Gezer-Nahshon Forests

Photograph: KKL-JNF Photo Archive
The Gezer-Nahshon Forests cover approximately 8,000 dunams in the west of the Judean Foothills. This is an area of low hills, built of soft white chalk rocks, which ascend to approximately 250 meters above sea level. The forest is divided into three main blocks: Defenders' Forest (Ya'ar HaMeginim). Mishmar Ayalon Forest (Lehi Forest) and HaMatos Grove.

  • How to get there

    To Defenders' Forest - The entrance to the forest is about half a kilometer south of the entrance to Karmei Yosef (Route 44, between the 12 and 13 km markers). The road is mostly paved and traversable for any vehicle. Drivers are asked to drive carefully, as the road is used by many cyclists. The road leaves eastwards from Route 44 (marked in green). After 700 m, a road marked in red forks from it, and there are memorials alongside it also. The road marked in red reconnects to the main forest road after about 750 meters, at the five-way junction (a junction of five roads). At the five-way junction we have two options: 1. To ascend to the north (left) in continuation of the "green" road (one-way). The road passes along the outskirts of Karmei Yosef, bends to the right, passes the cemetery and about 150 meters after it meets the road coming from the Sharett-Bekoa scenic lookout, reaches a junction from which you can turn east to the Crisis of Hope monument. 2. To ascend north-east on a paved road marked blue (one-way). After 1.1 km, the road reaches the Sharett-Bekoa scenic lookout and afterwards again meets the main forest road, where you can turn right and return to the five-way junction. To Mishmar Ayalon Forest (Lehi Forest)Mishmar Ayalon Forest stretches south of Moshav Mishmar Ayalon and east of Route 424. To enter the forest, turn east from Route 424, approximately 700 meters south of the junction of the road that leads to Kibbutz Shaalvim. To HaMatos GroveThe entrance to the wood is 300 meters east of Nahshon Junction (Route 3). A forest road marked in green leaves Route 3 northwards. After about 250 meters a short road forks left from it, and reaches the place where the airplane formerly stood. In January 2021 the plane was dismantled and moved to a closed place, where it is undergoing renovation by the Israel Model Builders Association.

  • Entrance fee

    Entrance to the forest is free of charge.

  • Geographic location-

    Coastal lowlands

  • Area-

    center

  • Special Sites in the Park-

    KKL-JNF runs the Plant a Tree planting site in the forest where tourists have an opportunity to plant a tree in Israel's soil and thus to express their identification with the values of nature and with the state of Israel. Many memorial sites commemorating combatants and units that fell in Israel's wars are spread throughout Defenders' Forest. Monuments have also been moved to the forest from IDF camps.

  • Other sites in the area-

    Tel Gezer National Park.

  • Type of parking-

    Accessible parks,Picnic parks

  • Interest-

    Lookouts,Archeology

About the Forest

The Gezer Nahshon Forests cover approximately 8,000 dunams in the west of the Judean Foothills. This is an area of low hills, built of soft white chalk rocks, which ascend to approximately 250 meters above sea level. The forest is divided into three main blocks:
 
Defenders' Forest (Ya'ar HaMeginim):
 
The main forest block. Stretches from south of Mishmar Ayalon and Karmei Yosef to the Latrun–Nahshon Junction road (Route 3).
 
Mishmar Ayalon Forest (Lehi Forest):
 
A patch of forest that lies east of Route 424.
 
 
Visitors to the forest. Visitors to the forest. Visitors to the forest. Visitors to the forest. Photograph: Yaakov Shkolnik, KKL-JNF Photo Archive
HaMatos Grove
 
A small patch of forest to the north of Nahshon Junction. KKL-JNF began planting the forest in the 1950s. The main trees planted in it are species of pines, Mediterranean cypress and carob trees.
Between the trees, and particularly on the open hills that remain north of Kibbutz Nahshon, grow bushes and shrubs that are characteristic of the Judean Foothills, including black hawthorn, thorny burnet and yellow restharrow.
In winter, the hills are covered with abundant colorful blooms. Particularly impressive are the carpets of cyclamen that grow in the shadow of the trees in December to February.
To the north of the forest lies Tel Gezer National Park, with impressive remains of biblical Gezer. Ein Yarad originates on the eastern side of its base.
Excavations of ancient agricultural facilities remain in the forest with the inscription "Tehum Gezer". These inscriptions are attributed to the Hasmonean period and are thought to mark the boundary of the city of Gezer.
KKL-JNF has built roads for private cars and paths for cyclists and prepared areas for recreation in nature throughout the Gezer-Nahshon Forest block.