Harod Spring National Park – Visitors Guide

Harod Spring National Park near Mount Gilboa is perfect for families with small kids. It has pools, barbecue places, a campground, and more.

Map

Harod Spring National Park is at the foot of Mount Gilboa and not far from Afula.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

Map of the National Park:

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 8:00 – 17:00 (16:00 in winter).
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 (15:00 in winter).
On holiday eves, usually 8:00 – 13:00.

Note: Since the pandemic, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority has started limiting the number of people in each park. Thus, reservations are recommended through the official site (you can find the link below).

Entrance Fee

Adult – 28 NIS, child – 14 NIS, and student – 24 NIS. Free for National Parks annual subscribers.

If you visit several National Parks, consider purchasing a combo ticket. For additional information, see National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in September 2024. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

What Can you find at Harod Spring National Park?

Harod Spring National Park is home to Harod Spring, nearby pools, Hankin House, the Memorial for the Valley’s war casualties, and a camping area.

You will see a long parking lot when you enter this national park. In front of the parking lot, you can see the recreational area. In this area, you can find picnic tables, equipment for barbeque, grass areas, small ponds, a playground for kids, and more. Here are several photos:

Harod Spring and Wading Pools

The maximum depth of the water is 0.4 meters. Since the pools are shallow, jumping is prohibited, and children under six need to be supervised.

The water arrives from Harod Spring, and here is the basic info from the official site:

The spring rises in a cave on the slope of the Gilboa mountain. It is called the Cave of Gideon after the Biblical judge who collected his warriors here to fight the Midianites. The waters flow along a clear brook into a large paddling pool and into other streams flowing throughout the national park. In the past, the spring created a swamp and a stream whose waters flowed into Nahal Harod, and the water of the spring was conveyed via an aqueduct to two flour mills. The remains of the aqueduct can be seen in the national park; the remains of the flour mills are located outside the park.

Here are several photos:

During our visit (in September), the temperature of the water varied among different areas, but it was cold overall. Also, slipping is a hazard. The concrete floor is not slippery, but it is slippery in areas where the floor is covered with green algae.

Furthermore, there is almost no shade in the wading pools. Hence, bring sunscreen.

Cave of Gideon

When looking towards Mount Gilboa, you can see a white building on the mountain. That is Hankin House Museum. Beneath it, you can find the Cave of Gideon. Here are several photos:

Here is information about Hankin House from the official site:

The home of Yehoshua Hankin (1864-1945) stands on a slope rising above Harod Spring. The small house now serves as a museum to document the life of this man who redeemed for the Jewish people more than 600,000 dunams all over the country.

Yehoshua Hankin began building the house in 1934 when he was 70. When his wife Olga became sick, he started carving out a burial grave for her close to the house. Olga Hankin was buried in the cave in 1942, and Yehoshua was buried next to her three years later.

The inner door of the family grave, which is the original door, bears the symbol of the Menorah. The two pillars at the front of the grave and the copper door, bearing nail patterns and the 7-branched candelabra, are reminiscent in appearance of burial caves from the time of the Mishna and the Talmud, similar to the burial caves in Bet She’arim. The pillars and the front wall are made of pinkish limestone. The cave’s floor is of grey marble, with a black Magen David in the middle. The outer door was created by the sculptor David Plombo. It is decorated with the name “Hankin” in an unusual design with interlocking letters.

The museum is open to groups with prior coordination. On religious holidays, there are guided tours for visitors.

The Memorial for the Valley’s War Casualties

When walking to Hankin House Museum, you will pass near the memorial. Here is info from the official site:

Harod Spring was where the inhabitants of the Moshavim and Kibbutzim from the region gathered on holidays and festivals. The proximity to the spring that was associated with the wars of Gideon against the Midianites, the death of King Saul and his son on the Gilboa mountain, the family grave and the home of the redeemer of the lands of the Valley, Yehoshua Hankin, made this place a symbolic center. The memorial was erected in memory of seven of the sons of the Valley who fell in the War of Independence on the Gilboa, and today, it memorializes all the men of the Valley who were killed in the various wars.

