The 11K route starts near the top of Gilboa Mountain and descends to the valley. The first five kilometers are very rocky and rutted, but have stunning views of the Valley of Israel (Jezreel Valley) below. The top of the mountain mostly has low vegetation. The lower areas of the route are shaded by Mediterranean pine trees planted over the past forty years in the effort to reforest Israel.
Hiking boots or trail shoes are recommended. I did the walk in running shoes without difficulty, but the extra stability and protection of trail shoes would have been a better choice. Few participants used trekking poles, but I found them to be very valuable in maintaining stability.
There are some stretches of uphill, about a total of one kilometer of the 11K. The rest of the kilometers were downhill.
The 20K and 11K route walkers are fewer in number, allowing for an uncrowded trail for the first several kilometers. But on the second day, they all encounter the 20,000 walkers who are walking the final five kilometers of the route.
