There are two main wildernesses mentioned in Scripture: the Wilderness of Paran and the Wilderness of Zin. The Wilderness of Paran is the location of much of the wilderness wanderings.

Numbers 10:12 (KJV): “And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.”

Numbers 13:1-3 (KJV): “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.”

The Paran plateau contains a lot of gravel because, due to a lack of rain, there is no soil formation. If any soil is formed, the wind blows it off.

Hagar and Ishmael came to this region after leaving Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 21:20-21 (KJV): “And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.”

The red sandstone gorge is less than 1,000 feet (300 m) long and only 6–12 feet (2–4 m) wide. It drops several dozen feet in its short course. Huge limestone boulders have been swept here during floods and have become lodged in the gorge creating steps. Oxidized minerals create the shades of red that changes its look with the lighting. Though on a smaller scale, its look resembles the Siq of Petra in many ways.

The acacia tree (shittim) is common in the wilderness areas, particularly in stream beds. The durable wood of this tree was used in the construction of the tabernacle and a number of its objects, including the sacrificial altar, table of showbread, and ark of the covenant. There are four varieties of the acacia tree in the wilderness and they are characterized by prickly branches and sometimes have yellow flowers.