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Backpacker Magazine – March 2012
The Jesus Trail: Hiking from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee
Every hike is a pilgrimage, but this new path from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee is holier than most. Literally following in His footsteps, the 40-mile route immerses hikers in biblical history.
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- Adventure travel |
Trip Planner
Itinerary Allow four days of hiking for the 40-mile route, and spend at least one full day in Nazareth before you start. Go in spring or fall.
Accommodations It’s possible to camp along the Jesus Trail, but you’ll get more out of the experience (and can carry a light pack) by staying in towns. Most guesthouses have bunkroom accommodations for as little as 100 NIS (about $25 in new Israeli shekels) per night.
Guidebook/map/info Obtain everything—including lodging reservations, shuttles for you and/or gear, GPS data, and more—at jesustrail.com. Order Landis and Dintaman’s guidebook, Hiking the Jesus Trail ($25), on the site, and get a 25-percent discount by using the code "Backpacker.”
Itinerary Allow four days of hiking for the 40-mile route, and spend at least one full day in Nazareth before you start. Go in spring or fall.
Accommodations It’s possible to camp along the Jesus Trail, but you’ll get more out of the experience (and can carry a light pack) by staying in towns. Most guesthouses have bunkroom accommodations for as little as 100 NIS (about $25 in new Israeli shekels) per night.
Guidebook/map/info Obtain everything—including lodging reservations, shuttles for you and/or gear, GPS data, and more—at jesustrail.com. Order Landis and Dintaman’s guidebook, Hiking the Jesus Trail ($25), on the site, and get a 25-percent discount by using the code "Backpacker.”
Ironically, the prettiest section of the trail is one place you can be sure Jesus didn’t walk: the 1,000-foot descent of the Arbel Cliffs. The scrambly route plunges straight down the canyon walls, with iron rungs installed to help you negotiate the steepest sections. We enter Arbel National Park on the morning of day four. The preserve harbors the best hiking along the entire route, with cliff-top and canyon trails, the ruins of a fourth-century synagogue, and a 17th-century Druze fortress built directly into the sheer rocks.
Maybe he didn’t risk the downclimb, but I can’t help wondering—as a backpacker who knows the power of a great view—if Jesus paused at Arbel to take in the spectacular vista. Today, the sky is clear and you can see across the Sea of Galilee to Mt. Hermon and Lebanon. The canyon below, with its rust-red cliffs and lush, spring-fed ravine, leads down to the Ginosar Valley; Capernaum, his final destination, lays just beyond.
From here, in the shade of a carob tree, I can see all of the places where the events that changed the trajectory of Jesus’s life—and Western civilization—unfolded. You don’t need to be a Sunday school graduate to know the stories. If you’ve grown up in the West, they form part of the cultural landscape, like Aristotle and the Beatles. There’s the village of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene. And a mile beyond, the shoreline town where Jesus, according to all four gospels, multiplied the loaves and fishes. And there’s the slope, with a commanding view over the water, believed to be the spot where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount.
Of course, no one can say, with any certainty, which of the Galilee’s many hills was the site of that particular sermon. And the miracles themselves, let alone their precise locations, are a matter of faith. And while following Jesus the Hiker has been among the most fascinating treks I’ve ever made, you obviously don’t need to know where he walked to heed his most human messages, of compassion and forgiveness.
As we start the descent on the final leg of the 40-mile journey, I recall Abud, who had shared his kebabs on the grounds of the ruined mosque. I’d asked him if he knew the Jesus Trail passed right by the mosque. He seemed surprised.
“I know Jesus’s places,” Abud said. “But I don’t know exactly where he stepped.”
Perhaps not, my friend, but the spicy chunk of lamb—proffered to a humble pilgrim hiking a dusty track—suggests otherwise.
Executive editor Dennis Lewon is now praying for a chance to hike the planned Path of Abraham, from Turkey to Jordan.
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Awesome article... it's inspired me to write a tract about the gospel of Christ to share with others I meet along my hikes. Thanks again!
We hiked parts of the Jesus Trail. Twice! We are a German family of 4 and having lived all over Asia, parts of the US, Italy and Germany, we did an enourmous amount of travel....enjoying famous places, sightseeing, but mainly trying to find unique and off-the-beaten-path moments. In Israel we only spent a short amount of time near the traditional sightseeing places (Jerusalem etc) but really slowed down to soak up the Galilee. Its lush green hills in March, the solitude of the trail, wildflowers cheerful in their colors, Capernaum with its message: "Jesus lived here", the lake where his friends made their living as fishermen, everything in this remarkable landscape spoke to our souls. We made this journey as a pilgrimage. Our daughters (9 and 12 years old) read our favorite bible passages out loud at the places where the stories took place. No Sunday school lesson, no classroom experience could rival this hike and what each of us is learning along the way. The Jesus Trail is no mainstream tourist destination, it is a very personal trail, offering its charms and multi-layered message to those willing to get off the bus and spend a week walking, or even just a day.
Thank you so much for having the courage to write about this holy trail. God Bless you...I am very excited about hopefully doing this trek someday!
Excellent article covering so many important aspects of travel in this land (I'm in Israel)! I also work in the tourism industry and this is really one of the most well-rounded, interesting features I've read on Israel.
Fantastic news. The Jesus trail really excites me. The insights to this story is very stimulating makes a good read.
God blessed me beyond what I could ever hope for as I'm going to be taking this trek in May............... Praise God.......
Has anyone given any thought to the political implications of hiking through an occupied territory?
Thanks for this information and for not being afraid of the "No religion allowed" naysayers!!!! I would love to be able to do this someday!! :)
This has been added to my hiking bucket list. Thank you. For posting this story and the information about making the trip. No matter what your beliefs, it is sure to be a truely inspirational walk.
Thanks for sharing. I would never of imagined making this trek without reading about it. How refreshing.
Sounds like a wonderful hike... good for you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this insight. I never look at my husband's hiking magazine but the topic caught my attention. I like the nice history lesson as well as the attention to detail of how the local people are working together. I like the note on the landscape. Thank you.
Like the article - would love to add this to the top of the bucket list!
Great timing to re-run this article (tomorrow is Good Friday, 2012). Makes me really want to walk this trail. Thanks for the article.
There are two guides about the Jesus Trail. The second one is by Jacob Saar: Jesus Trail and Jeruslem. One should look for bothj guides.
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