The Memorial is the work of the metal sculptor David Plombo. It is shaped like a bridge made of iron plates, in which openings have been torn by flames of fire. Two symbolic iron figures rise from the bridge. On the wall behind the Memorial, metal letters spell out the following sentence: “The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!” (Samuel II, Chapter 1)

Campground

There are several campground areas in this national park. Here is the relevant info from the official site:

The night camping area consists of broad grassy areas where caravans can park, tents can be set up, and people can sleep outside under the starry night sky. The camping area has showers and toilets, drinking water, refrigerators, a freezer, picnic tables, and cubicles for recharging mobile phones.

The camping area is open every weekend from Pesach to Succot and, with prior coordination, throughout the year for large groups of 50 or more persons.

To coordinate camping:
Phone: 04-6532211
E-mail: gl-mharod@npa.org.il

Campground Rules

• Parking is permitted only in the designated parking lots.
• Only overnight guests are permitted to enter the campground at night. Other guests may enter only with prior approval and upon payment of the full overnight fee.
• Sleeping out and pitching tents are permitted only in designated areas.
• After dark, visitors may remain in the national park or reserve only in the campground. Do not wander outside the campground.
• Amplification systems and playing music are prohibited.
• The use of generators is prohibited.
• Electric outlets are permitted to charge electronic devices. Do not use extension cords.
• Fires are permitted only in designated areas – the campfire center, half-barrels, or barbecues. Fires may be made only with wood brought from outside the reserve or the park. Wood may be purchased in the campground’s visitor service center. Do not leave coals or fires burning unattended – empty coals in the designated bin.
• Do not bring animals into the campground!
• Keep the area clean and dispose of garbage in the refuse and recycling bins.
• Do not feed animals and keep food away from them.
• Obey instructions from campground staff and rangers.
• We recommend you do not leave possessions and valuables unattended. The campground staff is not responsible for stolen or damaged property.

Nearby Attractions

While visiting this national park, I saw this sign with suggestions for other nearby attractions. You can browse the interactive map above for additional attractions.

History

Here is a short history summary from the official site:

Two important events place Harod Spring on the historical stage. The Book of Judges describes the military “initiation” conducted by Gideon before the battle with the Midianites – wandering desert tribes who invaded the Land of Israel from time to time. 10,000 men responded to the call to fight them. Gideon preferred to set up a small and agile elite unit, so he tested those who came: he took them down to the spring and told them to drink the water. Only 300 drank without setting their weapons aside, and they were chosen for the task. The battle ended with victory for the Israelites (Judges 7).

The second historic event took place on September 3, 1260. On his path of conquests, the Mongol Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, had reached the gates of the Holy Land and demanded Qutuz, the Mameluke Sultan in Cairo, to surrender. Many peoples had surrendered unconditionally to the Mongols, but Baybars, the Mameluke general, persuaded his Sultan to fight back. While the armies were preparing for war, Hulagu was forced to return to his kingdom due to the death of his brother, Mongke, then ruler of Mongolia, and he left only 10,000 fighters in place, perhaps due to defective intelligence concerning the size of the army which the Mamelukes were capable of raising.

The forces clashed at what was known then as En Jalut and today – En Harod. The Mamelukes’ warriors were greater in number than the Mongols, and the Mamelukes won the battle. This victory altered the course of history for the country and the entire Middle East because, until then, the terrifying Mongols were considered to be undefeatable. Subsequently, Baybers murdered Qutuz, became the Sultan, and conquered the Holy Land from the Crusaders. The country remained under the rule of the Mamelukes until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1516.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the valley was one extensive marsh, sparsely settled by Arabs. The valley was crossed by the Valleys Railway, but apart from that there were very few roads. In 1909, Yehoshua Hankin purchased lands near the village Al-Fula (Afula), and in 1920 he purchased the Nuris Block – 51,000 dunams – on which the villages of En Harod, Kfar Yehezkel, Geva, Tel Yosef, Bet Alfa, Heftsiba and Bet Hashita were built.

In 1921, the first members of Kibbutz En Harod settled near the spring. After about five years, they moved to Kumi Hill, where the Kibbutzim En Harod “Ihud” and “Me’uhad” are still located.

Summary

We spent several hours at Harod Spring National Park. My youngest daughter (who is five years old) enjoyed this visit, but my older daughter (a teenager) found it rather boring. Hence, families with small children will get the most out of this national park.

Have you ever visited Harod Spring National Park? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.