Off-roading in the Jordan Valley - Travel Features - Israel travel and tourism

During any normal April, the landscape here is green. But this year, the series of heat waves has killed the greenery, leaving everything yellow. And that's okay - because on this path, it's the topography that does the talking: lofty peaks, deep gorges, branches and ridges.

And there's plenty of landscape too - from Jericho to Beit She'an in the east to the spine of the Judean Hills in the west. Keren Sartaba reaches 377 meters above sea level and nearly 650 meters above the Jordan Valley.
The climb at the mountain once appeared on the youth movements' must-do list, but today too few tourists travel to this region. There is no fear of traffic congestion here, as there is at the Ramon Crater and Nahal Nikrot. The difficulty level of this trip is classified as "moderate" for 4x4 off-road vehicles with power gears. Bringing rescue equipment (towing straps and shackles) and undertaking this trip with a minimum of two vehicles is also recommended.

Land of the Crown

The starting point is Adam Junction, where routes 90 (Valley Road, or Kvish HaBik'ah) and 57 meet. At the junction, put the odometer on zero and face west (left for those coming from the south, right for those coming from the right). Welcome to a different country: orchards, vineyards, simple huts, and a gas station (at kilometer 4) that looks like it was moved in one piece from Jordan or Syria. The area's nickname stems from the days of the Ottoman Empire and means "land of the crown." It refers to the easing of erosion at Nahal Tirza (Wadi al-Fara), land that is ripe for agricultural growth and that is now flourishing like never before.

Drive northeast on road 57 with extreme caution - local children often run around in the street. After 10 km the road intersects with Route 508, "Alon Way." Place the odometer on zero and face left, or southeast. At the 5.6 km mark, near a sign that reads "Kiduach Gitit 3," zero the odometer once more and face left, or east, to a narrow road marked with blue trail signs (Route 5430 on the map). This turn is about 300 meters from the entrance to Moshav Mechora.

The altitude here is 150 meters above sea level. At kilometer 1.8, you reach an intersection and turn right, or south. At kilometer 2.3, there is another intersection. Zero the odometer once again and turn right onto a dirt road also marked with blue. At kilometer 1.2, at a fork in the road, choose the right arm and continue on it for the length of the gorge, Wadi a-Daba (Nahal HaTzavua). At kilometer 1.7, at another fork, take the left arm. At kilometer 2.1, at the fork, turn right and begin ascending toward Jabal al-Mahajra (Har HaMachtzeva). The action, in terms of the drive, starts here. There are some rocks, some steps, and at kilometer 3.2 another sloped ascent.

The landscape improves the higher up you go. At 3.7 km, there is a break in the ascent, and if the sun isn't beating down, this is a nice spot to boil your first coffee. Further on, at 4.8 km, you reach an major fork in the road and a junction marked 5420 in black. Turn left, or east, here and follow the black signage. In a ridge to the northeast, you can see impressive circles of stones - not of the Erich von Daniken "Chariots of the Gods" variety, but more like the "Syrian pita" (or "Jordanian bagel") - where the IDF trains. At 5.3 km, at a fork, turn left (follow the black signage) and descend. At 5.8 km, at the intersection, zero the odometer and turn right, or south, onto the dirt road with green signage that climbs the shoulder of the mountain called Umm Hallal. At 800 m - driving along the extension of Umm Hallal and adjacent to the mountain top - and you are 408 meters above sea level. At 2.7 km, you reach red path markings (Route 5520).

At 4.3 km, at the fork, turn left, or east, and continue along the "red" path. At 5.3 km, a large embankment of destroyed stones is spread along the side of the road. This is what is left of the siphon that supplied water to the fortress and palace at the head of Keren Sartaba. How did the inhabitants here overcome the water shortage? Large water pits were dug in the side of the mountain that occasionally collected rain water. One group of water pits, which look like caves from afar, can be seen on the northern side of the mountain. At 5.6 km, both car and driver have to overcome a small ascent with several pits along the way. At 6.3 km, you park at the foot of Keren Sartaba and the remnants of the fortress. Don't be tempted to climb higher in your vehicle - the path is steep and dangerous, and there's even a story about an IDF Hummer that rolled all the way down to the bottom of the gorge. The climb on foot is about 300 meters and is over after a few minutes and several deep breaths.

Alongside the fortress

The altitude, according to the GPS, is 375 meters. The landscape is excellent, although you have to hope for minimum haze. The fortress overlooks several important paths in the area and was part of a system of observation and signal points. Torches signaling the blessing of the month (Kiddush Hachodesh) were lit here, and the name of Moshav Masua at the foot of Keren Sartaba comes from here as well. The fortress was built during the time of the Second Temple by the Hasmonean king Alexander Yanai, who ruled from 76-103 B.C.E., and named the structure after his wife Alexandra. The regional center of Shlomzion, home to the regional council offices and adjacent to Moshav Mesua, carries the nickname that the Hasmonean subjects bestowed on Alexandra.

The fortress was destroyed in wars with the Romans but was rehabilitated during the time of Herod and transformed into a magnificent palace. It was here that Herod jailed the last Hasmonean princesses - Miriam, his wife, and her mother Alexandra - and buried his sons, who were killed on his orders. Apparently, it was not humans that ultimately destroyed the fortress, but rather a strong earthquake that struck in 363 C.E.

Today, the area is part of a national park, dedicated to the memory of slain cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi, who served as GOC Central Command during the time this region was known as the "Land of Pursuits."

That's it. Time to start the final descent. The map says "hard navigability" but the army improved the path and no particular difficulty should be expected. At 2.2 km, those who turn left and continue a few hundred meters will reach a road that leads to the nearby army base and back to the Valley Road (Kvish Ha'bik'ah), not far from Moshav Mesua. We continue straight on the dirt road that later turns into an unpaved road. At 4.4 km, you reach the back of Moshav Yafit - named after Yossi Yaffe, regiment commander of the paratroopers at Ammunition Hill - and turn left onto the dirt road that stretches along the fence and, after 5.6 km, reaches Route 90 and the end of the journey. The altitude here, by the way, is -260 meters.