Ham Ham Beit She'an

One morning in the valley: from Beit She'an to the Yissachar plateau, the flowing streams and Kokhav HaYarden, and back down the Red Trail. Ham ham is a sweet Beit She'an pastry, hence the name.

Routes by Tirosh Golan, a community member from the valley

Meet Bike Freak, 6 HaAmal St, Beit She'an
Start 07:30
Route Loop
Season Winter–spring
First ridden 28 Feb 2025 Rode it? Tick it in ‘What I’ve ridden’ →

How the morning works

Ham Ham has no shared camp: we meet on Friday morning at the Bike Freak shop in Beit She'an, with coffee. At 07:30 everyone sets off together, and each rider takes the version they chose at their own pace. There's no registration, and everyone rides at their own risk. At the first edition there was a gels and sports-drink table at the Gazit gate for the regular and long riders, and a tray of ham ham waiting at the shop.

Choose a version

Ham Ham 55

Distance: 55 km
Climbing: 1,217 m
Lowest point: -231 m
Highest point: 295 m

Like the short one as far as Taiyiba, then on to Gazit and down the flowing Nahal Tavor, with water crossings, to Road 90. Climb the road to Kokhav HaYarden, descend the Red Trail to Nahal Yissachar, and climb to the Tzvaim industrial park and the Hamdiya basalt. No singletrack.

Download GPX

Elevation profile

287 m -229 m

0 km11 km22 km33 km44 km55 km

The route story

Following the long version (90). Tags show which versions pass each part.

01

Tzvaim

All versions

Leave the shop on the road to the Gideon camp, climb to Tzvaim park and carry on along the scenic road between Tzvaim and Givat HaMoreh, with the whole valley below.
02

The Yissachar plateau: Moledet and Taiyiba

Short and regular

Wide farm tracks between green fields to Moledet, then the back road to Taiyiba. The regular route carries on to Gazit. The short one turns east past the Yellow Rock to Kokhav HaYarden.
03

Givat HaMoreh

Long only

A farm track along Ramat Zvi and a white track running beside Road 716 bring you to the Na'ura petrol station, then on to the forest singletrack and the Givat HaMoreh trails. This is the hard, technical part of the day. Descend on a white road, pass the petrol station again and follow farm tracks to Gazit.
04

Nahal Tavor

Regular and long

Fill up at the tap in Gazit, by the tennis court, and drop into the Nahal Tavor reserve: a flowing stream, green and at its best at the end of winter. You cross it several times, mostly at crank height. Ride or walk them; you'll get wet either way.
05

Road 90 and the climb to Kokhav HaYarden

Regular and long

At the end of the stream, about a kilometre on Road 90, on the shoulder and with care, then a road climb to Kokhav HaYarden, from the lowest point of the day (−231 m) to about 300 m. The park has a water tap, and the Matmon shop and café.
06

The Red Trail, Nahal Yissachar and Hamdiya

All versions

From Kokhav HaYarden you go down the Red Trail: about five kilometres of fast descent over rollers, ending in a technical 16–21% drop to Nahal Gvul and Nahal Yissachar. Then a climb out and a last descent through the Hamdiya basalt back to Beit She'an and the shop.

Water and food on the way

Point · km from the start	Short	Regular	Long
Bike Freak, Beit She'an (coffee before the start)	0	0	0
Na'ura petrol station (water, shop and toilets)	—	—	20 and 45
Water tap, Gazit (by the tennis court)	—	21.4	56.6
Kokhav HaYarden park (water tap, Matmon shop and café)	22	41	76
Beit She'an, at the finish (cafés and restaurants near the shop)	43	55	90

The Gazit grocery is for kibbutz members only. Points from the organizer's GPX files and route notes. Check what's open before you go.

Good to know

Water crossings

On the regular and long routes you cross Nahal Tavor several times. The water isn't clear and you can't see the bottom, so if in doubt, walk. Bring spare socks and shoes.

After rain

The soil here is brown and sticky. After rain, wait about three days before riding. The best time is late winter and spring, when everything is green.

Roads

The regular and long routes have about a kilometre on Road 90, then a road climb to Kokhav HaYarden. The long one also runs beside Roads 717 and 716 near Na'ura. Ride right at the edge with a flashing rear light.

Descents

The Red Trail is fast and ends in a technical 16–21% drop to the stream. Check your brakes first and keep your speed in check.

Gravel bike?

The short and regular routes are almost all dirt and farm tracks and suit a gravel bike. The Givat HaMoreh singletrack on the long route is tough and not suited to gravel.

Cattle and gates

Cattle graze along the way. Slow down near them, pass quietly and close every gate behind you.

How to pass cattle gates →

Closures

The Nahal Tavor and Nahal Yissachar reserves sometimes close, for example during the foot-and-mouth outbreak in March 2026. Check with the Nature and Parks Authority before you go.

Gallery

Thanks to Tirosh Golan, who built the routes and led the first ride on 28 February 2025, to the Bike Freak shop in Beit She'an, which hosted the morning and donated the gels and sports drink, and to Alon Golan, who ran the feed table at Gazit.

Next date: Friday, 19 March 2027 · Beit She'anEvent Telegram group ↗

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