Celebrating Shavuot in the Forests: Hikes for the Whole Family

The Gal’ed Reservoir Lookout offers a panoramic view and a picturesque setting near two prominent Mount Tabor oak trees. KKL-JNF foresters have built low retaining walls along the slope to prevent soil erosion and enhance water retention. These structures also serve as benches for visitors wishing to pause and enjoy the scenery.

What makes this site particularly unique is the absence of any towns or villages in view—only unspoiled nature. Across the stream lies a grove of Mount Tabor oaks. Despite the natural setting, human intervention is evident: the valley contains two man-made reservoirs. Nahal Raz, a tributary of the Taninim River, was diverted to create the main reservoir, which collects reclaimed water and floodwater for irrigation. East of this is the Pirha Reservoir, which fills with rainwater and seasonal flow from Nahal Raz and is usually full only during winter.

The Alexander Stream, stretching about 32 kilometers, is one of the largest rivers crossing the Sharon Plain. Its tributaries originate in the Nablus region, between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. From there, the stream descends the western slopes of the Samarian hills into the Sharon region between Kokhav Ya’ir and Tayibe, where it bends in a wide arc northward before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea near Mikhmoret.

Draining an area of about 550 square kilometers, the Alexander Stream carries large volumes of water during the winter months.

Sharsheret Park – Nahal Grar is a “green island”—a forest rising from the cultivated loess plains of the western Negev. The forest was planted on both banks of the Nahal Grar, one of the major tributaries of Nahal HaBesor. This section of the stream retains water for most of the year, making it a valuable natural resource for local wildlife. KKL-JNF has marked scenic routes for vehicles and bicycles and developed recreation areas with drinking water and accessible picnic tables.

Ein Akuv is a small spring in the heart of Mevo Hama Forest. Its waters flow through built channels, forming a small stream. Shaded by eucalyptus and jujube trees are a recreation area and an overnight camping site serving hikers on the Golan Trail. The campground features two raised platforms and a windbreak wall to protect visitors from occasional western gusts.

The name Ein Akuv is linked to a historic roadside inn, the remains of which are located about one kilometer west of the spring, beneath the abandoned Syrian village of Tawfiq and near an old Syrian outpost of the same name.

This picnic site is located near a bend on Route 866 on the road to Safed, nestled within a mature pine forest lining the upper channel of the Tzalmon River.

In late winter, the area is especially scenic, with the stream flowing rapidly down a steep incline, forming a long cascade of small waterfalls. Visitors are encouraged to come early in the season, as the water flow typically ceases by April.

Nahal HaBesor drains a vast area stretching from Sde Boker to southern Mount Hebron, encompassing approximately 3,400 square kilometers—making it Israel’s largest stream system flowing into the Mediterranean. Powerful floods from its tributaries in Mount Hebron create natural springs throughout the western Negev, where small communities have existed since prehistoric times. The largest spring, Ein HaBesor, is now part of the HaBesor National Park.

As Nahal HaBesor crosses the western Negev, it cuts through layers of soft loess—fine particles transported by wind from Sinai and North Africa. Beneath this layer, ancient sands and coastal rock occasionally surface, offering geological evidence of marine incursions over hundreds of thousands of years.