Rosh HaAyin Forest – Wildflowers Trail, Even HaEzer Hill, and more
Rosh HaAyin Forest has hiking trails, including the Wildflowers Trail and Even HaEzer Hill track. Also, there are picnic areas and viewpoints.
Map
Rosh HaAyin Forest is located in Rosh HaAyin, near the Rosh HaAyin east interchange on road #5.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
And here is a map of Rosh HaAyin Forest (photo of the KKL sign):
Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.
Forest Entrances
Rosh HaAyin Forest has two entrances. The main entrance is at Kibuts Galuyot Street, and the second entry is at Derech HaShomron Street.
Here are the details about the entrances:
| Entrance Location | Directions | Allows Access to |
|---|---|---|
| Kibuts Galuyot Street | The entrance is at the junction of Kibuts Galuyot and Nakhal Raba Streets. When I entered “Rosh HaAyin Forest” into Waze, it took me through this entrance. | Wildflower trail, Khirbet ad-Dawir, and picnic areas |
| Derech HaShomron Street | Drive till the end of Derech HaShomron Street and leave the car at the parking. | Even HaEzer |
Trails
Rosh HaAyin Forest offers two lovely loop trails. Here is an interactive map from israelhiking.osm.org.il where the trails are marked:
| Name | Color of the Trail on the Map above | Description | Distance (km) | Total climb and descent (meters) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflowers Trail | Blue | During winter and spring, you can see many flowers and hike to the top of the Khirbet ad-Dawir viewpoint. | 1.4 | 116 | There are several steep declines. |
| Even HaEzer Track | Red | Loop trail to the top of Even HaEzer Hill and back. | 1.3 | 78 |
Entrance Fee
Free.
Opening Hours
The gate at the main entrance is open daily from 07:00 till 20:00.
Picnic and BBQ
Picnic areas have tables and dustbins. In some of them, there are small playgrounds for kids.
There are coal bins and stands for BBQ. Thus you can prepare a barbeque.
Restrooms
I visited this forest several times and did not see toilets anywhere.
And now, we will visit the trails.
Rosh HaAyin Forest Wildflowers Trail
The wildflowers trail begins by the pine picnic area. To reach it, enter through the main entrance and take a left at the intersection. You will reach the pine picnic area. There is a red gate (see photo above). You can park by the gate and start hiking.
After several hundred meters, you will see the following sign with a short explanation about the trail.
And at this point, the red loop trail begins.
For those who arrive by car, the main entrance to the forest is from the junction of Nahal Raba Street and Kibbutz Galuyot Street. We enter via the main forest road, which is indicated by posts marked in green, and it leads us to the forest’s sites and hidden corners.
Note: One section of the forest, in the east, is intended for walkers and cyclists only, and vehicles are forbidden there. The road follows the route of Nahal Raba, which is one of the tributaries of the Yarkon River. This river is dry for most of the year, but heavy winter rains can cause it to flow abundantly, flood part of the road and altogether impart a European aspect to the forest. When the river is in spate or in flood, do not enter the water!
Further on, we reach a recreation area shaded by eucalyptus trees, picnic tables, and playground equipment are provided. Continuing eastwards, we cross the riverbed and arrive at another picnic area beyond which the road is closed to motor vehicles. From here we can set off on foot to see the forest flowers and the Wildflower Trail. We walk around the gate and continue along the main forest trail, which leads us to the beginning of a footpath that continues for a kilometer. There is a signpost at the start of the path, and the route is marked in red all the way along.
This path, which provides pedestrian access to the Neveh Afeq neighborhood, is circular: it climbs up the hill, before taking us back down to our starting point. It is beautiful at all seasons of the year, but most especially so when the flowers are in bloom.
We visited in February and saw mostly cyclamens and some tulips. And depending on the season, you might see different flowers.
A whole host of cyclamen flowers, red and white anemones, tulips, bee orchids, and asphodels can be seen amid the cypress trees, interspersed with the leaves of sea squills (Drimia Maritima), whose tall stalks bloom in autumn in many parts of the forest. As we progress, we find ourselves among pine trees, and the sides of the footpath are edged with rocks that nature has eroded into something resembling works of art. In the winter, the small-flowered Pancratium flowers here. We cross a woodland trail and continue to climb the path up the hill until we reach the lookout point at its summit.
Initially, the path goes on a straight surface, and then you start climbing uphill. Here are several additional photos from the trail.
