Sharon Beach National Park is one of the less visited parks, despite its closeness to Israeli center. And today we are going to visit it. Let’s begin!
Background Info
Sharon Beach National Park (official site) is located along the Midditerenean beach between Apollonia National Park and Nahal Poleg Nature Reserve. To be more specific, this park is next to Kibbutz Shefayim.
This national park offers a light walk along the sea. Just keep in mind that significant parts of the trail have sand and are not suitable for strollers. Moreover, there are few trees. Thus most time you will be under the open sun. Though the sea breeze makes it easier, I would still recommend visiting it either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Moreover, if you want to see flowers along the route, then Spring would be the best time for a visit.
I think one of the reasons this park is not getting enough attention is lack of clear directions and signs. It is not that easy to find it. My previous visit was about a decade ago, and when this time I used Waze, I reached a different part (northern entrance) of the same national park. Moreover, Waze got me to some place near the park and not the entry itself. So if this happens to you, continue driving along the fence till you see many parked cars.
Note: free entrance.
Here is the Northern (secondary) entrance.
Note: the access road is not made of asphalt, but you can use any car to reach the park. Though I would not advise driving there after heavy rains.
If it is your first visit, then I would suggest going to the main entrance. It is located Norther to Arsuf and Western to Shefayim.
Map of the area:
Visiting Sharon Beach National Park
Sign just after the entry:
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.
Despite the fact that it was towards the end of Spring, there were still flowers.
View towards the sea:
The Trails
Two trails pass along Sharon Beach National Park. The red path also called the cliff trail is closer to the sea. And the black trail also called the limestone trail, is the further away from the sea. The Israeli National Trail also passes here, and most of the time it is the same as the black path.
Most of the time the two trails are parallel to each other but in several places the meet. These intersections allow a circular pathway.
We started with the black or the Israeli National trail and then returned using the red path.
Flowers and plants in the national park:
Another view of Netanya:
It was quite hot that day. Thus, at this point, we switched to the red path and started to go back.
On the red trail, you can see the limestone rocks and more of the sea.
The limestone cliffs are close to the sea, and as the wind from the sea hits them, it blows goes upwards. This wind is used by parachuters. And here is one of them.
As I mentioned, this is an unshaded path. Thus come early and wear sunscreen.
View of the sea:
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 to the north or the south).
Even though there is a sandy ground, I was amazed by the number of flowers.
View to the South.
One of the upsides of the red route is the sea breeze. At some parts of the black trail, there is no wind at all, and it becomes boiling hot. Like inside this mini forest.
Summary
Sharon Beach National Park is an underrated park. It is less visited probably for two reasons. First of all, it is hard to find. And secondly there no beaches where you can swim. Nonetheless, this park offers excellent nature and stunning sea views. And all of this very close to the center.
Moreover, during Spring you can find many flowers in this area. Like the Coastal Iris At Nahal Poleg Nature Reserve In Netanya.
If you are planning a visit, then look for exact directions in advance (as I mentioned above). Preferably visit during the Spring and not during midday. In any case, wear a hat, sunscreen, and take plenty of water.
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 in future travels!
Stay Tuned!