North · Loop

Duck Season

Trek Mishmar HaEmek · Loop

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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 105 km

Total climbing 1,539 m

Highest point 495 m

Lowest point 36 m

Days 2 days

Difficulty Hard

Recommended months Mar–Dec

A loop from the Trek store at Mishmar HaEmek through Ramat Menashe and the Jezreel Valley. Reservoirs, fields and birds, almost all year round.

How to load the file to your device → Download GPX

Elevation profile

495 m 38 m

0 km 21 km 42 km 63 km 84 km 105 km

Route story · Duck Season

Duck season in the valley

105 km in a loop from Mishmar HaEmek and back. You skirt Ramat Menashe and pass Tel Megiddo, drop to Nahal Kishon and Afula, climb Givat HaMore and return by Nahal Tavor and the Jezreel Valley. Fields, streams and reservoirs, with about 1,500 m of climbing.

Loop · Trek Mishmar HaEmek2 daysMar–DecHard

105km

1,539m climbing

47.9km, longest stretch without fuel

8fuel stations within 200 m

2water taps along the way

4night campsites near the route

Firing zones on the way

The route crosses 2 firing zones, about 9 km of 104. Entering a firing zone requires advance coordination and approval, and zones can be closed on weekends and holidays too.

Firing zone 107 km 9–14 Fire-zone ops room 04-6125212
Firing zone 106 km 45–51 Northern Command coordination center 073-3483007

Boundaries from OpenStreetMap (source: IDF) and may be out of date.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 →

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The route at a glance

Fuel stationGrocery or supermarketWater tapNight campsite

01km ⁦0–20⁩

Ramat Menashe and Megiddo

You leave Mishmar HaEmek along Nahal Mishmar HaEmek, past the mosaic of a chapel and an ancient winepress, and climb along Nahal Midrach to about 360 m. Then down to Tel Megiddo, with its Canaanite gates, palaces and water system, about 450 m off the route, and to Ein Azzi.

Along the way

km 1Water point, the only one on the route along with km 2.1
km 2.3A mosaic, chapel and winepress
km 4.6Kibbutzim Memorial night campsite
km 7.6Nahal Midrach, until km 10
km 15.8Tel Megiddo: the gates and palaces, 450 m off the route
km 16.6Ein Azzi, 260 m off the route

Resupply · km 16.6
Paz and Yellow, right on the route

02km ⁦20–40⁩

Nahal Kishon and Afula

Down into the valley, to Ein Adad and its shallow pools, then along Nahal Kishon and Nahal Gilboa, at around 50 m. On the edge of Afula and Merhavya several fuel stations and supermarkets are waiting, and after them you cross Nahal Harod.

Along the way

km 22.7Ein Adad, shallow pools
km 24Nahal Kishon
km 30.5Nahal Gilboa
km 36.8Nahal Harod

Resupply · km 37.8
Super Park, with fuel stations at km 31–36. After km 40 there is no resupply until km 84

03km ⁦40–62⁩

Givat HaMore

The route's big climb: more than 300 m into the Givat HaMore reserve, up to about 495 m. From the top you drop to the lupin hill, past Ein Na'ura and Ein Tomer, to the Tel Tzafzafot national park and Ein Dor.

Along the way

km 41.6Givat HaMore night campsite, 370 m off the route
km 44.6Givat HaMore nature reserve
km 50.9The lupin hill
km 55.7Ein Tomer
km 60.9Ein Dor, Tel Tzafzafot national park

04km ⁦62–85⁩

Nahal Tavor and Daburiya

Along Nahal Tavor for almost ten kilometres, past Daburiya, on the edge of the Lower Galilee. Then west along Nahal Adashim to Tel Adashim and Mizra, with a grocery and a restaurant by the route.

Along the way

km 66.2Nahal Tavor, until km 75
km 70Daburiya, 400 m off the route
km 72.5Har Dvora night campsite, 1.2 km off the route
km 79.5Nahal Adashim

Resupply · km 84.2
Tiv Taam and El Noor restaurant, near Mizra

05km ⁦85–105⁩

Through the valley, back to Mishmar HaEmek

The last kilometres cross the valley, almost flat: Nahal Mizra, near the Kfar Baruch reservoir and the Migdal HaEmek–Kfar Baruch station, then along Nahal Kishon and Nahal Midrach back to Mishmar HaEmek.

Along the way

km 93.3Nahal Mizra
km 94.4Migdal HaEmek–Kfar Baruch station, 500 m off the route, if you need to bail out
km 94.6Kfar Baruch reservoir, 450 m off the route
km 96.3Nahal Kishon

Where to sleep

To split it over two days, the Givat HaMore campsite (km 42, 370 m off the route), after Afula and before the climb. A later option is Har Dvora (km 72.5), 1.2 km off the route.

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 3.1Free

חניון לילה נחל גחר 1,150 m off the route

km 4.6Free

חניון לילה אנדרטת הקיבוצים 10 m off the route

km 41.6Free

חניון לילה גבעת המורה 370 m off the route

km 72.5Free

חניון לילה הר דבורה 1,170 m off the route

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 16.6

Paz, Yellow

km 27.8

Fuel station

km ⁦30.9–31⁩

Fuel station, Rimonit

km 32.8

Sadash

km ⁦35.2–36.2⁩

Dor Alon, Delek, Sonol +1

km ⁦37.8–38.5⁩

Super Park A café or restaurant

km 40.1

Grocery

km ⁦84.1–84.2⁩

Fuel station, Tiv Taam A café or restaurant

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.