North · Loop

Carmelicious

Trek Haifa · Loop

All my rides →

Recent rain? Check the mud forecast before you go. Download the route’s GPX and upload it to ‘HaSingletor’ – you’ll get the chance of mud from the nearest rain station and the soil type.

Mud forecast Built by Boaz Yoffe · mtb.yoffe.net

Distance 80 km

Total climbing 1,471 m

Highest point 533 m

Lowest point 0 m

Days 2 days

Difficulty Hard

Recommended months Nov–Apr

A short, tough loop in the Carmel from the Trek store in Haifa. Pine forests, Druze villages and sea views.

How to load the file to your device → Download GPX

Elevation profile

527 m 0 m

0 km 16 km 32 km 48 km 64 km 80 km

Route story · Carmelicious

The Carmel, from the sea to the top and back

80 km and almost 1,500 m of climbing in a single loop, from the Trek store in Haifa by Hof HaCarmel station. South along the foot of the Carmel to Ein Hod, a climb to Daliyat al-Karmel and Muhraqa, along the ridge through Isfiya to Rom Carmel, a dive down Nahal Oren to the sea and back along the coast. Short, but not easy.

Loop · Trek Haifa2 daysNov–AprHard

80km

1,471m climbing

55.3km, longest stretch without fuel

6fuel stations within 200 m

5water taps along the way

16night campsites near the route

Firing zones on the way

The route crosses one firing zone, about 1 km of 80. Entering a firing zone requires advance coordination and approval, and zones can be closed on weekends and holidays too.

Firing zone 111 km 17–19 Fire-zone ops room 04-9538506

Boundaries from OpenStreetMap (source: IDF) and may be out of date. Some sections are a road that crosses the zone. Either way, check and coordinate before you go. All coordination centers →

This story works without signal

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The route at a glance

Fuel stationGrocery or supermarketWater tapNight campsite

01km ⁦0–15⁩

The foot of the Carmel

You leave Haifa by Hof HaCarmel station and ride south along the foot of the Carmel, almost at sea level. You pass Ovadia cave, go through Tirat Carmel and Megadim, along Nahal Sfunim, and reach the artists' village of Ein Hod, with the Janco Dada museum.

Along the way

km 2.7Ovadia cave
km 9.6Megadim
km 14.2Ein Hod and the Janco Dada museum

Resupply · km 3.7
Tirat Carmel: Victory, Machsanei Mazon and Eliyahu Hummus. Paz at km 12.4

02km ⁦15–30⁩

Climbing to Daliyat al-Karmel

From Ein Hod you climb more than 300 m, along Nahal Bustan and Ein Umm Esh Shuqaf. At the top waits Daliyat al-Karmel, with dozens of restaurants and stores right by the route, the Druze fallen soldiers' memorial and the House of Colours. Then on along the ridge to Muhraqa, about 470 m, and the Tayeset HaEmek lookout.

Along the way

km 20.7Ein Umm Esh Shuqaf, water all year
km 22.3Memorial to the Druze fallen
km 23.2The House of Colours in Daliyat al-Karmel
km 27.8Muhraqa and the Deir al-Muhraqa night campsite, 330 m off the route
km 29.5Tayeset HaEmek lookout and picnic site

Resupply · km 23
Daliyat al-Karmel: restaurants, stores and Dor Alon. Carrefour at km 24.4. After Daliyat there is no fuel until Haifa

03km ⁦30–45⁩

Along the ridge through Isfiya

Along the Carmel ridge, through Isfiya and past the Sheikh Labib Abu Rukun arch, into the Carmel forests. The Beit HaShomer campsite, then the Israel Trail campsite and library.

Along the way

km 36.1Isfiya
km 37The Sheikh Labib Abu Rukun arch
km 38.4Beit HaShomer night campsite
km 44.7Israel Trail night campsite and library

04km ⁦45–58⁩

Rom Carmel

Rom Carmel, the Carmel's highest point, by the David Eisen lookout and the Forester's House campsite. From there you ride on between campsites and small springs, Har Alon and Ein Alon, to the Har Shokef national park.

