The toughest hike?

The Darja River trail is not easy and even in the fall, the sun can be treacherous; but the cliffs are impressive and the many waterfalls are certainly worth the effort.

By MEITAL SHARABI
Darja River canyon Judean Desert521 (photo credit: Stefanie Gromann/Wikimedia Commons)
Darja River canyon Judean Desert521
(photo credit: Stefanie Gromann/Wikimedia Commons)
The Dragot (or “Darja,” its better-known Arabic name) River is the largest, most treacherous river that crosses the northern Judean Desert. Like most of the rivers in the area, it can flow furiously within minutes of the first drop of a winter rain.
The Darja River begins at Mount Hebron and ends where it spills into the Dead Sea. A number of smaller rivers also merge with the Darja, among them the Tekoa and Amos Rivers, and its name derives from the dozens of waterfalls that are scattered (in Hebrew, meduragim) along its length.
Over the years, the water flowing through the canyon has carved out steep and impressive cliffs, and hikers who enjoy challenges and are into rappelling can reach spots that are out of reach for most people. Below, I will describe the easier trail, which is appropriate for families looking for an exciting hike and are willing to put in a bit of physical effort. (Overall, the trail is challenging, and it’s worthwhile to think about whether this hike is appropriate for you before you decided to hike here. If you’re afraid of heights, this probably isn’t the best trail for you.) Even now, the autumn sun still beats down harshly and there are not many shady places to rest along the river, so be sure to bring plenty of water (at least three liters per person) and a hat.
Drive up the paved road that leads to the Metzokei Dragot Holiday Resort Village (every second the view becomes more and more amazing) and continue until you reach a dirt road and find the green trail marker.
Here, you will see an Israel Nature and Parks Authority booth, which is not manned this time of year but should still offer maps of the trail and waterfalls.
Continue along the dirt road (it is appropriate for four-wheel drives, but we succeeded in traversing it in our car just fine), until you reach a turnoff marked with a black trail marker, which leads to the lookout.
Don’t turn there, but continue along the green trail until you reach the second turnoff with the black trail marker. On your right, you will see a large parking area.
Leave your car there; the trail will lead you back to this spot at the end of the hike.
Continue on foot along the green trail for about 1.5 kilometers until you see the red trail markers. This trail will lead you down the Mashash River toward the Darja. At first, the path looks like it will be easygoing, but as you progress, it becomes much narrower and quite steep. This is the most challenging part of the trail, and it’s very important to watch your step so that you don’t slip as you jump from stone to stone.
Continue along this path for 1.5 kilometers until you reach the first waterfall.
Hold on to the pegs inserted in the side of the rock as you climb down.
The waterfall is 10 meters high, so make sure you climb down carefully. When you reach the bottom of the waterfall, continue descending alongside the river.
Some of the descents are not so steep, whereas others are very steep. You will notice that whenever it gets steep, there will be pegs in the side of the mountain to help you climb safely.
When I was climbing, I noticed that in some places the pegs were a little crooked, and even though I am an experienced hiker, I wouldn’t mind if they made the path a bit more accessible.
Continue along the trail for another 15 minutes until you see the spot where the Mashash and Tekoa rivers join the lower Darja River. At this point, follow the black trail markers which lead you away from the rivers (and toward the parking area). After climbing the trail for about 10 minutes, on your left side, you will see a transparent trail marker that leads to the Murbaat River caves.
If you’re interested in checking out the caves, you can climb up the short path, look around and then descend on the same short path back to the black trail.
Now begins the slow upward climb.
This part will take about 30 minutes (depending on how many times you stop to rest), and there is no shade whatsoever along the trail here. If you prepare yourself psychologically for the long trek up (and think about the fact that soon you’ll be sitting inside an air-conditioned car), it’s really not that bad.
Location: Northern Dead Sea.Type of hike: Circular, including climbing up and down steep ladders.Level of difficulty: Difficult.Length: Four to five hours.Directions: Drive on Road 1 from Jerusalem and turn right on Road 90 toward the Dead Sea. Turn right onto the road that leads up to the Metzokei Dragot Holiday Resort Village. After the village, the road becomes a dirt path. Continue along the path until you reach the junction with the black trail marker. Leave your car in the parking area. Translated by Hannah Hochner.