April Travel Guide: Spring Beauty and Biblical History at Adulam Nature Reserve

Hiking the Trail

The green marked trail at Adulam begins just beneath Itri Ruins. Here, hikers can walk past springtime meadows up a tree-covered hill towards the ancient city.

At the top, there’s plenty to explore. Just walking around above-ground, hikers can get a sense of the size and setup of the Second Temple town. There’s an easily accessible ritual bath, a great gathering room (once used as a synagogue), and plenty of small stone structures to explore between the spring flowers and greenery. 

For those looking for a more in-depth adventure, there are awesome underground passageways to explore. With a headlamp to light the way, visitors can crawl on their hands and knees through dug-out tunnels from the time of the Bar Kochva revolt, stopping along the way in larger, carved out rooms.

After a thorough exploration, the trail leads out of Itri and through a world of springtime cheer. Along the path, wild mustard flowers blossom abundantly, along with daisies and wild herbs. Most of this six-kilometer loop trail is out in the sun, but there are plenty of large shady trees, which provide just enough shade for a mid-hike lunch break. One particularly beautiful carob tree is located midway between the two ancient towns.

The Next Great Adventure 

After a pleasant walk through the reserve, the trail arrives at the second major attraction: Burgin Ruins. The remnants of the town at Burgin are much more vast and complete than those at Itri, as they were more recently settled. There are Byzantine-era burial caves, complete with carved stone columns bearing crosses. A Jewish burial cave is close by, with its own intricately carved entrance.  

At Burgin, an old wine press and a columbarium gives insight into what the lives of the local residents must have been like. In this region, grapes and olives were grown for sustenance.

 It can take hours to explore Burgin Ruins completely. Aside from all of the above-ground relics, there are also underground tunnels and caves at Burgin, dug out during the Jewish revolt against the Romans. During this time period, families retreated underground to hide from their Roman oppressors. Visitors to Burgin can go for a long crawl through these caves, and get a sense of what life may have been like for those who hid within long ago.

The Trail Continues

From Burgin, the green trail continues along a narrow pathway through more lush spring beauty. Hikers may encounter a flock of sheep or two as they walk, bringing this ancient landscape to life more completely. Aside from livestock, birds, bees, and butterflies also make their appearance along this trail, drawn to the area because of its colorful wildflowers and rich greenery.

After six kilometers of happy hiking, the loop trail ends back at the parking area below Itri Ruins.

Adulam in our History

There’s a lot of history to this nature reserve in the Jerusalem Foothills. During Biblical times, the area of Adulam was the clashing point between the mountain-dwelling Jews and the Philistines, who lived along the coastline. Many famous Biblical battles happened in this area.

From a high point in the park, one can see out to the ancient cities of Azeka and Socho (also mentioned in the Torah). David fought off Goliath, the Philistine giant in the valley just beneath these towns. Later, when King David fled from Saul, he used the caves in Adulam as a hiding place.

Throughout the First and Second Temple periods, the area of Adulam was settled by Jews from the tribe of Judah. The little town at Itri was home to a small community.  The Jews there lived off the land and took part in community religious life. The town was burnt to the ground by Romans after the destruction of the Second Temple.

After this, Itri was briefly settled by Romans before being forever abandoned a short while later.

Where: The loop trail at Adulam is located in the Jerusalem Lowlands, about thirty minutes from the city of Jerusalem.

How Long: The full trail is about six kilometers long and can take half a day to hike.  It takes about five hours to walk the trail and completely explore the ruins at both sites.

Cost: Adulam Nature Reserve is a free entry site.

How to Get There: Using Google Maps, drive to Horvat Burgin or Hurvat Itri in the Adulam Nature Reserve. Since this trail is not in a National Park, there are no paper maps available at the site. Maps and hiking instructions can be found online.

When: The terrain at Adulam Nature Reserve is at its best during the months of January through May. During the warmer summer months, the trail can be quite pleasant in the late afternoon and towards sunset. The park is open all week and at all hours of the day.

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