A bench viewpoint above Beit Zayit Dam

All the information about the bench viewpoint above Beit Zayit Dam—this viewpoint catches you off guard. The bench placed here forces you to stop, look at the scenery, and for a moment understand the power and beauty offered by the hills of Jerusalem. The short way to get there on foot is an easy walk of about fifteen minutes along a comfortable path. We will park the car near the "Ma'ayan HaRofe" nursing home in Mevasseret Tzion. If its small parking lot is full, you can go down a short distance and park at the start of Arza Street—then we will go back up from there. From Ma'ayan HaRofe you need to cross the winding road—carefully!—and pass through the gray, locked vehicle gate. From here we will turn left and continue along the road marked in green; after an easy walk you will see the bench on our left. The bench is hidden among the trees | Photo: Shay Kedem Tip of ours: The bench is an excuse—you don't have to come only to it, and there are other beautiful places along the way where you can stop to admire the view. The viewpoint is on the "Otef Mevasseret Trail," which starts at the end of Zayit Street in Mevasseret Tzion and is marked green along its entire length. And this is another option for getting there. The whole road is wide and suitable for off-road vehicles, but the truth is that it's better to come here on foot rather than with motor vehicles, so the place can remain quiet and pastoral. The walk from the parking lot is only fifteen minutes, and the path is easy. Don't just settle for a high viewpoint—there's a beautiful hiking trail right next to the reservoir itself—Beit Zayit Reservoir—and next to it are the settlement of Beit Zayit and Ein Kerem | Photo: Shay Kedem From the viewpoint you can see, on the left, Highway 16 that crosses over the vineyards in the Sorek Valley and enters a tunnel beneath the Jerusalem Har Nof neighborhood. Above the reservoir you will see the settlement of Beit Zayit, and above it the Ein Kerem neighborhood. On the other side of the reservoir, on the right, you will see the Ein Kerem Agricultural School. Beit Zayit Reservoir fills in winter from the rains that flood the Sorek Stream. The dam was built in the 1950s to stop the water and channel it into the mountain aquifer.