Flash flood danger
Do not enter the canyon when rain is forecast in the area or upstream, even under clear skies. Check the forecast on the morning of the trip.
Inside a nature reserve
Keep to the reserve rules and stay on the marked trails.
Nahal Hemar, a long canyon from the Judean plateau to the southern Dead Sea: a ninety metre drop, two narrows, the Ein Ashed spring.
Also known as: Nahal Heimar, נחל חמר
At a glance
- Trail length
- 21 km
- Total descent
- 490 m
- Tallest waterfall
- 90 m
- Number of waterfalls
- 5
- Shuttle
- Needed
- Circular route:
- No
- Flash flood risk:
- High
- Reserve:
- Yes
Field reports
How much water there was and how it went, from people who were here. Every report is reviewed before it is published.
No reports from this place yet
Were you here lately? Tell us how much water there was and how it went. It helps the next group plan.
Meeting point (parking)
Route 258 crosses Nahal Hemar
The meeting point is the parking spot. You continue on foot from here.
Coordinates: 31.14895, 35.22087
About
Hemar is a big stream that drains the Arad and Dimona area, crosses the fault escarpment and reaches the southern Dead Sea shore near Mount Sodom. Its name comes from the asphalt seeps near the mouth. A blue-marked trail follows most of its length.
Start where Route 258 crosses the stream, on a blue-marked dirt road that becomes a foot path and drops into the bed. Further on is a low flood-gauging dam, then a pale narrows; after a flood you wade its pools, but never swim. At the end of the narrows is drop A, ninety metres, the highest in the stream. Below it a deep canyon is choked with huge boulders.
About three kilometres on, past the Nahal Hatar confluence, a second narrows with deep pools begins. Drop B, ten metres, opens it, followed by three small drops of three to four metres. At the end of the narrows is Ein Ashed, a small pool among the rocks.
From Ein Ashed the trail follows a wide bed in a tall canyon for about four kilometres to the outlet. A blue-marked dirt road then passes drilling sites and asphalt seeps, reaches the mouth and turns north to the gas station at Zohar junction.
Access notes
Linear route. It starts on a blue-marked dirt road that leaves Route 258 where the road crosses Nahal Hemar, between Tzafit junction and another junction. It ends at the gas station at Zohar junction on Route 90. Near the canyon outlet the green-marked Ma'ale Hemar climbs to Route 31.
Parking
The book names no parking. You need one car near the Route 258 crossing of the stream and a second at the gas station at Zohar junction.
Difficulty and suitability
- Hiking distance
- 21 km
- Water activity
- Yes
- Route type
- Mixed
Descent profile
Scroll sideways for details
Waterfalls(5)
| # | Name | Height | Obstacle | Profile | Landing | Anchor | Bolts and stations | Rope | From previous | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אBypass on the left | Height: 90 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | 3.2 km | |
| ||||||||||
| 2 | בBypass on the left | Height: 10 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | 3 km | |
| ||||||||||
| 3 | – | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
| 4 | – | Height: 3 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
| 5 | – | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
Points on the map
- Route startPrimaryRoute 258 crosses Nahal Hemar
31.14895, 35.22087
- Route endZohar junction, Route 90
31.14146, 35.35992
Safety
No entry when there is flash flood risk. After a flood the pools fill, and crossing the second narrows gets you wet and sometimes means swimming. Below drop A, moving through the fallen boulders is hard. The route is very long, and some bypasses are long and skip whole narrows.
Escape routes
- Near the canyon outlet, about four kilometres past Ein Ashed, the green-marked Ma'ale Hemar climbs north to Route 31.
Recommendations
For experienced groups planning a long day and two cars. Check the state of the pools before you go.
Equipment
Full rappelling gear, a helmet for everyone, shoes that can get wet, dry bags for gear and plenty of water.
Data sources
The information on this page was collected from these sources.
- osm© OpenStreetMap contributors, License: ODbL 1.0
- Based on the Hebrew guidebook "Judean Desert Canyons" by Ronen Kalimi (2023)
Comments on this site
General comments on the whole site. About one part? Use "Comments" next to its heading.
No comments here yet.