Mount Arbel – the Easy Way

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Distance: 2km	Time: 1 hour	Difficulty: Easy

After many dark rainy days filled with indoor activities, we were ready to be outdoors again. Mount Arbel was going to be our epic hike of the week. 

This Galil area mountain overlooks the Kinneret.  The views from the top were supposed to be unparalleled.  So although we knew the climb would be a bit rough with the kids, we decided to take it slow and give a few piggy back rides to make it through.

But that morning, we heard the unfortunate news – all the trails on Mount Arbel were closed! Since it rained so intensely over the weekend, the paths were slippery and dangerous.  The only trails open were the short lookout walks.

We knew that it was probably for the best, since two of the kids were feeling a bit under the weather.  So we decided to make the best of it and take a short, kid friendly walk on the top of Mount Arbel.

Picture Perfect Scenery

This trail is part of Mount Arbel National Park.  There’s an entrance booth at the front where visitors pay to get in (or show their National Parks card – definitely worth it!). Since it’s a National Park, there are also facilities and a shop at the foot of the trail.

We took the black trail to walk up towards the lookout points.  The trail passes several cliffs with incredible views of the farms and villages below on the way up to the top.  Bright pink cyclamen grew out of the walls of the cliffs.

A little bit further of a walk and we were at the main lookout area, a perfect place for taking pictures.  Lake Kinneret gleamed blue and bright in the distance, like an endless sea.  The squared off patches of farmland below interspersed with neat red roofed towns were particularly beautiful from our mountaintop vantage point.

Relaxed and Fun

Next we decided to head further out by taking the blue trail (also part of the Israel Trail) to another view point.  It was an easy walk over the top of Mount Arbel.  At this lookout, we used the map to help us identify all the towns around the Kinneret.  We spent some time gazing out into the distance while the kids climbed around. Then we were back on the trail.

The nice thing about this short trail is that the walk itself was also beautiful.  The rocky path made it fun for the kids to hop from place to place. And there’s always something to discover, even on a short trek.  We found a neon red bug that we’d never seen before under a rock along the way.

 And a little family of rock badgers right on the edge of a cliff. We approached slowly and quietly, and managed to observe them for a bit. Then they sensed our presence and scurried down the side of the mountain.

An hour or so later and we were back at our car.  This mini hike on Mount Arbel was fun, relaxing, and stunningly beautiful.

Hikers’ Notes:

So if you’re up North looking for an adventure for kids with none of the hassle, take a walk on Arbel Mountain.  You won’t regret it after you catch a glimpse of the incredible view.  And bonus points for this short hike because it will be complaint free!

Next time I head up north, I’ll be sure to scope out one of the longer hikes up Mount Arbel for more adventurous travelers.  For now, this is a great hike for anyone looking for something super easy and kid friendly.

They say it pays to catch the view on a clear day, but when we went it was cloudy and still beautiful.  So don’t worry too much if the sky doesn’t cooperate.

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