How long is Maaleh Gilboa Road?

How long is Maaleh Gilboa Road?

Israel, asia

Length

27.6 km

Elevation

475 m

Difficulty

easy

Best Season

Year-round

Maaleh Gilboa Road (667 Road) is a very scenic drive located in the Northern District of Israel.

How long is Maaleh Gilboa Road?

Running along the mountain ridge, the fully paved road is also known as Gilboa Scenic Road. It’s 27.6 km (17.14 miles) long running north-southeast from Yizre'el (in the Jezreel Valley near Afula) to Sdei Trumot (in the Beit She'an Valley).

Is Maaleh Gilboa Road worth it?

Located on the northeast end of the ridge of the Samarian hills in the country, the road tops out by Mount Barkan, at 475m (1,558ft) above the sea level. The road follows the ridges of Mount Gilboa providing amazing scenic views and stop-offs. The Maaleh Gilboa road leads to the nondescript village of Maaleh Gilboa. However, this road offers wide vistas across the eastern Jezreel Valley. The War of Armageddon will be fought as described in the Bible in this valley. As the road winds slowly up into the Gilboa Mountains, you can see the broad expanse of the valley up to the southern reaches of the Sea of Galilee. Much of the history of the Bible after the sojourn of the Hebrew tribes as told in the Books of Moses took place in or around these hills and the broad valley below.  So, the view from the road may be of greatest interest to Christians and Jews but as so much history that still affects the world took place here, it should be of interest to all travelers in the Middle East.

Driving the technical off-road track through HaMakhtesh HaGadol

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Road Details

Country
Israel
Continent
asia
Length
27.6 km
Max Elevation
475 m
Difficulty
easy

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