Hadera Stream Park is located next to Hadera, east of Orot Rabin power station. The park is not big, but it can be a lovely place for a family visit.
Note: do not confuse Eco Park Hadera and Hadera Stream Park. Eco Park Hadera is located west of road #4, and you can find further details by clicking on its name.
Table of Contents
Map
Hadera Stream Park is located east of Orot Rabin power station by the sea. And to get there, you should get off highway #2 at Olga interchange. The easiest way to reach this park is by entering its name into Waze.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Offers:
- Hotels, hostels, and apartments in this area:
- Buy photos of Israel and support this blog.
- Get 10% off for your next tour at Bein Harim with coupon code LEV10#12306.
You can find a map of Hadera River Park here. And since there is no scale on the map, I will mention that the distance between the harp bridge and the sea is about 600 meters.
Parking
There is a big and free parking lot by the entrance.
Opening Hours
Daily: 08:00 – 19:00 (17:00 in winter).
Entrance Fee
Free.
Contact Information
Phone: 04-8876349
Email: park@nhlhadera.co.il
At Hadera Stream Park
We arrived around noon on a Saturday, and there were plenty of free parking spaces. And this is the entrance to Hadera Stream Park.
Here is a view toward the entrance from the other side of the river:
What can you find in this park?
- Promenade on both sides of the river.
- Memorial to Avshalom Feinberg (on the left in the photo above).
- Restrooms.
- Parking lot.
- Picnic area (by the entrance).
- Playground for kids.
- Fitness complex.
- Sharks.
When you get to the Hadera river, if you look to the left, you will see the sea:
And if you look to the other side, then you will see the Harp Bridge:
The Israeli National Trail passes on the harp bridge. And if you want to make a longer hike than walking to the sea and back, you can follow the Israeli National trail to highway #2 and return.
As you can see from the images, the promenade is paved and thus accessible.
This small fountain of heated water that exits the power station:
Sharks
The paved promenade ends about twenty meters before the sea line. And this sea area is beloved by sharks. They reach here annually (as far as I remember starting from 2015) in winter and spring. Usually, sharks visit this area from December to May.
This is where the hot water (used for cooling) from the Orot Rabin power station exits to the sea. And sharks are probably drawn by the hot water.
According to the most recent video, two different species of sharks arrive. Many of the dusky shark females are pregnant. And hot water shortens their pregnancy. Regarding the males from other species, we do not know yet.
And here is the video:
About Hadera River Park
Let’s start with some background information about this park:
The river flows for some fifty kilometers through the Coastal Plain before spilling into the sea to the north of Givat Olga. Its main tributaries are the Haviva, Yitzhak, Hadera, and Iron rivers. With time, extensive development in the surrounding area has caused the river to become polluted by effluent flowing from factories and the local sewage plants, and until recent years, its lower reaches between Hadera and the sea were a blot on the ecological landscape; the turbid waters stank of sewage and effluent from communities and factories further upriver.
In 1982, the Maor David Power Station (subsequently renamed Orot Yitzhak in memory of Israel’s late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin) was built on the shore to the north of the mouth of the Hadera River. Since coming into operation, it has used seawater to cool its electricity production units. After use, the water is returned to the sea, about ten degrees warmer than originally, but otherwise no different from before; no pollution is involved.
After the power station was built, a decision was taken to rehabilitate the western section of Nahal Hadera that lies between the Coastal Highway and the point where the river water spills into the sea. KKL-JNF and the Israel Electric Corporation joined forces. They established a development authority for the park, under the auspices of KKL-JNF, which is working in conjunction with the Electric Corporation, Hadera Municipality, the Ministry for Environmental Protection, and the Society for the Protection of Nature and National Parks.
The coolant water that the power station pumps from the sea play a role in the river restoration process, as, when it is returned after use, it fills the river with clean water that creates a pollution-free environment for residents of central Israel and enables the area to be used as a venue for recreational activities. The thin stream of pollution that once meandered along the gully has now been transformed into a straight clean river forty meters wide. Around this section of the river, KKL-JNF has developed a park, which, when complete, will cover an area of 750 dunams (approx 187.5 acres).
Source: KKL
Summary
Hadera River Park is a pretty small park, but it has great potential. It can be an excellent place for a picnic (we visited it after a long weekend, so it was not very tidy, and we are not sure how it will be on a regular Saturday). I also read that there are many birds in this area. Next to the Hadera river (probably further away from the sea) is one of the biggest cormorants resting places (during the migration period). So far, from my experience, the best place to see cormorants is Ein Afek. But I will probably check it out in the winter.
Have you ever been to Hadera Stream Park? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
That’s all for today, and I will see you in future travels!
Stay Tuned!
Additional Resources
Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:- Israel Trip Planner is the page that will help you to create your perfect travel route.
- National Parks And Nature Reserves page lists and put all national parks on the map. There is also a top list, information about ticket types and campsites.
- If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, and Makhtesh Ramon.
- Wondering what events are there in Israel? Here is the Events And Festivals By Season guide.
