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:
