Mountain biking in Israel: a visitor's guide · לגרסה בעברית

Israel Bike Trail — the southern section

352.3 km almost continuous from Sde Boker to Eilat, plus 114.5 km continuous from Arad to Kikar Sdom by the Dead Sea. Every segment here has a GPX file, a route on the map and an elevation profile, and the gaps between segments are measured from the routes themselves.

What this page does not cover: the marked trail runs the length of the country. Everything in our database starts at Lahav, south of Be’er Sheva, and goes south. The Galilee, the Carmel and the central mountains are not here — we have no GPX for them, which does not mean there is no trail.

Green: the long section, Sde Boker to Eilat. Blue: the Dead Sea section. Orange: a stand-alone segment. The number on the map is the segment number in the tables.

The long section: Sde Boker to Eilat

9 segments, 352.3 km and 4,133 m of climbing. The largest gap on the way is 8 km, and 6 of the links between segments are under a kilometre. At about 60 km a day in desert terrain that is around 6 riding days.

114.5 km continuous: Arad to Kikar Sdom

3 connected segments, 114.5 km and 1,581 m of climbing in the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea. The largest gap on the way is 1.3 km.

Stand-alone segment: Lahav to Meitar

19.9 km in the South Hebron Hills. It does not connect to any other segment in our database and works as a riding day on its own.

Before you go

Season. November to March. The southern section crosses the Arava and the Eilat Mountains with no shade and no water for tens of kilometres, and in summer it is genuinely dangerous. After rain, check flash-flood warnings before entering desert wadis.

Water and pick-up. This is the real constraint, not the climbing. Between settlements in the Arava there are stretches of more than 40 km with no water source, and some segments end far from a road. Plan a support vehicle or cache water in advance.

Navigation. Download the GPX file of each segment from its track page (the pages are in Hebrew; the download button reads ⬇️ הורדת קובץ GPX). Sign-in with a Google account is free. The GPX guide (in Hebrew) covers loading the file onto Garmin and Wahoo; in short: Garmin Connect → Courses → Import, or the Wahoo app → Routes → Add.

Waymarking. The trail is marked, but not continuously on every segment and in places the marks are old. The route here is a navigation aid, not a substitute for the marks on the ground or for judgement.

Crossing the whole country? Our Golan-to-Eilat crossing (in Hebrew) chains other routes from the database into 735.5 km. It is not a marked trail but a chain we assembled, and that page says so.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Israel Bike Trail?

The Israel Bike Trail is a marked mountain-bike route along the length of Israel, built in stages. Its southern part, from the Negev Highlands down to Eilat, is the most complete and continuous section.

How many days does the southern section take?

352.3 km with 4,133 m of climbing. At about 60 km a day in desert terrain that is around 6 riding days. In practice the limit is water and pick-up points, not the climbing.

When is the best season?

November to March. The southern section crosses the Arava and the Eilat Mountains with no shade and no water for tens of kilometres, and in summer it is genuinely dangerous. After rain, check flash-flood warnings.

Where is the northern half of the trail?

Not in our database. The marked trail crosses the whole country, but every segment we have a GPX file for is from Lahav, south of Be’er Sheva, southwards. The Galilee, the Carmel and the central mountains are not covered here. That means we have no GPX for them, not that there is no trail on the ground.

Can I ride from Arad to Kikar Sdom continuously?

Yes. The 3 segments — Arad to Masada, Masada to Neve Zohar and Neve Zohar to Kikar Sdom — connect within a few hundred metres: 114.5 km through the Judean Desert and along the Dead Sea.

How do I download the GPX files?

Each segment links to its track page (in Hebrew). Sign in for free with a Google account and press the button “⬇️ הורדת קובץ GPX” (“Download GPX file”). The sign-in only stops bulk scraping of the database.