Sharon Beach National Park – Family Hikes by the Sea

Sharon Beach National Park near Shefayim offers several loop hikes for families. The trails go on top of cliffs by the sea.

Map

Sharon Beach National Park is located between Arsuf and Wingate center by the Mediterranean Sea. It has two main entrances. The southern entrance is behind Shefayim (link to Waze), and the northern entrance is near Gaash (link to Waze). Both entries are marked in Waze. You can also see them in the trail map below.

The access road is not made of asphalt, but you can reach the park in any car. However, I would advise against driving there after heavy rains.

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

Interactive map of the area:

Here is a map of this park:

Notes:

• You can click on the map to enlarge it.
• The southern entry can be seen on the map above.

Tracks

This national park is easy to navigate. We did not use any maps. I entered “Sharon Beach National Park” into Waze, and we followed the trails from the parking lot. Make sure you reach the entrance you want (southern or northern).

Here is an interactive map from israelhiking.osm.org.il where three trails are marked:

Here are the details of these tracks:

Name	Color of the Track on the Map above	Description	Distance (km)	Total climb and descent (meters)	Notes
Southern Area – Short Loop Track	Blue	Explore Sharon Beach National Park’s main points of interest using the main trails (red, green, and black).	1.4	34
Southern Area – Longer Loop Trail	Red	An extended version of the previous trail.	2.4	34
Northern Area – Loop Track	Orange	Use the red and the Israeli National trails to hike along the sea.	3.7	74	Since the two tracks meet several times, you can easily make the hike longer or shorter.

If it is your first visit to Sharon Beach National Park, I recommend a hike in the southern area. Many explanation signs were added in this area.

Entrance Fee

Free.

Opening Hours

You can visit at any time. Just finish before dark, as there is no illumination along the route.

When to visit Sharon Beach National Park?

There is almost no shade along the trails, so it’s advisable to avoid visiting during the summer. Additionally, since this is a popular destination, it’s best to go early in the morning or later in the day. Furthermore, many flowers bloom in this national park, making spring the ideal time to visit.

Rules of Conduct

Here are several of the rules:

• Bicycles are allowed only on the black trail (not the cliff trail).
• No entry for horses and pets.
• Do not remain in the park after dark.
• Do not light fires, including campfires and barbecues.
• Keep the area clean, and take your trash with you.

About Sharon Beach National Park

Sharon Beach National Park (official site) is located along the Mediterranean coast between Apollonia National Park and Nahal Poleg Nature Reserve. To be more specific, this park is next to Kibbutz Shefayim.

This national park offers light walks along the sea. Remember that significant parts of the track have sand and are unsuitable for strollers. Moreover, there are few trees, so most of the time, you will be under the open sun. Though the sea breeze makes it easier, I recommend visiting it during the cooler hours of the day.

Southern Area

Here are several photos from the Southern Area – the longer loop trail (red track). It was a lovely hike and took us more than an hour to complete.

Since the tracks are short, my 3-year-old daughter could complete it herself. Thus, this national park is suitable for families.

Near the southern entrance, there is a big grove. Many people picnic in this area.

Northern Area

In this section, I will take you along the orange route (see trails section).

When looking North, we see the new Ir Yamim neighborhood in Netanya.

We started walking to the North. As you can see, the route is on top of limestones and has mostly sand and ground.

Even though it was towards the end of spring, there were still flowers.

Here are several photos from that section of the trail:

Two trails pass along Sharon Beach National Park. The red path, called the cliff trail, is closer to the sea. The black trail, called the limestone track, is further away from the sea. The Israeli National Trail also passes here. Most of the time, it is the same as the black path.

Most of the time, the two tracks are parallel, but in several places, they meet. These intersections allow a circular pathway.

We started with the black or the Israeli National Trail and then returned using the red path.

It was pretty hot that day. Thus, at this point, we switched to the red path and started to go back.

You can see the limestone rocks and more of the sea on the red track.

The limestone cliffs are close to the sea, and as the wind from the sea hits them, it blows upwards. Parachuters use this wind. And here is one of them.

There are several places where you can go down towards the sea. But as you can see, there are many rocks, and you cannot swim in this area. Swimming is prohibited and can be done only at the allowed beaches (either North or the south).

Even though there is sandy ground, I was amazed by the number of flowers.

One of the upsides of the red route is the sea breeze. In some parts of the black track, there is no wind, and it becomes boiling – like inside the mini forest.

Food Trucks

Near this park, you can find Coffee and Sea – Arsuf. You can find additional details about this and similar places at Best Food Trucks in Sharon Area.

Summary

Sharon Beach National Park is often overlooked by visitors, likely for two main reasons. First, it used to be difficult to locate, although it has become easier to find over the years. Second, the park does not have any swimming beaches. However, it offers beautiful natural scenery and stunning views of the sea, all within a short distance from the center of Israel.

Moreover, during spring, this area is full of flowers, like the Coastal Iris at Nahal Poleg Nature Reserve.

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

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you on 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.