 118 to 262 | 32.4 | |
| 8 | Nahal Avdat TrailEin Avdat | 3.6 | 159 | 44 | 4% | 1,713 to 1,886 | 33.8 | |
| 9 | Gezer Trail 2Gezer | 3 | 289 | 96 | 10% | 479 to 787 | 41.6 | |
| 10 | Nahal SorekHare Yehuda NP | 3.6 | 260 | 72 | 9% | 1,385 to 1,686 | 43.3 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Israel" here means the 28 trails in Israel in our dataset, not every trail in Israel.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with French Carmel trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.