Ten Family-Friendly Nature Reserves and National Parks for Sukkot Holiday
As the Sukkot holiday approaches, Israelis are planning family outings, and a guide has been compiled featuring ten accessible nature reserves and national parks across the country suitable for families. These locations offer easy trails, scenic views, and points of interest for shared enjoyment during the intermediate days of the holiday, known as Chol HaMoed.
Among the recommended sites are the Tel Dan Nature Reserve in the Upper Galilee, featuring a family-friendly path alongside flowing water, shaded trails, and a wading pool, though it requires advance registration and is not fully accessible for strollers. The Majrase Nature Reserve in the Golan Heights offers both a wet and dry trail option, with the wet trail requiring adult supervision due to deeper water and advance booking. Ein Afek Nature Reserve near Kiryat Bialik provides a gentle walk through wetlands and birdwatching opportunities, with a pre-registration requirement and no swimming allowed.
Tel Dor National Park on the Carmel coast combines sea views with ancient port ruins and various hiking trails, including an accessible route for strollers and wheelchairs; entry is free, but swimming is prohibited. Apollonia National Park in Herzliya presents a dramatic coastal landscape with chalk cliffs, a Crusader fortress, and archaeological finds, requiring advance booking and restricting vehicle access. Alexander Stream near the Turtle Bridge offers a 3-kilometer easy walk along the water, ideal for families to observe soft-shelled turtles, with no prior registration needed but swimming and feeding the turtles forbidden.
Beit She'arim National Park in the Lower Galilee provides a historical journey into the world of Talmudic-era Jews, with ancient burial caves and the tomb of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, requiring advance registration for specific cave visits. Zipori National Park, also in the Lower Galilee, showcases a significant city from the Mishnaic period with impressive mosaics, a Roman theater, and a Crusader fortress, necessitating advance booking. Beit Guvrin National Park in the Judean lowlands features the "land of a thousand caves," Roman amphitheater ruins, and Crusader remnants, with advance registration recommended.
Finally, Ein Avdat National Park in the Zin Valley offers a stunning desert landscape with cliffs, springs, a waterfall, and pools, suitable for families with short and longer trail options, but requires advance registration and prohibits swimming.
