Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the Mishor Yemin campsite on Route 227 follow the green-marked trail south across the sandy plain of Mishor Yemin (מישור ימין), among low desert shrubs. The path drops into the bed of Nahal Yemin, steps down on rock beside a small waterfall and reaches Gev Yemin, a pool in the rock that holds rainwater for months after the winter floods. Carry on along the green for about a kilometre to the head of Ma'ale Yemin, where the ground falls away into the canyon of Nahal Hatira, and return the same way.
It is 4.2 km there and back with 49 m of ascent; allow about an hour. The grade is Easy: sandy paths and rock steps, with no shade at all.
INPA advises against this walk in summer and on heatwave days. Carry at least 3 litres of water each, and do not go when rain is forecast for the northern Negev: the pool sits in a narrow stream bed. An IDF firing zone begins on the north side of Route 227, so keep to the south side. The pool has no lifeguards.
The campsite is free, with no gate or fee. There is no bus: drive from Dimona by Routes 25 and 206, then east on Route 227 for about 3.5 km. The sands flower in February and March.
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
- Mishor Yemin is a sandy plain of some 100 square km between the Hatira and Hatzera ridges, an island of sand among the high ridges of the northern Negev
- The sand is a relic of rivers that flowed to the Mediterranean from the east before the Rift Valley opened
- Nahal Yemin drops over a small waterfall into a short canyon; the pool below, Gev Yemin, holds rainwater for months
- From the head of Ma'ale Yemin you look down into the canyon of Nahal Hatira as it leaves Makhtesh Gadol
Getting there
Start: Mishor Yemin campsite, Route 227. 30.95377, 35.07670
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.