Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the car park below Solomon's Pillars (עמודי שלמה) in Timna Park, take the short paths to the foot of the great sandstone columns, the remains of the small Egyptian temple to Hathor, and a flight of steps up to a rock carving of Ramesses III making an offering to the goddess. Then follow the park tracks south-east across the valley floor towards Timna Lake, turn north on the path marked for the Israel National Trail, and come back west on a park track to the car park, with the cliffs of the Timna valley all round.
It is 3.5 km round with 63 m of ascent; allow about an hour. The grade is Easy: easy tracks and paths, with a few steps at the carving.
Timna is one of the hottest places in Israel. Walk early, carry at least 3 litres of water each and wear a hat; the only water is at the visitor centre and the lake. The park's own pillars loop climbs the cliff on ladders and is not part of this walk. Keep to the paths: the temple and carvings are fragile.
Timna Park is open daily from 08:00 to 16:00 and you may stay until sunset. Adults pay 39 NIS and the ticket lasts a week. The pillars are about 8 km inside the park, so a car is needed.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Solomon's Pillars are natural columns weathered along cracks in red Nubian sandstone; Nelson Glueck named them after King Solomon in 1934
- At their foot Egyptian miners built a small temple to Hathor; a carving above shows Ramesses III making an offering to her
- Copper was mined and smelted in the Timna valley for thousands of years, one of the oldest copper landscapes known
- Timna Park covers about 70 square km of the southern Arava, some 25 km north of Eilat off Route 90
Getting there
Start: Solomon's Pillars car park, Timna Park. 29.76812, 34.95430
Directions to the start
Google Maps Apple Maps Waze Moovit
Waze drives you to the car park; Moovit has the buses and trains to the start.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.