Along the way

km 46.8Forester's House night campsite
km 47.9Rom Carmel, the Carmel's highest point
km 48.9Har Alon night campsite, with a tap and toilets
km 52.3Ein Alon, a shallow, clean pool
km 55.6Har Shokef national park

Resupply · km 48.1
M Carmel. The last store before the coast, at km 78

05km ⁦58–70⁩

Diving down Nahal Oren

Here the route's big descent begins, almost 500 m down to the coastal plain. The Rakit and HaAgam campsites, Horbat Yishakh and its cave, then the Nahal Oren gorge, with the Nahal Oren campsite and Etzba cave above it.

Along the way

km 59.5Rakit night campsite
km 60.7HaAgam night campsite
km 61.8Horbat Yishakh and Yishakh cave
km 64.4Nahal Oren night campsite, water and toilets
km 64.8Etzba cave

Resupply · km 64.4
Water at the Nahal Oren campsite

06km ⁦70–80⁩

Home along the coast

North along the sea: the Hof Galim reserve, the old railway station at HaHotrim and Kfar Galim, then Dado beach and Hof HaCarmel station, right at the finish, with fuel stations, stores and restaurants by the route.

Along the way

km 72Hof Galim nature reserve
km 73.2The old HaHotrim railway station
km 78.5Dado beach
km 78.8Haifa Hof HaCarmel station

Resupply · km 79.8
Paz, Dor Alon and Yellow, with restaurants along km 78–80, at the finish

Where to sleep

To split it over two days, the Israel Trail and Har Alon campsites (km 45–49), with water and toilets, or Rakit and HaAgam (km 59–61), before the descent to the sea. Alternatively, Deir al-Muhraqa at km 27.8.

Straight-line distanceDistances from the route are straight-line distances, not riding distances. Before you set out, check on a map that a trail or road actually reaches the place.

km 27.8Free

חניון לילה דיר אל מוחרקה 330 m off the route

km 38.4Halfway

חניון לילה בית השומר 20 m off the route · Free

km 45.7Halfway

חניון לילה שביל ישראל 120 m off the route · Water and toilets

km 46.2Halfway

חניון לילה יער היערנים 870 m off the route · Water and toilets

km 46.8Halfway

חניון לילה בית היערן 20 m off the route · Free

km 48.9Free

חניון לילה הר אלון 30 m off the route

km 49Water and toilets

חניון לילה הר אלון 2 40 m off the route

km 49.2Water and toilets

חניון לילה יד לבנים 550 m off the route

km 59.5Water and toilets

חניון לילה רקית 180 m off the route

km 60.7Water and toilets

חניון לילה האגם 330 m off the route

km 60.7Paid

חניון לילה חוות משמר הכרמל 830 m off the route

km 64.4Water and toilets

חניון לילה פתחת נחל אורן 100 m off the route

+4 more on the map

Where to refuel

Fuel stations, groceries and food within 200 m of the route. Fuel stations usually have water, toilets and a convenience store.

Straight-line distanceDistances from the route are straight-line distances, not riding distances. Before you set out, check on a map that a trail or road actually reaches the place.

km ⁦0.2–0.5⁩

Stopmarket 2 cafés and restaurants

km ⁦3.6–4⁩

Fuel station, Victory, Machsanay Mazon 2 cafés and restaurants

km 12.4

Paz

km 13.7

A café or restaurant

km ⁦22.6–23.6⁩

Dor Alon, Monela, Shafika +4 26 cafés and restaurants

km ⁦24.4–24.9⁩

Fuel station, Carrefour, Grocery ×2 11 cafés and restaurants

km ⁦26.4–26.6⁩

5 cafés and restaurants

km 48.1

M Carmel

km ⁦78.3–79.2⁩24/7

Grocery 5 cafés and restaurants

km ⁦79.7–79.9⁩

Paz, Dor Alon, Yellow 6 cafés and restaurants

Distances along the route are calculated from the GPX file; the distance of each place from the route is a straight-line distance. Night campsites come from the site's campsite map, other places from OpenStreetMap. Not checked on the ground: confirm before you go.

Firing zones: OpenStreetMap, IDF data import

Photos from the route

Distance, climbing and recommended months come from the routes table. Highest and lowest points are calculated from the GPX file, and difficulty is an estimate based on climbing per kilometre.