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 Zohar, a short channel above Neve Zohar with ten drops, mostly low, and pools, on a two-kilometre loop from Metzad Zohar.
At a glance
- Trail length
- 2 km
- Total descent
- 300 m
- Tallest waterfall
- 18 m
- Number of waterfalls
- 12
- Shuttle
- Not needed
- Circular route:
- Yes
- 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)
Metzad Zohar
The meeting point is the parking spot. You continue on foot from here.
Coordinates: 31.15118, 35.34644
About
Zohar runs from the slopes of Tzuk Tamrur and Givat Zeron to the Dead Sea. Its bed slides down sloping rock layers instead of cutting a deep gorge, so instead of high drops it has a long run of small ones with pools between them. At its lower end stands Metzad Zohar, an ancient fort that guarded an old road.
From the fort climb the red Ma'ale Zeron footpath along the north bank and enter the bed at the head of the shallow canyon. Most drops are short and most have a bypass. On the way are a long slab of about twenty metres, a wide drop with a pool and a small cave, a flat area with two acacias, and a place where the bed splits around a rock bar. The last one is a vertical drop of about eighteen metres.
After the last drop the stream is gentle, and about two hundred metres further there is a pool behind an ancient dam, close to the fort.
Access notes
Start at Metzad Zohar. Climb west on the red Ma'ale Zeron footpath along the north bank and enter the bed at the head of the canyon. At the end continue down the stream to the dam pool and back to the fort.
Parking
Parking by Metzad Zohar, where the loop starts and ends.
Difficulty and suitability
- Hiking distance
- 2 km
- Water activity
- Yes
- Route type
- Mixed
Descent profile
Scroll sideways for details
Waterfalls(12)
| # | Name | Height | Obstacle | Profile | Landing | Anchor | Bolts and stations | Rope | From previous | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Height: 6 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 2 | אBypass on the left | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 3 | Bypass on the right | Height: 2 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 4 | בBypass on the right | Height: 5 mOther source: 3 m (book-judea-golan (sketch)) | Waterfall / rappel | – | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 5 | גBypass on the right | Height: 10 m | Waterfall / rappel | Stepped | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 6 | דBypass on the right | Height: 20 m | Waterfall / rappel | Slab | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 7 | הBypass on the left | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 8 | וBypass on the right | Height: 10 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 9 | ז | Height: 3 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 10 | ח | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 11 | ט | Height: 4 m | Waterfall / rappel | Stepped | Pool | – | – | – | – | |
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| 12 | יBypass on the right | Height: 18 m | Waterfall / rappel | Vertical | – | – | – | – | – | |
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Points on the map
- ParkingPrimaryMetzad Zohar
31.15118, 35.34644
Safety
No entry when there is flash flood risk. Some bypasses are awkward and unclear. There are pools along the drops, and the one below drop E is deep.
Recommendations
A short route with many small drops, good for rappelling practice in a guided group. A visit to Metzad Zohar fits in easily.
Equipment
Full rappelling gear, a helmet for everyone 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)
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