The Emperor's Trail in the Jerusalem Mountains, probably named after the emperor Hadrian, after a mill stone that bore his name and was found in the area, was renewed by the Kimat Israel Foundation in collaboration with the Committee for Israel's Trails of the Society for the Protection of Nature.
The previous route of the path that connected the ruins of a shop with the Beit Habad parking lot, crossed road 375, whose crossing became dangerous with an increase in the volume of traffic on the road in recent years.
In order to give travelers an impressive alternative to the popular trail that was closed, a new trail was marked on the southern side of the road, on the spur of Har Yaran, without crossing the road.
The trail passes through forest and woodland landscapes, with many shades of green and colorful seasonal blooms, and reveals the remains of an ancient Roman road that includes ancient rock steps.
Many shades of green and colorful seasonal blooms.
A new route of the "Caesar's Path" has been marked in the Jerusalem Mountains/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Itzik Ben Dov
The map of the routes for the Emperor's Trail/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Itzik Ben Dov
The ancient rock steps carved by the Romans, south of road 375/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Itzik Ben Dov
The new route offers travelers several travel options
A new path, marked in black
, which is about 2 km long, descends from the "Beit Hieran" area (remains of a high-domed building built during the British period and used by the forest workers in the area) to the Beit Habed parking lot. The path passes through a planted pine forest, mixed with the remains of a natural forest, on natural rock surfaces. The hikers on the trail will enjoy beautiful views of the Beit Shemesh area and the lowlands to the west and to the spurs of the Judean Mountains to the north. The entrance to the beginning of the Black Trail is on a paved road marked in green, which exits from Highway 375, opposite the entrance to Horvat Khana, heading south to Mount Yaran.
A marked trail Adom
is actually a section that remains from the old path leading from the Beit Hebed parking lot (next to the parking lot are the remains of an ancient Beit Bed, whose screw-shaped squeezing mechanism is made of wood and restored by KKL), to the ancient steps and back the same way, about 750 meters long in each direction. The parking lot serves as a starting and ending point for the trip. The last section to the stairs changed its color to blue.
In addition,
a new connection of the red path to the black path
, allows travelers a circular path - leaving the Beit Habad parking lot to the ancient stairs and back to Beit Habad on the back of the extension with the black path or In the opposite direction. It is recommended to start with the red path and return with the black path so that the walk down the path is facing the view.
The length of the circular tour is about 2 km. This route is intended for those who are able to walk.
The extortion mechanism was restored by KKL-Junk.
The restored cloth house for the Emperor/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Itzik Ben Dov
KKL's directional signage at the intersection of the paths of the circular option/the Society for the Protection of Nature, Itzik Ben Dov
Among the most popular hiking trails in KKL-Junk
Itzik Ben Dov, trail marking coordinator of the Society for the Protection of Nature in the Israel Trails Committee, adds that the Caesar's Trail runs alongside the Roman road that went up from Beit Gobrin to Jerusalem.
"Beside the path, which passes over hard limestone rocks, there are remains of an ancient hewn wine cellar and cups. During the winter and spring, the mountains of Jerusalem are covered with a green carpet and magnificent blossoms. I have every hope that many travelers will travel the path who will get to know the area and enjoy what the path has in store for them," he says.
Gidi Beshen, director of the Yehuda Mountains region at the Kimat Israel Fund: "The Emperor's Trail in its previous form was among the most sought-after hiking trails in the KKL-Junk, and we are happy that we have found a solution for the new route that does not endanger travelers and at the same time preserves its beauty and uniqueness."
More on the same topic:
Tracks
Trips in the country
Yehuda mountains