A romantic and cooling route - by the late Mike Livna
The Hermon Stream is one of the three tributaries of the Jordan River. It attracts a lot of water all year round, and thanks to its steep slope, it forms many cascades and waterfalls along its way. Its landscapes are among the most spectacular in Israel. The route is shady and cool, suitable for the whole family (without strollers).
Travelers from all sectors of the population meet here, happy and joyful, admiring and enthusiastic: Israelis and tourists, Jews and Arabs, secular and religious. Everyone takes pictures and maintains cleanliness and respect for the place.
In the most impressive part of the gorge, it flows within a sheer and deep canyon, with no possibility for a man to pass. Here the "wildest" cascades hide, literally "in secret."
Several years ago, the Nature and Parks Authority completed the installation of a short "Hanging Trail" inside this section.
Now all hikers can enjoy the sight of the most picturesque section of the creek, something like no other in the country. The "hanging" section of the trail is only 80 m' long, but it is worth coming here, if only for that.
You can visit Israel by foot website for a Detailed Guide of the Banias Reserve.
Access to this section can be a part of 2 different hikes, both at the same entrance fee (and there is no additional charge for walking the hanging trail):
1 - From the springs to the waterfall.
The longer alternative is a linear route, that takes an hour and a half, and requires the use of 2 cars. One parked at the "Springs" entrance and the other at the "Waterfall" entrance. (A 2-minute drive). From the springs parking lot, a beautiful path leads along the stream, marked in red and well-maintained. After a 45-minute walk, you reach a bridge across the creek. The views from the bridge to the huge Oriental Plane Trees and the gushing streams of water - spectacular and captivating.
Once we cross the bridge, we will reach a junction of trails: Right to the waterfall and left to the hanging trail.
Since we do not want to miss any of them, we will first go to the hanging trail, we will return here, and now we will also go to the waterfall (Or the other way around). After enjoying both of them, we will continue with a short trail that leads to the waterfall's parking lot.
2 – Circular trail to the waterfall.
A short 40 minute's hike. From the waterfall parking lot, descend a beautiful winding path to the Hanging trail, from there to the waterfall, and back the same way to the waterfall parking lot.
An insider tip: Walk the hanging trail in the upstream direction to get the best views! That is, first walk the upper path down the stream to the end of the hanging trail, and now return upstream on the hanging trail, towards the waterfall.
Attention: Swimming and wading are not allowed in the waterfall and the hanging trail sections.
Vegetation:
In winter and spring, there are plenty of wild plants in a wide variety, some of which are rare, such as Ferns. We will see there blooming lots of pink Persian Cyclamen, red Crown Anemones, light blue Hyacinth Squill and many more.
In summer, there are almost no blooms along the route, except for ferns. However, you can enjoy the sight of tall and thick-trunked trees alongside many shrubs and bushes, some wild and some planted, that provide plenty of shade to the hikers.
Among the trees and bushes : A veriey of Oaks, Palestine Buckthorn, Common walnut, White poplar ,Oriental Plane and more.
Please leave the area clean and Enjoy
