Yam L'Yam - 2 Days - 32 km

Route type: Point A=>B

Difficulty level: Strenuous

Distance Day 1: 23.3 km; Moshav Avdon=>Gesher Alkosh

Distance Day 2: 9.7 km; Gesher Alkosh=>Hurvat Hamama

Notes:

Caming at Achziv Beach (with facilities). Cost: 65 NIS/pp. Make reservations here: https://tinyurl.com/5ncxxxtu.
Another camping option at Ein Hardalit (free without facilities): Waze 33.042740, 35.176819
Leave car near back gate of Moshav Avdon: Waze 33.046382, 35.172237.
The trail officially starts here (Waze: 33.044745, 35.107747) however, the first ~6-7 km are very boring. We decided to skip this and start closer to Ein Hardalit on the green trail.
This trail passes through multiple nature reserves and dogs are officially not allowed.
Bring water shoes
Hebrew FB group about this trail: https://tinyurl.com/2p96nhxv
There are a number of people who offer logistical support along this trail. You can search the FB group linked above for this. We used taxi driver Avram 0524387386.
See my recommended food list (here) and gear list (here).

The Yam L’Yam (Sea to Sea) trail, which runs from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee, is a 65 km trail that is usually completed in 4 days (by thru hikers).

We camp Wednesday night at Achziv Beach. This campground is operated by the Parks and Nature Authority and you must reserve in advance (see notes).

DAY 1 – Thursday – Moshav Avdon=>Gesher Alkosh Night Camp

On Thursday morning, we get up at 4:45 am. After packing our gear and eating a quick breakfast of (bad) coffee and Petit Ber cookies, we drive 15 minutes to Moshav Avdon to park our car near the back gate (Waze coordinates in notes). From there, there’s a shortcut down to the green trail and Ein Hardalit spring in Nahal Kziv.

We start walking at 6:40 am.

As we approach Ein Hardalit, we are amused to see the ice cream truck, chairs and umbrellas – almost as if we are about to witness some kind of spectator sport. This is an indication of how many people are expected to pass this way during Sukkot.

We only discover that camping is allowed in Ein Hardalit when we pass by there. In the picture on the left you can see the roof of someone’s blue tent.

Shortly after passing Ein Hardalit, we reach the stream and had to cross it for the first time. Fortunately, the water was very shallow. It was so tempting to settle here on the bank of the stream and not budge for the rest of the day, but we know we have a lot of distance to cover, so we don’t dawdle.

The weather forecast predicts a 19% chance of rain on Thursday. Fortunately for us, rain doesn’t materialize. After the first stream crossing, the trail is bordered on the right by a wall of berry bushes.

Most of the trees we see are either oaks or carob trees. The carob trees are in full bloom and full of buzzing bees.

Katlav trees. They’re a red-barked tree native to the Mediterranean region. Called “strawberry tree” in English, the bark is smooth and peels off during the summer, leaving a pistachio green color that gradually turns a beautiful orange-brown. The small red berries, which taste a bit like tart strawberries, ripen in November.

The Yam L’Yam trail blaze starts out green and changes color several times, but no matter what color the trail marker is, it always has a purple dot.

Wherever there’s signage, follow the signs to Abirim Fort. My goal is to reach Abirim Night Camp by noon.

At one point I see, half buried in the bushes by the side of the path, this old (clogged) well.

We have some very dramatic views of Montfort, a 12th century Crusader castle and the old headquarters of the Teutonic Order in the Holy Land. If you have time, it’s worth the strenuous climb to explore before moving on.

Somehow acorns remind me of someone wearing a Russian fur hat. I wish I’d had a pen with me to draw a face on the nut.

The dragonflies here are so colorful! Green, red, blue. Not like the boring brown and gray ones I know from the US.

More scenery that almost made us feel like we weren’t even in Israel. And more stream crossings.

A few minutes ahead of schedule, we exit the trail onto road 8925 near Moshav Abirim at 11:50. We plan to refill water supplies, eat and rest at the Abirim Night Camp which is a 3 minute walk down the road and on the left.

Up to this point the trail has been mostly uphill and we are exhausted. We take a nice long break here until 13:00. We eat, tend to our feet, and doze for 20 minutes.

When we are rested, we retrace our steps up the road, passing the spot where we emerged from the trail before. After rounding the bend in the road, we turn left onto the red trail with the purple dot.

The trail is fairly well-marked except for one spot. At the point where the map shows the green trail turns left, the entire path is obliterated and blocked by what looked like a quarry and a huge pile of rocks that we climb over.

In all the hiking I’ve done in this country, I’ve been shocked to find that chickpeas and pistachios grow in Israel. On this hike, we discovered….kiwi! Who knew?

Where before we’d seen almost exclusively oaks and carob trees, now, as we gained elevation and approached the village of Hurfesh/חורפ’ש, we see tall pines and smell them too!

It is nearing 5:00 pm. We can see and hear the road and we know we are approaching Gesher Alkosh Night Camp where we will spend the night.

The late afternoon light on the orchard was beautiful.

We pass under the bridge, cross the dry creek bed, climb up the opposite bank, cross the road, and reach a huge dirt lot that didn’t have much to offer. No facilities, no shade, no water and it was right next to a noisy road. But we are tired and not in the mood to go looking for a nicer place. We had about an hour of daylight left, so we pitch our tents, blow up our mattresses and sleep for an hour before we get up and walk 5 minutes up the road to the gas station where we buy water, ice cream and snacks and use the restroom there. The gas station was the saving grace of this location.

We fall asleep at 8:30pm. Tomorrow we have another big day ahead of us.

Day 2 – Friday – Gesher Alkosh Night Camp=>Hurvat Hamama

We wake up at 5:45 am to find that there had been heavy dew in the night. Our tents were soaking wet. We pack up, eat a quick breakfast and are on our way by 7:20.

We cross Gesher Alkosh, turn left onto the green trail with the purple dot, and right around the corner discover a much cozier, nicer, and less barren place to camp just before the nature reserve sign.

Along the way there are several natural springs, the most impressive of which is Ein Tabat.

The landscape was much more varied and interesting today, and the steady climb somehow feels less brutal. We are still hiking in Nahal Kziv, although today we only encounter a few pools of water instead of a flowing stream.