Shimshit Trail – Accessible Trail near Tzipori

Shimshit Trail is a paved loop trail with various findings near Moshav Shimshit (near Nazareth).

Map

Shimshit Trail by Moshav Shimshit is located near Nazareth and Tzipori National Park. And the easiest way to reach it is by using one of the links below.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

Here are the relevant maps:

Note: You can click on the maps to enlarge them.

Trails

You can hike the whole Shimshit loop trail, or only the part with the antiquities. 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
Shimshit Loop Trail	Green	Loop Trail that goes around Zipori forest.	4	172	It is a bidirectional accessible trail.
Short Shimshit Trail	Blue	Visit only the part with the antiquities and return to the parking lot.	1.8	56

I also want to mention that there is a Shimshit singletrack bike trail. Its length is 12 km. The total climb is 200 meters, and the level is low/intermediate (see map above). Moreover, we saw a mobile bike rental station and the parking lot when we visited.

Parking

You will see the parking to your left when driving on road #7924 toward Shimshit.

Entrance Fee

Free.

Opening Hours

Staying at Zipori Forest after dark is prohibited. Thus, visit during the day.

Restrooms

None.

Points of Interest at Shimshit Trail

Bridge over Tzipori River

The parking lot is located near the Tzipori River, and from the parking lot, you can see a bridge over the Tzipori River.

The area between the parking lot and the bridge has trees, grass, and shaded tables, so many people have picnics there.

The trail goes south to the parking lot, and if you visited the bridge, you must return.

You can hike along the trail in any direction, but if you want to visit the antiquities first, you should go away from road #7924. If you find yourself going along the road, like in the following photo, you are walking in the wrong direction (you will see antiquities in the end).

Roman Road

At the beginning of the trail, you will see two maps (appear above). After about sixty meters, you might notice a narrow plain empty of vegetation. Next to this area, you can see a course of stones. It is a section of an ancient Roman road that passed through the place.

The road left Acre, reached the village of Legio (Megiddo), continued here, and went up to Zippori and then on to Beit She’an and Jerash on the other side of the Jordan. The Roman roads were intended primarily for Roman troops, but also for commerce and the movement of people. The Romans also took advantage of the ways to illustrate the power of their rule. The milestones along the roads were engraved with inscriptions glorifying the emperors in whose time the road was installed or renovated.

Source: KKL

The Viewpoint

A paved path branches to the left about 300 meters from the starting point, and after about 60 meters, it reaches a point overlooking the valley. In the expansive and fully cultivated valley, the Nahal Zippori flows alongside Route 79. The stream is about 32 km long, begins its journey in the Nazareth Mountains, about 8 km east of here, and flows into Nahal Kishon. Beyond the stream are the forested slopes of the Zippori Forest.

Source: KKL

The Cave

From this viewpoint, return to the trail and continue east. After a few minutes, you will reach a cave and a wooden deck that was built in front of its opening. In 2001, in preparation for the development of the trail, the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted salvage excavations at Horbat Shemshit. The excavations indicate that the cave was inhabited from the Iron Age (10th century BCE) until the beginning of the Byzantine period (4th century CE) and from the Mamluk period (15th century) onwards. In nearby places, remains from the Middle Bronze Age II (1550–1750 BCE) were discovered.

Source: KKL