In and around Jerusalem

   

The Schvil Hamaayanot is one of the most popular trails in this part of the Judean Mountains - and with good reason. The views throughout the trail are quite spectacular. You will pass several springs on the trail, which accounts for its name  - "Trail of the Springs". You can also conveniently visit the impressive Yad Kennedy, a monument to former President John F. Kennedy. The starting point of the hike is only a short distance from Hadassah Medical Center-Ein Kerem, which is easily reached by Jerusalem's public transport. 

 

Time: Almost 3 hours 

Distance: Almost 8 Km 

Type of hike: circular

Difficulty: Easy hike on a mainly smooth dirt trail, although the footpath to Yad Kennedy is moderately steep and minimally difficult. 

Starting point: The parking area for the Aminadav Forest on the road to Even Sapir.

Driving directions and parking: Enter "יער פדווי השבי אדום" into Waze. Head towards Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem. At the four-way intersection at the entrance to the hospital, take the exit to the left in the direction of Tel aviv. After a short distance, turn left at the first roundabout. Within a few minutes, you will see an asphalt road on the left leading to a gravel road. This is the parking area for the Aminadav Forest. 

Public transport: The bus stop for Hadassah Medical School in Ein Karem is about 1 Km and a 15-minute walk from the start of the hike. Enter "Hadassah Ein Kerem" into Moovit. A number of buses go to the hospital. If using the light rail, alight at its last stop, Mount Herzl, and take 27 or 27A to the hospital. Alight at the first stop within the campus. From the bus stop, walk back towards the 4-way intersection at the campus entrance. Take the exit in the direction of Tel Aviv. At the first roundabout turn left in the direction of the signpost to Even Sapir. When the sidewalk ends, walk on the footpath on the right-hand side of the road adjacent to the railing. You will soon see an asphalt road on the left leading to a gravel road and the parking area for the Aminadav Forest. 

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BACKGROUND

THE SPRINGS OF THE JUDEAN MOUNTAINS

"For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land with streams of water, of springs and underground water coming forth in valley and mountain." (Deuteronomy 8:8)

The Judean Mountains are composed of hard limestone, a sedimentary rock containing mainly calcium carbonate that was formed about 200 million years ago from the skeletal remains of marine organisms when this area was a vast sea. 

During the country's rainy season, surface water seeps through the earth and dissolves the underlying rock through a process known as karst. As the erosion continues, cracks develop, and rainwater seeps through these cracks and forms underground caves. When the surface water encounters a softer layer of rock that cannot be dissolved, such as marl, which is a calcium carbonate-containing rock with variable amounts of clay or silt, water collects inside the caves to form a natural water tank called an aquifer. 

The many springs in this area came about because of erosion of the sides of the valley and exposure of the aquifer. The amount of water seen at the surface may have been no more than a few water droplets, or the unexpected growth of a fig tree, but this would have been enough to indicate the proximity of an aquifer. Villagers would then dig a tunnel into the rock towards the aquifer to obtain a greater flow of water. These tunnels were often of considerable length, and would need to be lengthened even further if the aquifer retracted. The pools you see in front of the entrance to the tunnel were small reservoirs used to supply drinking water to livestock and humans. Sometimes, the water would be directed downhill from the pool by aqueducts to irrigate vegetable gardens.

 

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 The hike:

On this hike you will be walking along two sides of a mountain ridge; at the beginning of the hike you will be overlooking Nahal Sorek and its tributaries, and then the Emeq Refaim valley on the other side of the mountain ridge. From the Recreation Area , the walk continues to Yad Kennedy , although if you are short on time this part of the hike can be skipped. On the return, you will be hiking along a jeep trail and descending to Ein Tamar  via an extremely pretty wadi, making this a circular hike. But if you want to visit the pools again, just go back the way you came. 

• From the parking lot, go up the jeep trail as directed by the green-arrow on the signpost to the “שביל המעיינות" (Shvil Hamaayanot) and "לחר׳ סעדים" (to Sa'adim ruins). There is also a 4 x 4 sign at the beginning of the path. After about 250 meters, make a sharp right by another wooden signpost with the green arrow pointing to the “שביל המעיינות" and "לחר׳ סעדים".

• You will pass several dry pools - ignore them as there are more interesting pools to come. Soon, you will reach Ein Tamar . This is a pretty place with a shallow pool, a palm tree, and a shaded picnic bench. The spring is named after Tamar Natan who died at a young age, and the pool was built by her friends and other organizations. 

• Continue on the green-marked trail. Below you is Nahal Sorek and its tributaries and the moshav Even Sapir. Nahal Sorek is a 70 Km long deep valley that starts by Ramalla and winds its way to the coast past Beit Shemesh.

