Route type: Circular
Difficulty level: Strenuous
Waze to start point: 31.201193, 35.359528
Notes:
- Start early to beat the heat. This hike has little shade and is best done in the winter/spring. Not recommended for summer.
- Do not hike here if there are flood warnings in the area!
- Steep ascent and descent!
- Bring water shoes, a change of clothes and a towel.
- The map link above does not show a complete loop because from the waterfall back out to Road 90 the path is not marked all the way. But if you stay in or near the Nahal Bokek, you can’t go wrong. Immediately before Road 90 there is a path that branches left and takes you back up to the parking lot where your car is.
- Trail colors: Walk north on the tayelet parallel to Road 90 for about 1.8 kms. This stretch has INT markings. Cross to the left of Road 90 and look for blue trail (Yair Ascent). Next make a left onto a black trail, left on red, right on green all the way down to the waterfall. From here just follow Nahal Bokek downstream all the way until just before the road then branch to the left back up to the parking lot.
Leaving our car at the gas station up on the hill across from Ein Bokek, we headed north for approximately 1.8 km on the path that runs parallel to Road 90 and along the shore of the Dead Sea. The sun was just rising, reminding me how fortunate we are to live so near this natural wonder.
Yair Ascent: Conquering Heights Amidst Nature’s Majesty
It’s a wise idea to cross over (carefully) to the left side (if you’re facing north) of Road 90 so you don’t miss the blue trail markings of Yair Ascent. This ascent is not for the faint of heart but the sense of accomplishment at the summit made the effort worthwhile.
At the summit, we stopped for breakfast and then carried on, suddenly finding ourselves walking on a mercifully flat plateau which made a nice change.
The Dead Sea seemed to fill every view. I was starting to wonder how we were to get down from here.
Carefully approaching the cliff’s edge, we had a wonderful bird’s eye view of the resort hotels of Ein Bokek.
Rilly? You mean there’s a path down from here? WHERE? But yes there was a left turn onto the red trail at the end of this cliff shelf.
The views back along the cliffs as we descended were impressive. The desert colors and the lack of visual chaos was soothing.
As soon as we transitioned from the red trail to the green, the steep descent involved some hand rails. And some black and blue toe nails for me. It won’t be the first time!
Nahal Bokek: A Haven of Tranquility Amidst Desert Splendor
Our reward for this steep descent was Bokek Waterfall where a large group of young people were enjoying themselves. It’s a popular place for families with young kids because the water is only ankle to knee deep.
The creek from the waterfall onwards is very shallow with some boulders that are not difficult to circumvent.
After we returned to the car at the end of Nahal Bokek, we took a little side trip to see the “salt mushrooms” (Google Maps link at start of post) and have a little float in the Dead Sea’s oily waters, which is a unique experience!
A very full, fun-in-the-sun day was had. We can’t wait for our next desert adventure!