Distance8.6 km round trip
Total climbAbout 390 m (our estimate)
Typical time2.5 to 4 hours
ShapeOut and back
Route statusOfficial waymarked route: Visit Jebel Jais lists it and grades it Beginner to Moderate. The operator is renewing signs this season, so markers may change.
Check before you goOpen status not confirmed. On 8 October 2026 the operator’s hiking page said the trails were open, while its home page still showed a seasonal pause and another source (14 September 2026) listed the Jais Viewing Deck Park, where this trail starts, as closed. Confirm with Visit Jebel Jais before you drive up.
The Ghaf Summit Trail climbs from Jais Viewing Deck Park to a marked summit that Visit Jebel Jais calls the highest publicly accessible point in the UAE, about 1,640m. It is 8.6km round trip, graded Beginner to Moderate by the operator, and takes 2.5 to 4 hours. The 2026/27 season status is not confirmed, so check before you drive up.
Why it is graded Moderate
Visit Jebel Jais, run by RAK Leisure, grades it Beginner to Moderate, but also calls it one of the most challenging trails in the UAE. We rate it Moderate: steep steps and about 390m of climbing at altitude.
We use one scale across all our routes: how we grade.
The route
You start at Jais Viewing Deck Park, at about 1,250m above sea level. The first section is steep, with steps. Walkers report a UAE flag and a wooden board at the end of it, where many people turn back.
The middle section undulates. Walkers report a rest shelter where the route splits, with a connecting path back towards the viewing deck. Follow the green 'Ghaf Summit' signs and the maroon, white and yellow markers. The operator is renewing signs this season, so they may change.
The last stretch climbs to the Ghaf Summit at about 1,640m, where two markers stand. Visit Jebel Jais calls it the highest publicly accessible point in the UAE. You return the same way. Stop at the markers: it is not the top of Jebel Jais, and the ground beyond is unmarked and leads towards the Omani border.
- Distance
- Visit Jebel Jais gives 8.6km round trip, 4.3km each way. A tour operator gives 5.3km, probably a shorter version.
- Climb
- Not published by the operator. Its 'elevation of 1,640 metres' is the summit height. From a 1,250m start that is about 390m of climbing (our calculation). A tour operator gives 289m.
- Time
- Visit Jebel Jais gives 2.5 to 4 hours round trip. A blog gives about 4 hours. Allow time for rests.
Trailhead
- Start
- Jais Viewing Deck Park, near the top of the Jebel Jais road. Visit Jebel Jais gives its coordinate as 25.937837, 56.131012.
- Coordinates
- 25.93784, 56.13101
The operator's coordinate and a walker's track agree to within about 25m. - Parking
- Not confirmed. Visit Jebel Jais charges AED 10 a person to enter the deck park but does not describe parking. Older walkers' posts mention AED 5 for parking. Check with Visit Jebel Jais. Last checked October 2026.
- Vehicle
- 2WD. The road is paved and walkers do not mention needing a 4x4.
- Getting there
- Visit Jebel Jais says about 2 hours by car from Dubai and 45 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah city.
When to go
- Best months
- October to April, says Visit Jebel Jais. Do not walk it in summer.
- Start time
- Start early. The park opens at 8am (Visit Jebel Jais). Sunset is between 5:30pm and 6:00pm in winter, so be back well before dark.
- Shade
- Little confirmed. A blog says the first section gets sun before 8am, and another mentions a rest shelter.
- Water
- None on the trail. Carry at least 3 litres each, as the operator advises.
- Mobile signal
- Not confirmed. Download an offline map before you go.
Fees, permits, hours and closures
- Fees
- Visit Jebel Jais says the trails are free to walk. Entering Jais Viewing Deck Park costs AED 10 a person. Whether walkers pay it is not confirmed. Last checked October 2026.
- Permits
- The operator says you do not need a guide, and no permit for this trail was found. Visit Jebel Jais says groups larger than 10 should register in advance with RAKTDA, the tourism authority. Walkers may be asked to register at the park. Last checked October 2026.
- Hours
- Jais Viewing Deck Park: 8am to 8pm Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 11pm Friday and Saturday (Visit Jebel Jais). No trail hours are published. Last checked October 2026.
- Closures
- Not confirmed. Visit Jebel Jais says the trails are open, but its home page still carries a pause notice with no date, and a local guide site (14 September 2026) lists the deck park and road as closed. Trail works and new signs are due this season. Ask info@rakleisure.com. Last checked October 2026.
Checked on 8 October 2026. Rules and closures change, above all after rain: check the source pages below on the day.
Safety
- Check the mountain is open before you drive up. Reports disagree, and the trail starts at the viewing deck park.
- Do not walk in summer. Visit Jebel Jais advises avoiding midday hikes in warmer months. A 25-year-old British man died on Jebel Jais in June 2017, when temperatures in Ras Al Khaimah reached 45 degrees Celsius (The National, June 2017). The report does not name the trail.
