Shearing your way through the Carmel

August 19, 2010 - 11:50 AM by Brian Blum

Taking a rest during rock climbing

Here’s a tip if you’re considering hiking Nahal Galim in the Carmel Mountains just south of Haifa: bring a pair of shears.

That’s because much of the trail, which is for the most part quite lovely, also includes several long stretches that wind through narrow paths lined with painfully sharp thorn bushes and thick undergrowth.

Don’t let this stop you, though. Nahal Galim (“nahal” is a “canyon” in Hebrew) has everything you’d want in a “loop trail” – that is, a route that ends up in the general area in which it starts (which was our criteria since we have only one car).

There’s a beautiful canyon with lots of shade (an important consideration in Israel’s hot humid summers); several lovely picnic spots; some magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea poking through the mountains; and even a small spring and several caves. The trail also has enough ups and downs to feel like you’ve really challenged yourself (it’s ranked on the fantastic tiuli.com site as “intermediate” – I wonder what their “difficult” consists of?)

The trail is well marked – it’s basically green to the bottom of the canyon, a relatively flat blue path along the nahal’s bed, and black back up the hill. Our 12-year-old son Aviv has given a more comprehensive description on the blog he’s keeping about the 12 tiyulim he’s hiking in the run-up to his bar mitzvah next year.

Much of the hiking in Israel, I’ve found, consists of walking and climbing over slabs of disjointed rocks, much more so than a stable needle-cushioned path in, say, a redwood forest in Northern California. Not a problem: Aviv loves rock climbing and Nahal Galim has plenty to spare. After 5 hours, though, it starts to get old and his parents’ middle-aged knees were crying for a smooth patch of pavement.

While we’re not averse to a healthy climb up a mountainside, the ever-present prickles marred our enjoyment of the path (which at times seemed to slip out of sight, although the trail markers remained consistent throughout).

The hike will take 4-5 hours depending on how fast you walk and how many breaks you take (we stop every few minutes for sandwiches and Oreos). To get there, drive up Road 672 in the direction of Haifa University and park in the lot for “Little Switzerland,” then walk downhill towards the “Hai Bar” but turn left before the gate.

And don’t forget your weed-whacker.

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