Huge oak trees, some nearly 2000 years old, stand in the Horshat Tal Nature Reserve (tel. 94 04 00 or 94 23 60). According to a Muslim legend, the trees, which survive nowhere else in Israel, have been preserved thanks to the 10 messengers of Muhammad who once rested here. Finding a dearth of trees for shade and not a single hitching post for their camels, they pounded sticks into the earth to fasten their mounts. Overnight the sticks sprouted, and the holy men found themselves in a thick forest.

The trees now tower over a grassy park which is crammed on Saturdays with picnicking families. Especially enticing is the large, ice-cold swimming pool-actually the River Dan ingeniously diverted. From Kiryat Shmona bus #26 travels to Horshat Tal at 10:15am and 2:10pm. Buses #26, 27, and 36 return to Kiryat Shmona at 9:10am, 12:15pm, and 2:35pm (NIS3.80). About 100m farther along the road is the Horshat Tal Camping Ground (tel. 94 23 60), on the banks of the Dan River. The campground is a convenient base for the rest of the region. (Tent sites NIS20.4-person bungalows NISI 10.)