- Expect steep steps, loose stones and sandy descents. Some paths run close to edges, so keep children close.
- Do not start in or after heavy rain, or in fog. Rain makes steps slippery, and the mountain has closed after storms.
- Start early and be back before dusk, at 5:30pm to 6:00pm in winter. Take a headlamp and a warm layer.
- Stay on the marked path and stop at the summit markers. Beyond them the ground is unmarked, and the Omani border is near. Carry photo ID.
- Carry at least 3 litres of water each, go with a companion and tell someone your route and return time. Do not rely on mobile signal.
- No incident on this trail was found. Police and Civil Defence rescued an injured trekker at the Jebel Jais summit (The National, 26 January 2019) and a man who fell from a cliff (Gulf News, September 2021). Neither report names this trail. Call 999.
What to carry
- At least 3 litres each
- Rehydration drink and food
- Offline map or GPS
- Sturdy boots or shoes with good grip
- Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses
- Light jacket
- Headlamp
- First aid kit
- Charged phone and power bank
- Photo ID and cash
Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back. Turn around if the weather, the heat or the time is against you. We describe this route from published sources; we have not surveyed it, and nothing here is a statement that it is safe for you on the day.
In an emergency
Police 999 · Ambulance 998 · Civil Defence 997
Police 999 · Ambulance 998 · Civil Defence 997
What we could not confirm
- Whether the mountain, the deck park and the trail are open, and the 2026/27 season dates.
- Whether walkers must pay the AED 10 entry fee, and what parking costs.
- The climb. The operator publishes the summit height, not the ascent.
- Waymarking. New signage is due this season, so markers may change.
- Whether the trail can be walked outside the park's opening hours.
Sources
- Visit Jebel Jais: Top hiking trails in Jebel Jais (Ghaf Summit Trail grade, length, time, elevation, start coordinate, markers; all trails)
- Visit Jebel Jais: Jebel Jais hiking (public trails, no guide needed, trail works, season, group rule, safety tips, emergency number, Grand Loop in development)
- Visit Jebel Jais: Jais Viewing Deck Park (AED 10 entry, hours, sunset, facilities)
- Visit Jebel Jais: FAQs (open 24/7, drive times, fog and rain, facilities)
- Visit Jebel Jais: home page (pause posts)
- Visit Jebel Jais: season page (pause posts, no 2026/27 dates)
- Visit Ras Al Khaimah: Hiking (six trails 16km, group notification to RAKTDA, safety advice)
- WOW-RAK: Is Jebel Jais open right now (closed list, updated 14 September 2026)
- Dubai Week: Marjan Lifestyle launches Grand Loop trail (3 October 2026)
- Gulf News: Jebel Jais 80km hiking loop (15 September 2026; rehabilitation, rescue support)
- The National: Jebel Jais Grand Loop and trail rehabilitation (15 September 2026)
- Khaleej Times: Jebel Jais Grand Loop (15 September 2026; no open or closed statement)
- Khaleej Times: Jebel Jais reopens with entry rules (3 February 2026; AED 10 deck ticket, booking rule)
- Gulf Business: Jebel Jais open again (29 January 2026)
- The National: Jebel Jais temporarily closed following UAE storms (23 December 2025)
- Gulf News: Jebel Jais temporarily closed due to unstable weather (updated 24 March 2026)
- PropertyFinder: Jebel Jais blog (Ghaf Summit Trail 4.3km; last modified 6 March 2026)
- ECC Adventures: Ghaf Summit Trail (tour operator, 5.3km, 289m, 2.5 to 3 hours, AED 10 access booking)
- Sports Travel Tom: Hiking the UAE's highest public point (4 hours, markers, parking AED 5, registration booth; published 7 May 2024, updated 12 March 2025)
- Prints and Stamps: Ghaf Summit Hike (route stages, signage, parking; posted 3 May 2021)
- loc.wiki (Wikiloc mirror): Ghaf Trail, Puro 1484 Summit, Wellube (start 25.938019, 56.131225, 1,250m start, 1,640m Ghaf Summit, 200m in 750m)
- loc.wiki (Wikiloc mirror): DreamTrail 6, Deck Park to Jais true summit (8km one way, 820m; border stones, checkpoint, comments)
- loc.wiki (Wikiloc mirror): Wadi Ghalilah Dam to Jebel Jais Ghaf Summit part 1 (different route; signal note)
- The National (via PressReader): Hiker dies on Jebel Jais (June 2017; 45 degrees)
- The National: RAK helicopter team rescues Jebel Jais trekker (26 January 2019)
- Gulf News: RAK Civil Defence rescue man who fell from a mountain cliff in Jebel Jais (September 2021)
- Al Khaleej: RAK Police Air Wing rescue in the Wadi Shahah area (15 July 2026; a different area, not this trail)
- Ajman government: emergency numbers
- Wikimedia Commons: File:View from Jebel Jais - panoramio.jpg (photo, CC BY 3.0)
Last checked 8 October 2026