Swim­ming in a pool sur­round­ed by steep, 15-foot basalt cliffs is a once-in-a-life­­time expe­ri­ence to be had in Israel’s Yehudiya For­est Nature Reserve. Most of the columns that con­tain the 65-by-100-foot Hexa­gon Pool—a scenic swim­ming hole formed by the Meshushim Stream rush­ing grand­ly over the formations—are greater than a foot in diam­e­ter. This is the most spec­tac­u­lar of many basalt for­ma­tions with­in the reserve, all caused by activ­i­ty in the Golan Heights vol­canic field.