• You will soon come to two other water-filled pools. The second one, Eynot Ozi , is the best one for swimming. Its depth is up to about the level of an adult male's navel. The many pools on this trail indicate that despite its steep slope, this land was once used for agriculture, and indeed you can see terraces, now forested, on both sides of the trail. 

• About an hour from the beginning of the hike, you will come to an intersection with a signpost. Go past this, continuing on the green-marked trail a short distance to its intersection with the main road. On the other side of the road is the Recreation Area . This recreation area has shaded picnic tables and is a nice place for a picnic. Kids will also enjoy the sheep statues. From here you can also visit the Sa’adim Ruins Nature Reserve  (see below)

To Yad Kennedy (optional): 

• Turn left on the paved road by the Recreation Area . At the end of the recreation area, there is a jeep trail on the right. Walk down this path, which is sign-posted to recreation activities, and after about 50 meters you will see a blue marker on a rock on your left. It is easy to miss, so look also for a blue marker on a tree on the other side of the trail opposite to this path. This footpath, which has blue-markers throughout, leads directly to Yad Kennedy . 

• Exit the footpath onto the paved road by Yad Kennedy and ahead of you is a plaza. There are WC's here. At the far end of the plaza are steps leading directly to the memorial. 

• [An alternative to the footpath is the main road to Yad Kennedy. This is a lot easier but far less challenging! Turn left by the recreation area and continue along the paved road until you come to the access road to Yad Kennedy. Take the footpath up to the memorial rather than the road, as it is more direct.]  

Yad Kennedy is a memorial to John F Kennedy, the 35^th President of the United States, who was assassinated in 1963 at age 46. This memorial was built 3 years after his death. It is shaped like the stump of a tree to symbolize his life cut short. The memorial has 51 pillars representing the 50 states of the union plus Washington DC. The emblems of the states are on the outside of each of the pillars. Inside the memorial is a bronze facial outline of John F. Kennedy, and in the center of the memorial an eternal flame. 

• The easiest way to leave the memorial is not to go down on the road that encircles the monument, but to take the footpath. Descend one level by the steps and turn right along the paved road for a short distance until you see steps on your left with green railings. This path leads directly to the intersection of the main road with the access road to Yad Kennedy.

• Turn left along the paved road in the direction of the recreation area. It is not a busy road, but still be careful of traffic as you walk. At the end of the recreation area, turn right on the path on which you came towards the Shvil Hamaayanot. 

Returning to Ein Tamar:

• You can obviously return the way you came, but the following circular route is more interesting. Very soon you will come to an intersection with a blue-signed jeep trail on your right. Turn onto this road. The arrow on the signpost indicates that this is a blue trail, although there are no further blue markings. 

• About 25 minutes from the intersection, you will see a signpost to “שביל המעיינות" and "עין עז". Very shortly after this is a fork. Take the path to the right which goes up the hill. After about another 10 minutes, you will come to a signpost to "עין תמר".  This path will take you through a gorgeous valley to Ein Tamar.

From Ein Tamar to the parking lot:

• From Ein Tamar turn right along the Schvil Hamaayanot. Follow the green markings to the parking lot. 

 

Nearby places of interest:

The Sa’adim Ruins Nature Reserve . This reserve close to the Recreation Area has been adopted by the staff of Hadassah Hospital. However, it is not particularly exciting and can easily be given a miss. The ruins were called “Khirbet Sa’ida" (the ruins of the happy woman)” in Arabic and are the remains of a Byzantine agricultural farm and Christian monastery. To get there, continue on the Schvil Hamayaanot a very short distance on the green-marked trail to its intersection with the main paved road. Turn right and you will see the entrance to the reserve on your right. 

Hadassah Medical Center is worth a visit – even if you are not sick! The Chagal windows in the hospital synagogue are famous. There is also a shopping mall (!) in a lower floor of the hospital. It has stores for clothing, phones, a bakery, pharmacy, and many reasonably priced eating establishments – all kosher and many mehadrin. Many of the stores are open from fairly early in the morning until late in the evening. Enter the campus as for the Chagall windows and then ask for directions to the mall.

 

Get your feet wet in Ein Tamar or take a short rest under the shade of the palm tree.

 

For getting more than your feet wet and brewing a cup of black coffee after a refreshing dip, Einot Ozi is the pool for you.

 

An incredible view of Nahal Sorek, the moshav of Even Sapir and the Judean Mountains. 

 

Nahal Sorek winds its way to the coast for about 70 Km.