Ben Shemen Forest

The scenic roads in the Ben Shemen Forest have signposts for hikers’ convenience and lead to a variety of view and sites. All along the scenic roads are many recreation areas and most have wheelchair-accessible tables.
 
HaKehilot recreation area in the forest has drinking water. The forest has a few entrances from Route 443 - one is from the access road to Moshav Gimzo and another entrance is from the Ligad Center in Modi’in.
 
Main recreation areas:
 
HaKehilot Recreation Area – one of the main recreation areas in the forest, it has wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, drinking water, a playground, a group seating area, a campfire circle and disabled-accessible restrooms. Access is from the road to Moshav Gimzo.
 
Modi'in Scenic Lookout (Mitzpe Modi’in) Recreation Area – one of the main recreation areas in the forest, near the main entrance to the Ben Shemen Forest from Route 443. The picnic tables are wheelchair-accessible; the restrooms there are not.
 
Anna Nahum Recreation Area – picnic tables, between Route 443 and Tel Hadid.
 
HaGan HaMusicali Recreation Area - in the heart of the forest. Entry is from the main road of the forest.
 
Dan Cooperative Recreation Area - wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, campfire circle. Access from the Maccabees’ Graves (Kivrot HaMaccabim) on the internal road to Shilat.
 
The Maccabees' Graves – picnic tables near the Maccabean gravesite.
Directions: At the Ben Shemen Interchange, turn towards Modi’in (Route 443) and after about a km turn right according to the signs to Mitzpe Modi’in. The recreation area at the foot of the scenic overlook is right next to the entrance to the forest.
Ben Shemen Forest. Photograph: Yakov Shkolnik, KKL-JNF Photo Archive