Because you can never get enough of this view
I wrote a separate post about the Albert Promenade (the red line on the map), a scenic walk that runs the length of Mitzpe Ramon along the rim of the makhtesh, a one hour hike, and I mentioned in that post that this walk has an extension that leaves the town behind and runs through a sculpture park. I referred to it as the fifth stretch. Well, this is it (orange line on the map).
The Sculpture Park and the Albert Promenade together is a two hour walk out and of course two hours back to your car unless you can arrange collection by taxi or by other means. If you don’t have the time, you can drive along the way. Park at intervals, look at the view and drive further. I personally find that it is at the two extremities (Field School and Sculpture Park) that the view of the makhtesh is the most stunning as they show the most colorful and hilly parts of this huge crater.
What’s the story of the Sculpture Park?
The Sculpture Park sits on a broad plateau on the edge of the makhtesh. It is the brainchild of Ezra Orion and was created in its present form in the 1980’s. It consists of massive local dolomite slabs laid out in such a manner as to…. I’m not an expert in such matters, I will let Ezra explain in his own words:
Sculpture is the design of masses by the forces of space and time. There is tectonic sculpture, aeolian sculpture, volcanic sculpture, meteoric sculpture. The Ramon Makhtesh is the result of tectonic and erosive sculpture, over millions of years. The park is a way of connecting the human hand to this massive sculptural process.
The Sculpture Park did not suddenly appear in the 1980’s. It was actually conceived twenty years earlier as a part of an international initiative and inaugurated with great fanfare. It was a quite different concept and it was thirty years before its time. A colossal failure, no one came to see it and the local inhabitants used it as a rubbish dump. Ezra Orion took it in hand in the 1980’s and did a complete make-over but still it was ahead of its time; very few people came to see it and it had a sad, neglected aspect. It is only in the last ten years that the Park has come into its own; the construction of B’resheet hotel and the Albert Promenade have brought hikers and tourists to the Park, and today it is well-maintained and a great pleasure to visit.
You don’t have to walk, there is an unpaved road that runs the length of the park that allows you to enjoy the entire panorama while sitting. But if you walk, the terrain is flat (but rocky) and the clean air the stiff breeze can be intoxicating. Each sculpture is a separate event that you can walk around, touch, even climb, it is the sort of thing kids enjoy so long as they keep away from the edge of the cliff. It runs on an east-west axis so if you set out in the early morning you will have the sun directly in your eyes.
- On a full moon – assuming that you are warmly dressed – this is a spectacular night walk.
- The Sculpture Park is ideal for a picnic outing as you can bring the car close to wherever you decide to sit.
- There is a bicycle path running through the Scupture Park and down into and across the makhtesh all the way to the Arava.
It is in the process of being renovated. A paved path leading to a balcony overlooking the cliff has just been built.
Soon the path should cover the whole park and some explanations about the sculptures will be added. But right now, this is just you, the sculptures and your imagination so you might want to check this beautiful website which tells the story of the park and of each of the sculptures.
http://www.desertsculpture.info/en/the-desert-sculpture-park/
How to get there
If you drive from the Mitzpe Ramon, take the first exit on your right at the roundabout. (left if it is going to be your first stop in Mitzpe). As always, best to do early morning or late afternoon so the light is not overwhelming.
You can’t get enough of the Makhtesh from above, try Mount Ramon and the Karnei Ramon View Point
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Beautiful setting and artwork. Personally I think they should rename it to the Phallic Sculpture Park. That would be more accurate.