These routes are made for walking

Would you believe that in Holland, bicycles have the right of way?

Quite a contrast from this country, where you take your life in your hands every time you get on your bike and go into the street.

Finally, however, special biking — and walking — paths have begun to appear along several of our main roads.

Here are just a few lovely bike routes, perfect not only for bikers but for runners trying to keep fit, wheelchair travelers, parents (and grandparents) pushing strollers, people walking with canes, and anyone whose method of transportation is an electric scooter.

1) Shvil Rishonim (Path of the Founding Settlers)
One lovely tree-lined asphalt path, called Shvil Rishonim, runs between Tzemach Junction at the southern end of Lake Kinneret and Kibbutz Ashdot Ya’akov, and parallel to Highway 90.

A portion of this four-kilometer path is not only safe and beautiful but environment-friendly, featuring unique animal-shaped benches made out of recycled tires and solid waste. Monuments to along the path are dedicated to loved ones who were killed in traffic accidents nearby, on what can be an extremely dangerous road.

2) Katzrin Promenade
Over 7,000 people live in the city of Katzrin, which was established in 1977 and is the largest municipal and administrative area in the Golan Heights. Residential areas host a large park and, only 2 kilometers away, another is found in beautiful Katzrin Forest.

Katzrin boasts a number of major tourist attractions. Among them: the Golan Archeological Museum, Ancient Katzrin Village, the Golan Winery, Golan Magic (Kesem HaGolan), and the Olive Oil Mill (Beit Habad Haisraeli). A lovely, landscaped promenade along the main road (Route 9088) stretches from the commercial center to the tourist attractions.

3) Schaniya Scenic Promenade
The first scent to hit your nostrils as you stroll along the Jewish National Fund’s Schaniya Scenic Promenade (tayelet nof schaniya) is the heady aroma of lavender. But that’s only at the beginning of this perfectly delightful jaunt. For the promenade, which stretches 800 meters from Schaniya to Manof in the lower Galilee, is lined with other fragrant herbal plants as well: rosemary, sage and thyme.

Worth a special trip to the area, the promenade is located in the middle of the Mount Schaniya Ridge and offers a fabulous view of Haifa Bay, the Carmel Mountains as they drop into the Sea and the Beit Netufa and Zebulun Valleys. Your walk also features beautiful Mediterranean rosebud, terebinth, fir, canary pine and strawberry trees. Scattered among the trees, bushes, and natural boulders are tables and chairs cleverly designed to make them almost indistinguishable from the rest of the stunning landscape.

4) Tel Hai to Kiryat Shmona – downhill all the way
“Get up and start walking the Land” is the first line of a famous Israeli song. It expresses the feelings of all those passionate about the Land of Israel, who want anyone and everyone to explore the country they love. It’s easy to get started: all you have to do is follow a two-kilometer-long wide asphalt trail from Tel Hai to the northern tip of Kiryat Shmona.

The unique promenade, parallel to Highway 90 and located at the foot of the magnificent Naphtali Mountains, is lined with nearly two dozen stone sculptures featuring the words to songs about northern Israel. Each is accompanied by a colorful photograph of this country’s loveliest blossoms. If you walk the trail, you will probably do what I did: stop, and burst into song.

5) Jordan River Promenade
Also known as Shvil Ami, or Ami’s Trail, the Jordan River Promenade is a delightful, paved walkway that follows along the flowing waters of Israel’s most famous stream. It runs above the Jordan River between Kibbutz Sde Nehemia and Kibbutz Kfar Blum and is named for local teen Ami Peled, who was killed in a traffic accident in 1990 while riding his bike.

You can run along this promenade, take a brisk walk, or – my favorite way to do it – opt for a leisurely stroll. Your one-kilometer jaunt features well-kept lawns, paths down to the water, and most of the year, the sight of kayaks moving gracefully through the stream. The walkway is studded with biblical quotes, all connected to crossing the Jordan River.

6) From Gush Halav to Dalton
Located on the slopes of Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee. the Aramaic Christian village of Gush Halav faces stunning views from almost any vantage point and features old and new churches, Jewish antiquities, the tombs of two famous Jewish sages, direct access to a perennially flowing river, and a hidden lake. The latest attraction: a wheelchair-accessible path from Gush Halav to nearby Moshav Dalton – two and a half kilometers long each way.

The path, when we took it last spring, was glorious: not only was the air sweet and clear, but on one side we had a view of Mount Meron, towering above us, and on the other a breathtaking view of snow-covered Mount Hermon. Besides bright colored hydraulic exercise equipment that we stopped to enjoy, we encountered galloping horses, grazing cows, and a glistening lake in a pastoral landscape that hinted of Ireland or Wales.

7) Jerusalem’s Park Hamesila (Railway Park)
The latest in promenades is a five-kilometer long stretch that follows the railroad tracks of a train that traveled to Jerusalem until 1998. The railroad was neglected for years, but in 2010 workers began restoring the train station and developing this marvelous park.

Lined by sweet-smelling grass and flat walkways that are perfect for bikes, wheelchairs and strollers, it is a wonderful addition to the Jerusalem scene. It begins right next to the restored train station (called The First Station – HaTahana HaRishona), but you can pick it up from HaRakevet Street in Bak’a.

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Parts of this article are adapted from chapters in Aviva Bar-Am’s books Israel Travels from Metulla to Eilat and Israel’s Northern Landscapes

Aviva Bar-Am is the author of seven English-language guides to Israel. Shmuel Bar-Am is a licensed, tour guide who provides private, customized tours in Israel for individuals, families and small groups.

If you need more specific directions to any of these walks, please write to israeltravels@gmail.com