The Red Canyon/Photo: Nature and Parks Authority
On your way to Eilat or back home from vacation, you must not miss the wonders of the Red Mall, just half an hour's drive north of Eilat. Naomi Raznik, a soldier teacher from the Eilat Field School of the Society for the Protection of Nature, recommends a short and wonderful circular route in the depths of ancient sandstone, which will be suitable for the whole family.
The "canyon" is not exactly what your child will imagine, but rather it is a channel that has worn out as a result of water washing in the area and its banks are steep and built by high and upright cliffs. The marvelous formation of the Nubian sandstone in which these windings were formed, was created by a long process of millions of years. The sandstone can be seen mainly north of Eilat and it often comes in a variety of special colors as a result of various minerals and oxides - in the Red Canyon, for example, you can see red sandstone as a result of iron oxides.
What to do?
The short and comfortable route, which is about an hour's walk long, and most of it is within the canyon route, is marked with a green trail marker, which takes us towards the central channel of Nahal Shani. On the sides of the stream you can see conglomerate - a stream catchment, that is, a layer of rock that consists of rounded rock fragments, which coalesced in the process of alluvial transport.
After a short walk we will be exposed to the Nubian sandstone, which is a spectacular red color. The sandstone is very common in the Nub Desert in Sudan and Egypt, hence its name. On the sides of the stream you can see desert vegetation that survives even in an almost rainless area like the Eilat mountains. We will meet Rotem Hamdbar, Maloch Kifah (at its southernmost point in the Negev) and of course the Negev system, which is an important source of food for the wild animals that roam this area.
The descent to the mall is with the help of handrails and handrails (the descent is very simple) and it gets narrower the further you go. The canyon narrows for only about 200 meters, during which three waterfalls pass with pegs fixed in the rock. At the end of the canyon, you can go back on the black trail marking, which also has pegs that allow safe walking that overlooks the canyon and the rock layers, and we will take the trail marking on a jeep road marked in red back to the parking lot from where we came.
For walkers, you can extend the route towards Nahal Shani for a route of about 2-3 hours: instead of returning on the black route back to the parking lot, continue on the green marking about 500 meters after the waterfall, where the path joins Nahal Shani, which is marked with green trail markings. At this point it is important not to get confused, and it is mandatory to turn left up the stream. The green path winds and rises until it reaches the lower entrance of the red canyon. There we will meet a black trail marker that will take us back to the parking lot, a red marker until we reach the jeep trail and a green marker from where we started.
to the trip we went
How to get there:
search for "The Red Mall - parking and overnight parking" in Wise. The access to the Red Mall is from road 12 (Eilat-Mitzpa Ramon), about 20 km north of Eilat. From the road there is a clear sign towards the Red Mall. From the road descends a dirt road marked with red trail markings which soon leads to a marked overnight parking lot where the vehicle is parked
. Public: You can get directly to the route with Egged route 392, which goes to Eilat from Be'er Sheva and back several times a day. Directly to the bus stop at the Red Canyon Junction. Pay attention to the dangerous road crossing to cross the route.
What to take:
water, snacks and garbage bags, closed shoes, Hat.
Recommended period:
autumn and spring, no hiking in the rain.
For whom:
families, children, couples and vacationers in Eilat.
Accessibility:
the route is not accessible.
Route length (short circuit):
about 2 km.
Difficulty level:
easy to medium .