Haqeel Loop via Partial Highlander Trail.

Haqeel Loop via partial Highlander trail and part no trail.

This can be a beginner hike in cooler times.

Highlander Event created one of the best Trail that covers almost 50 Kms and it is the best. The trail is well laid and manmade stairs in many places keeps your foot stable. Good job Highlander !! Thank you !!!

My personal non profit/ non commercial FB Page dedicated to UAE Hiking.
https://www.facebook.com/Patricks-Hikes-101251445547970

We, a few friends initially planned a 11 Kms long loop hike from Haqeel Valley using the washed out Pylons offroad ascent till abandoned villages on the mountain top, thunder canyon point and make a loop back with the Highlander trail as our descent.

We parked here, Sedans with good clearance can navigate easily.
We parked at the end of the planned trail.
https://goo.gl/maps/c59Go8BL8w6i2drUA

To reach this point, there is a good offroad available through Haqeel village and there is a new road under construction as access road to Jebel Jais road from E611 via Haqeel valley. Right now our access road is recorded separately and here is that link, if you need.
The access can change on periodic basis as per the road construction progress.

https://www.wikiloc.com/offroading-trails/haqeel-hike-access-road-100131260

We walked on a flat offroad for about 1.5 Kms and gradually turned right side into a washed out offroad that was constructed as electrical pylons installation, we hiked up all the way to the top farmlands. It is a pretty demanding stretch with good elevation gain.


This Trail is mainly part washed out offroad and part mountain surface with some loose rocks, steep slope, some fields.
The Offroad that was constructed for the Power lines Pilons project is now washed out in few places, so we hike up straight over steep slope and you gain elevation quickly.

Once you reach the Saddle on the top near the Pilons, then you have lots of options to hike on the mountains around.
We decided to turn right and explore the abandoned village and its vicinity and extended the Hike.
We also got to see ( From Far ) the Thunder Canyon (Popular Climbing area} from the Summit along with Shahha mountain Ridge, Yabana Mountain and Jebel Jais itself.

There are some nice Camping spots up there for cooler times.
But you will have to climb up for 2 Kms with your Camping Gear.

Towards the West, you have many possibilities to explore Shamal / Rams area mountains.

We made it a loop and then returned back.

From here we merged into the Highlander trail ( in reverse ) and walked easy towards the villages and farms all the way. There are some houses here and there, but we didnt see any humans around.

The trail gradually turns right and goes via a variety of topography within 2 Kms. It eventually leads close to Thunder canyon abseiling area and turns left upwards to Jebel Rahabah and Jebel Jais as per the Highlander trail plan.

But, we visited the Thunder canyon for a view and then turned right to hike up on a mountain surface to reach an abandoned village and took a break under a tree.
Later we merged into the Highlander trail for our descent section that is impressively constructed with manmade steps, trail and best views of Haqeel.

Later we reached the cars straight forward as we had parked the cars near the end point of the hike.

Overall 11.5 Kms long hike with good views, some endurance, variety of terrain, lots of additional options to extend the hike etc.

Do Not Try Any Mountain Hikes If You Do Not Understand The Mountain Terrains, Dangers From Wildlife, First Aid, Hydration And Snacks, Your Own Fitness, Remote Activity Preparations, Communication Tools, Mountain Geography, Topography, Risk Factors, HSE Requirements, Hiking Risks, Fitness Level Of The Group Members.
Study All Above Matters Well Before Following Any Trails That You Find Online. Please Do Not Over Estimate Yourself.
Better Be Safe Than Put Yourself / Group In Danger And Regret Later.
Lately We Have Seen A Lot Of Unwanted Hiking Incidents That Could Have Been Avoided With Better Preparation.
Wish You All The Best.
Wikiloc, Only For Reference. There Can Be Errors On The GPS Recording Due To GPS Jumping In The Wadi Sections or Erroneous Recording.