The Hiking World

Jordan Trail

درب الأردن

OSM hiking route in Jordan (646.2 km line). Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. JTA cites 35 days of hiking for the thru-walk (https://www.jordantrail.org/, checked 2026-08-20); Wikipedia cites around 40.

Last verified 2026-08-20 vs PDTRA, ASEZA, and RSCN

Cite this record

The Hiking World, Jordan Trail, verified 2026-08-20, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/jordan-trail

How we verify · last checked 2026-08-20

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial · author

    Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.

The Monastery at Petra on the Jordan Trail

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

Permits and fees

PermitCostQuota / restrictionIssuerSourceVerified
Section permits (Petra / Wadi Rum / Dana)Unverified — not officially sourcedSee notes — three authorities, no combined trail fee—PDTRA, ASEZA, and RSCNIssuer pageUnverified

Altitude weather delta

High 1,497 m minus low -180 m is 1,677 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 10.9 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.

That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.

derived:lapse-rate · 2026-09-10 · provisional

ISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10

loading map...

Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON

Facts32.654, 35.678
Distance646.2 km*
osm:relation:19065729 · 2026-08-20 · osm · provisional
Ascent+30,179 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-20 · dem · provisional
Descent30,190 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-20 · dem · provisional
High point1,497 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-20 · dem · provisional
Low point-180 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-20 · dem · provisional
Routepoint-to-point
Days35
SeasonNorth Mar–Apr, South Feb–Mar; also Sep–mid-Nov
GradeSAC T2 · YDS 1

Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog

DifficultyLong-distance hiking (mixed highland and desert; not technical)
SAC T2
Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
YDS Class 1
Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.

Log in to view the elevation profile

Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 19065729 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.

OSM 2D length is 646.2 km (relation 19065729; main JT stages sorted by section number, reversing a stage when that shortens the join; .1 variants and side trails omitted). Published figures disagree and are cross-checks only, not this DataPoint: Wikipedia cites 650 km; JTA cites more than 675 km (https://www.jordantrail.org/, checked 2026-08-20). Straight-line connectors across mapping gaps are included in this length; ingest recorded a maximum numbered-stage connector of 0.27 km (ceiling 5 km).

typicalDays 35 is the JTA thru-window (“35 days of hiking”, https://www.jordantrail.org/, checked 2026-08-20), not Math.round(lengthKm/12). Wikipedia cites around 40 days; both are itinerary stamps, not a DataPoint. OSM 2D length is 646.2 km vs JTA’s more than 675 km.

Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). JTA (https://www.jordantrail.org/water/, checked 2026-08-20) says carry about five litres for a full day without resupply, expect natural water at least once per day on most of the trail, and arrange caches on the driest stretch from Rum village to Aqaba. Treat natural and tap water; JTA recommends an international-travel purification method.

Difficulty is SAC T2 / YDS 1 with an override label: JTA describes the Jordan Trail as a long-distance hiking trail (https://www.jordantrail.org/, checked 2026-08-20), not a scrambling or alpine route. The whole spine is mixed highland and desert; individual wadi or Petra stages may be locally harder. Not a SAC survey of every stage.

Water security

Sourced carry / availability

JTA: carry about five litres for a full day without resupply; expect natural water at least once per day on most of the trail; arrange caches on the driest stretch from Rum village to Aqaba. Treat natural and tap water; JTA recommends an international-travel purification method. Summer heat: carry extra.

jordantrail.org · 2026-08-20

Surface

Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.

Permits & fees

Permit
Section permits (Petra / Wadi Rum / Dana)

Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer

Getting there

Sourced legs to the Umm Qais base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.

  1. Bus · Queen Alia (AMM) → Amman Tabarbour terminal

    airport shuttle about every 30 min. No single direct bus AMM→Umm Qais.

    jordantrail.org · 2026-08-20 · official · provisional

  2. Bus · Amman Tabarbour → Irbid

    Jett. About 1.5 h.

    jordantrail.org · 2026-08-20 · official · provisional

  3. Road · Irbid → Umm Qais

    Local transport or taxi. About 4 h total AMM→Umm Qais, or private car.

    jordantrail.org · 2026-08-20 · official · provisional

  4. Sea · Nuweiba (Egypt) → Port of Aqaba

    Ferries to Nuweiba, Egypt (~7 km south of Aqaba town). South-end entry; Aqaba is the JT southern terminus. Taxi from Aqaba to the Red Sea trailhead — no public bus there.

    en.wikipedia.org · 2026-08-20 · wikidata · official · provisional

South-end air/port overview was taken from a 2026 aggregator lead (provisional), not an official timetable.

Plan from your location

Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.

Getting there car-free

  • Start (OSM line): car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.
  • End (OSM line): car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.

Trailheads

  • Start (OSM line) car-free: unknown
  • End (OSM line) car-free: unknown

Log in to view trailhead transit detail

Hazards

  • Summer heat and dehydration on desert stages. JTA (https://www.jordantrail.org/water/, checked 2026-08-20) says carry extra water in warmer weather; Rum village to Aqaba is the driest stretch.

Questions

Do I need a permit for Jordan Trail?

A permit is listed as required for Jordan Trail: Section permits (Petra / Wadi Rum / Dana). Status is unverified. This desk does not treat that as an official ruling.

When is the best time to hike Jordan Trail?

On this record the best season is: North Mar–Apr, South Feb–Mar; also Sep–mid-Nov.

How difficult is Jordan Trail?

Jordan Trail is graded SAC T2 · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Summer heat and dehydration on desert stages. JTA (https://www.jordantrail.org/water/, checked 2026-08-20) says carry extra water in warmer weather; Rum village to Aqaba is the driest stretch.

How long is Jordan Trail?

The OSM 2-D length on this record is 646.2 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

How do I get to Jordan Trail?

The record’s base start is Umm Qais. A primary gateway on the record is Queen Alia International Airport (AMM). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.

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