Mountain Biking - Exploring the Aminadav Forest

My mountain bike hasn't seen much in the way of unpaved trails for a while, so I thought I'd do some exploring around the neighborhood this afternoon.  Within minutes of our lofty perch on Holyland hill, I was rocketing down a dusty dirt trail, dodging rocks, and grinding up long inclines surrounded by pine trees.

I was in "exploring mode," so didn't really know where I was until I returned home and consulted Google Earth.  The Aminadav Forest lines the highest hills in Jerusalem - peaking at over 2700 feet.   On a clear day, they say you can see the Mediterranean, glistening about 40 miles away to the West.

Little did I know that Jerusalem's Kennedy Memorial was just a mile or two away from my route.  I'll try to take that in next time.


After about 5 miles of dirt, I hit the blacktop of Highway 3877.  A couple miles of gentle climbing brought me to the top of the ridge near the road down to the Hadessah Medical Center, where I finished up the loop with a long descent on blacktop back home.