Today I guided 37 lovely Career Israel and Israel By Design participants through the Ein Avdat national park. Despite the downpour in Tel Aviv, we had a perfect, crisp desert winter morning. We started at 10:15 and were finished and out of the canyon by 11:30.
The hike is located near Sde Boker in Wadi Zin, which is a dried up riverbed. The middle layers of soft chalk and flint were washed out by flash floods, leaving a top heavy layer of limestone. However, the limestone collapsed without support, leaving the canyon structure we see today that was formed 45,000 years ago.
From the parking lot, there are picnic benches and toilets. We made our way across the small stream, and then walked along the skinny dam to the waterfall and pool, then backtracked to the staircase carved into the chalk. After about 10 minutes, we started our ascent up from the poplar grove and from there it's a zigzag of steps, including two sets of ladders we climbed in order to get out of the canyon. While it got our heartbeat going, it is totally doable - just think of it as the Negev's StairMaster.
Once at the top there is a sweet lookout to the canyon, toilets and of course, the ice cream man.
If hiking with kids, make sure they are able to climb ladders on their own - probably appropriate from age 7+ and if you are a parent with a babe in a carrier, keep this in mind before opting for this hike.
Hands down one of the most beautiful hikes and areas in the country, and highly recommended in the winter months.
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