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Trail Map | Ascent: 60m | Trailhead and Markers Gallery |
Distance: <1km | Time: 1-2 hours | Difficulty: Easy |
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In the summertime, the best kind of hikes are water hikes. At Ein Divsha in the Northern Galilee, you can follow a trail up a black rock mountain, through shade and ankle-deep water.
Ein Divsha itself is a freshwater spring, located near an old Arab village. Near the spring, there’s an out of use flour mill which has become a great place to splash in the shade. Aside from the spring itself, there’s also a 2 kilometer trail, which leads up a hill of rock flooded by cool water.
We scouted out Ein Divsha a few weeks ago on a trip up North. It definitely wasn’t the most beautiful of all of the water trails we hiked on that trip. But it was relatively quiet. The black rock and streams running down in little rivulets gave the place its own unique character. And the views out the surrounding area were pretty spectacular.
As opposed to many Galil area hikes, Ein Divsha isn’t well marked. It took us a while to figure out the best way to follow the trail. But once we did, we found our own little piece of heaven, where we splashed in the water by ourselves for quite some time.
Here’s how we hiked the trail at Ein Divsha:
Hangin’ Out with the Locals
We left the car at a parking lot on the side of the highway, then crossed over through the sun towards the trailhead at Ein Divsha. The only problem was, we couldn’t really find the trailhead. So, we struck up a conversation with an older couple who’s wet, rolled up pants betrayed the fact that they’d been on a water hike.
They tried to point us in the direction of the trail. It was confusing, they said. You have to climb over a water pipe, then through a cattle gate. When you reach a sign memorializing a fallen soldier, you’ll know you’re in the right place.
We tried to cross over the first pipe without locating a trail. So, we proceeded to the next one, and it was just as they said. Over the pipe and through the narrow gateway: we seemed to be on the trail.
Water Fun for Everyone
Right away, we were ankle deep in water. We walked through thick shade, over clusters of black rock. There were a few people coming and going from different directions. When we reached the memorial, we knew we were headed the right way.
We continued forward through one tunnel of branches to the next, all the while splashing through cold water. After ten or fifteen minutes of walking, it seemed like we were at a dead end. The flour mill was to our right with no other trail in sight.
Since there was nowhere else to go, we proceeded into the flour mill, the only place where lots of people were populating. In the corner, a little stream of water flowed from the wall. We hopped through an arched window to check out a pool of water on the other side.
Lunch Time
Did I mention it was lunchtime? My kids were all starving, but something about the way the Ein Divsha trail was laid out left us stumped when trying to find a place to eat. We could eat in the flour mill, but it wasn’t very nice in there.
And every other spot we tried was completely wet. It was impossible to get out of the water. So, we plopped ourselves down on a few stones that jutted out of the stream and had lunch right there.
As we sat and ate, we watched people coming and going from all directions. Nobody seemed to know which way to go. As far as we were concerned, we had reached the end of the line for this hike.
Actually, No
Then, ten minutes into our picnic, a couple climbed down from above the flour mill. So that’s where the continuation of the trail was!
We finished up our sandwiches, then climbed on up to explore the rest of the trail.
On top of the flour mill, there was a long channel filled with water. We waded through. Now out in the sunshine, we could take in the incredible views above the trees. The lush Galilee plains lay before us, in patches of green, framed by mountains and a bright blue sky.
Onward and Upward
From the flour mill, the was nowhere to go but up. We started climbing the black rock mountain, following the stream to the top.
We passed several waterpipes on the way, all spurting with sprays of cold water. This was super fun for my kids, who enjoyed dousing themselves in the freezing spray. Most of them were occupied though, by other little families who had found their water fun for the day. There were even a few benches along the trail.
After a bit of walking, we found ourselves all alone, near the top of the stream. It was breezier and cool up there. There were tons of rocks, water pouring down in miniature waterfalls, and beautiful views all around. We had found our happy place.
An Act of Creation
Rather than sit back and enjoy the water, my kids decided to rearrange the Ein Divsha Trail. There were so many fun rocks to stack and restack. They had a great time trapping water in miniature wading pools by stacking the stones just so.
After finishing their building project, we were ready to make our way back down the mountain towards the rest of the trail. We climbed down the way we came. Then, rather than make a right back towards the flour mill, we continued in the sun all the way down the wet hill to the trailhead.
Ein Divsha had certainly been a different sort of hike – rougher around the edges than your typical Galilee area water trail. But hiking at Ein Divsha had also been a really fun family adventure.
Hikers’ Notes:
Here’s what you need to know to hike at Ein Divsha:
- Good for all seasons. There is plenty of shade to hike in the summertime. There are parts that are completely exposed to the sun. Make sure to wear a hat and water shoes whenever you go.
- Great for kids.
- Dogs are allowed.
- If you’re looking for a place to picnic, try a shady spot at the beginning OR one of the benches above the flour mill.
- To follow the trail: use the trail marker gallery and the trail map in the table up top. Begin by walking past the first place to “enter” where you see a water pipe. At the second water pipe, make a left to follow the trail.
- There are no trail markers.
Don’t forget to read my guide to the navigational features in this post before you hit the trail!
Trail map from Amud Anan.
Questions? Have you hiked at Ein Divsha? Let’s hear about in the comments!