Poleg Stream Nature Reserve in Natanya
This is a short but extremely beautiful hike along a hilly ridge of calcareous sandstone and loose sand adjacent to a broad sandy beach, and then above the bank of the Poleg Stream. There is a large variety of landscapes and habitats with a rich array of flora and fauna.
Time: About 1 hour.
Distance: 2.3 Km
Type of hike: Circular
Directions and parking: Enter “שמורת × ×—×œ פולג” into Waze. This will lead you through the grounds of the Wingate Institute and for this you will need to take a parking ticket. Waze will bring you to a parking lot which is part of the Wingate Institute. The parking fee for the hour’s hike will cost about 25 NIS. (Be aware that there is another nearby park called Sha’ar Poleg Nature Reserve on the other side of Route 2. If you just put Poleg Nature Reserve into Waze, it does not go through the Wingate Institute and it will lead you to this other nature reserve.
Difficulty: This hike is not difficult, but walking on loose sand for much of the way needs more effort than walking on firmer ground.
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From the parking lot, head up the steps and you will come shortly to the intersection of the green and blue trails. This will, in fact, be the last markings you will see as there are no markings on the trails. However, the direction of the trails is fairly intuitive and you can always check your progress on the map link. Turn to the left on the black trail.
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This will bring you to a hill of sand without any clear path, but head to the paths on the top of the hill.
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You will come to a T-junction by a wire fence. Turn to the right on what is now a red trail, although there are no markings on the trail. This will bring you to picturesque promontories overlooking the sea. This trail will gradually bring you down to the beach.
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Turn to the right on a broad sandy path just above the level of the beach and away from the sea. This is a blue trail on the map. After some distance you will see that you are walking on top of the bank of the Poleg Stream.
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The path narrows and comes eventually to its intersection with the green trail. The steps and the parking lot are ahead of you.
Map of Nahal Poleg Nature Reserve