Most visitors to Emeq HaMa’ayanot are familiar with Gan Hashlosha (Sachne), but there is another jewel next door — Park Hama'ayanot. This park is at the foot of the Gilboa Mountain Range and contains numerous springs and several hikes, including water-hikes. You can also rent a golf cart for 4 or 8 people or a bicycle for cycling the 15-km of paths winding between agricultural land. Admission is completely free. A water-hike with a return on a paved road, and a circular family hike with some optional walking in a shallow stream and swimming in a pool are described. There is also swimming at Ein Muda.
DETAILS ABOUT PARK HAMAYA'ANOT
Directions: Enter "Park Hama'ayonot" into Waze and click on “ כביש פארק המעיינות 669". At the traffic circle before the entrance to Gan Hashlosha turn right and continue to the large parking lot.
Admission: The Visitor Center closes at 5.00 p.m. but there is entrance/exit between the park and the parking area after this time. There is no admission charge. The Visitor Center is run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. You can request a brochure in English, which has a very helpful map. The Visitor Center sells snack foods and drinks, and golf cart and bicycle rentals are available from here. There are restrooms and lockers. There are no restrooms or changing facilities elsewhere in the park.
Public transport: There are frequent buses between Afula and Beit She'an that stop at the intersection for Gan Hashlosha. From here it is a 1.0-Km/12-minute walk to the park entrance.
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Where does all the water in Park Hama'ayanot come from?
Park Hamaya’anot is in Emeq Hamaya’anot (Hamaya’anot Valley), which contains a profusion of springs. But there is not a lot of rainfall here, so where does all this water come from? The answer is that there is plenty of rainfall in the Samarian Mountains. Water seeps through the rocks in these mountains and the water from an aquifer is released in springs at the foot of the Gilboa Mountain Range.
The temperature of the water in the springs and streams is a constant 18 to 20 degrees centigrade, so you are assured of a pleasant swim whatever the season!
Nahal Shokek
Map of the Park of Springs from the park brochure
RIVER-HIKE IN NAHAL HAKIBBUTZIM:
This water hike takes about 1½-2 hours from the park entrance gate and back. You will be walking in the same direction as a gentle current. The depth of the stream is usually a bit above an adult male’s waist, but on occasion almost up to an adult’s neck. This is therefore a mixture of walking and swimming. The stream bed is fairly smooth. There are periodic exit areas through the reeds and onto the adjacent path. At the end of the river walk is a deeper area suitable for adult swimming, although this is optional. The return is on a paved path.
You will need footwear suitable for both the stream and walking back on the paved road. You can change in the restrooms in the Visitor Center. Clothes can be left at the starting point of the stream (without any valuables!), but it’s probably safer to leave them in your car. You will need some means of dealing with your car key. You can leave it with your clothes at the start of the river walk and just hope for the best. Most people seem to enter the water with clothing on rather than swimming attire, but this is up to you.
There are dense reeds on both sides of the stream. However, there are a few open areas that can be used for picnicking, but they may be occupied unless you arrive early in the day.
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From the park entrance, continue straight ahead and very shortly you will come to a pumping station. Just after this is an open area on your left where you can leave your clothes and step into the water.
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Eventually, you will come to a bridge with a short water slide leading to a large area with deeper water. You leave the water by climbing up the rock stairs immediately to your right after the slide.
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To return, turn to your right on the paved path and this will lead you to your starting point or past the chicken coups to the park gates and parking lot.
CIRCULAR HIKE FROM EIN SHOKEK, WITH WATER-HIKE ALONG THE SHALLOW NAHAL SHOKEK AND A VISIT TO TEL SHUKA
The pool at Ein Shokek. The water is at a wonderful 18 to 20 degrees C whatever the season.
This water-hike is more suitable for younger children than the water-hike described above as the depth of the water is only just above an adult’s ankle (about 30 cm). If you are in your regular clothing, a wise precaution while in the water is to protect your wallet and phone in case you slip. A tip to prevent slipping is to hold onto someone’s hand throughout the water-hike, especially as there are a few small waterfalls. This part of the hike ends in an optional 60 cm-deep wading pool. If a water section is not to your liking, you can still walk along the path by the side of the stream. As with the other water-hike, you will need footwear appropriate for water and dry land or a change of footwear. After coming out of the water, you will either turn back or continue on this 1½-hour/just over 4¼ Km circular hike.
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Just after the park entrance gate, take the path to the right to Ein Shokek as indicated by the sign. It is about a 15-minute walk to the spring. There is a very nice pool at Ein Shokek with the water depth up to 100 meter or about an adult male’s waist. The descent to the river hike in Nahal Shokek is shortly beyond the pool. Total time in the river is about 20 minutes. You will come out of the water just before the Flour Mill Pool, although the kids may wish to swim there.
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To continue on the circular walk, walk along the road by the stream. When you come to Tel Shuka you may wish to climb up to the top for the view. The intersection of the paths before the tel is a bit confusing. There is a footpath to the top and a concrete path a bit further along.
On top of the tel is a three-story watchtower constructed by neighboring Kibbutz Nir David after three kibbutz members were murdered. The tel has not been excavated.
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Return to the park entrance via the road adjacent to Nahal HaKibbutzim.
SWIMMING AND PICNICKING AT EIN MUDA
This is a nice pool for swimming and picnicking. There are many shaded picnic benches around the pool. At a depth up to about one-third of an adult male chest, the pool is OK for adult swimming. No footwear is needed. There are rock steps for entering and exiting the pool, although their location is not obvious. This site can get quite crowded on weekends and holidays.
Although part of Park Hama’ayanot, this pool is quite a distance from its main entrance. Access is by a golf cart from the Visitor Center or by car from a road off Route 669. Directions: Enter "Ein Muda" into Waze and click on "Parking Ein Muda (Spring).” It is a walk of 0.65 Km/10 minutes from the parking area to the pool.
Ein Muda
Links to the HOME PAGE and best family activities, hikes and historic sites in the GOLAN, EASTERN GALILEE, UPPER GALILEE, LOWER GALILEE, JORDAN VALLEY & LAKE KINNERET, the SHEFELAH, TEL AVIV-YAFFO and surroundings, NORTH of TEL AVIV, and SOUTH of TEL AVIV.
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