Please everywhere you hike take out MORE than you bring in!
Hike 13: Start at the Neanderthal Caves parking lot. Hike up to the Carmel Mountain forest, hike through the forest to the Israel Trail. Follow the Israel trail past the Omer Obsersvation tower, past the tomb of Shiek Amir, and a cave where Fruit Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) live. Then back to the Neanderthal Caves.
| Hiking Time | 3.5 hours |
Blaze | Green, Blue, Red, Green |
Trail # | 4272, 4271, 4273, 4272 |
Difficulty | Easy to Medium |
Type of trail | Mostly single file paths. |
Highlights | Much of the red trail is a gentle walk through lovely woods. There is an interesting tomb of a sheik on the green trail and also a cave with fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) living in it. |
Problems | There are no problems on this hike. |
Cleanliness | The trails are clean, but every junction with a dirt road or a picnic area passes areas which are littered. |
4/12/2010 Carmel Fire | Unaffected by the fire. |
Trail Narrative
Start in the parking lot of the Mount Carmel Caves
. This area has a snack bar, a bathroom, and you can buy guided tours of the caves where prehistoric man lived. Walk south on the green trail (also the Israel Trail) for a few minutes until you reach the junction with the blue trail. Follow the blue trail up towards the east. After climbing for about 25 minutes you will reach the red trail. Take red trail towards the south. After about 35 minutes you’ll pass over a cattle guard. The red trail continues straight across the dirt road. About 20 minutes from the cattle guard you’ll pass the junction with the black trail which is a alternate route back down. Ten more minutes of walking will bring you to a picnic area with water fountains, turn towards the west where the red trail joins the Israel Trail northward bound. You will now be following the tricolored Israel Trail north-bound all the way back to the Neanderthal caves. Soon there will be another picnic ground. Pass it and continue winding through the bushes on the Israel Trail.After another ten minutes you will see the four story high Omer Observation tower. There is now an observation deck, a café, and several rides in this area. The Israel Trail goes right across the observation deck. Now find where it joins the green trail and descends rather steaply on a little rocky trail towards the left (east). This trail is a bit tricky to find. In about 2 minutes you will be on a dirt road.
Do not stay on the dirt road, instead cross the road and look for a trail on the other (east side) and continue going down hill.
Twenty minutes from the observation tower, and a few minutes past where the black trail joins, you will pass the tomb of Sheik Amir. There are also several old graves in this area. A few minutes further and you can see a low cave a few meters off the trail. This cave is deeper than it looks and there are fruit bats living in it. The trail passes what looks like the remains of a oil press and continues up and down the side of the hills. About an other hour will bring you back to the parking lot of the Carmel Caves.
Getting to the trail and back:
By Bus:
Take the 202 or the 921 from the Hof haCarmel central bus station in Southern Haifa and get off at Ein Karmel (16 stops). Walk south about 100 meter and turn left (west) into the Carmel Caves site. Walk another 100 meters to the parking lot and find the trail.
By Car:
Drive south on route 4 past Oren junction, past Ein Hod, past Ein Karmel and then turn left (West) into the Carmel Caves site.
Pictures from the hike:
