August 12, 2018

Utah – Zion’s Narrows Hike

The Narrows Hike in Zion National Park is probably one of the most unique hikes I’ve ever been on. You’ve definitely seen pictures, but to recount, it is a hike in Zion along the Virgin River between canyon walls that are over a thousand feet tall. We did the bottom-up hike deep going into deep into a section called Wall Street and also explored into Orderville Canyon to make for a hike lasting over 11 miles. We rented water hiking boots and a pole, which really helped with stability on the slippery rocks. Keep reading for my breakdown of the hike, as well as gear and tips for getting the best hiking experience (Hint: Take the first shuttle of the day).

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Riverside Walk and Narrows Entrance on Zion’s Narrows Hike

It was tough to get up in the middle of the night to catch the first shuttle, but boy was it worthwhile. By the time we reached the Temple of Siniwava shuttle stop it was light enough to see clearly without headlamps. Use the restroom here because there will not be another one on the trail. There is a paved one mile section that follows the river into the entrance of the Narrows Hike. We tried to speed-walk through this to get as early of a start as possible. The river walk has a few gentle hills and beautiful views of the river.

At 6 am we arrived to the Narrows entrance and walked into the water. Being so early, I anticipated the water to be chilly, but it was actually a reasonable temperature. There were probably about 10 or 15 other people starting the trail with us at this time. The rocks in the riverbed were slippery and I’ve never done a hike where water is flowing through my shoes. I’ll talk about the gear in a later section, but I do want to mention that although they were not absolutely critical, the shoes and hiking pole made walking through the water significantly more stable. At the beginning of the hike, we were walking gingerly and gently through the water, which we slowly got more confident to walk along.

At a Glance:

Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would definitely go again
Intensity: Clothes that can get wet, consider renting water shoes with grip with a hiking pole
Location: Southern Utah
Cost: $25 per private vehicle, but if you are visiting more than one National Park, I recommend getting the annual “America the Beautiful Pass” for $80.
Restrooms: At the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop
Timing: 4 + hours
Distance: 2 – 10 miles

Highlights:

Incredibly unique hike with high picturesque canyon walls
Relief from the summer heat
Photographic Opportunities

Lowlights:

The beginning of the hike will be extremely crowded starting in the late morning

Rebecca looking at the floating boulder on the Narrows hike in Zion National Park. The boulder is surrounded by the blue waters of the Virgin River.

Hanna and Rebecca holding hands in a self-portrait on the Virgin river while on the Zion's Narrows Hike. The girls are balancing on one of the many rocks around next to the flowing blue river. The Canyon beyond has greenery mixed into the rock

Rebecca walking through a sandy section that is covered with water on the Narrows Hike in Zion National Park. The water becomes turquoise at the deeper sections. Moderately Adventurous Travel

Rebecca walking on the Narrows Hike in Zion National Park through a section with narrow canyon walls and many small stones, which makes it difficult to walk.

Hanna sitting on a large boulder while looking at the Narrows Canyon with Virgin River running through it. She is wearing a grey tanktop, neon coral sports bra, navy shorts, and a purple bandana. Moderately Adventurous Travel

Hanna standing and smiling at the camera in the distance on a sandy section of the Narrows Hike in Zion National Park. Moderately Adventurous Travel

Rebecca walking through the Narrows Canyon in a rocky section. The walls are Narrow and one of the walls takes up the left side of the frame.

Rebecca standing on the Riverwalk - a one mile walk along the river before you get to the entrance of the Narrows Hike. You can see the Virgin River and entrance to the Narrows in the background. She is leaning on a walking pole and wearing water shoes with neoprene socks, which were rented for the hike.

Deeper into the Narrows – Wall Street & Orderville Canyon

Even the first section of the Narrows is beautiful. The vertical canyon walls with river flowing through is absolutely magnificent. The walls become more narrow at a section called Wall Street. Be sure to grab a map of the Narrows Canyon from an outfitter before beginning your hike to orient you along the way. There are also a few other known features that you will pass that you should look out for – like floating rock.

Toward the start of the Walls Street section, there is fork in the canyon. To the right is Orderville Canyon and the left will keep you on the Narrows. I recommend exploring the Narrows first, while it is still quiet. Wall Street was my favorite section with the walls coming closer together making it even more picturesque. One section that you have to wade through caused the water to come up to my rib cage, I was particularly happy we are both very tall at that moment. I probably should have said it sooner, but you’ll get wet on the Narrows hike. We found a huge boulder to have lunch on and decided to turn around. We must have been close to the Big Spring, but do not think we quite made it. On our way back, we decided to explore Orderville Canyon – the offshoot from the main Narrows hike.

Orderville Canyon

Fewer people explore Orderville due to the number of obstacles that you have to climb. It also has smaller stream running through it, so you are primarily walking on rocks. The obstacles include scrambling and elements of climbing up slippery rocks. Rebecca and I would often split up who went first, then the other person handed up the backpacks and hiking poles. We definitely needed all hands and feet on the rocks. There is a dead end where it would take some serious technical ability to navigate. This is where we called it a day.

Hanna looking down while walking along the River-walk on the way to the entrance of the Narrows Hike. The path is clear in the early morning (before 6 am), but was completely crowded later in the day.

Hanna looking up while wading through the waters of the Virgin River on the Narrows Hike in Zion National Park. She is wearing a navy blue jacket, grey REI backpack, and rented shoes with neoprene socks for the hike. Moderately Adventurous Travel

Rebecca walking through the Wall Street portion of the Narrows Hike, where the canyon walls become very narrow and the water is bright blue. She is using a walking pole to balance in the Virgin River.

Hanna and Rebecca standing on large bolder while smiling and looking at the camera. In the background is the Narrows canyon with the virgin river running through it. The girls are wearing bandanas, dark colors, and rented shoes with socks for walking in the river, which makes them look matching.

Hanna standing on the edge of a sandy area with the extremely tall canyon walls behind her. The Virgin River is running through the bottom right of the image and is a beautiful turquoise blue.

Hanna standing in the Virgin River up to her knees while she looks down at her walking pole in the water and a hand on her hip. In the background the canyon walls reach into the sky with greenery finding a way to grow in the Narrows Canyon.

Hanna walking in knee-high water of the Virgin River next to the extremely tall canyon walls. Hanna looks small in comparison to the walls. The water was relatively warm and became a turquoise blue in some sections like this. Moderately Adventurous Travel

Heading Out of the Narrows

It is funny to think back to the beginning of the hike when we walked slowly and gingerly across the slippery rocks. By the time we were ready to head out, we were confident in our footholds and were no longer fighting the river. It felt like we were going super speed.

As we got closer and closer to the entrance, the number of people we saw began to increase drastically. It was absolutely ridiculous by the end, where we had to dodge people to get back on the riverside walk. I cannot blame people for trying to have fun in the cool water on a hot summer day in the desert, but it was difficult to walk around every group. The riverside walk was also packed and it make me that much more grateful that we started with the first shuttle.

Get the Gear and Flash Flood Aware

To prepare for the hike, we rented water shoes, neoprene socks, and a hiking pole – this is shoe package for $25.00 from Zion Adventure Canyon. We went to ask questions the day before the hike and they showed us an informational video. This video was extremely helpful for tips on how to walk in the water and what to do in case of rain or flash flood. Going in August, there is a chance of flash flooding, which would be terrifying in the Narrows, with nearly nowhere to go. We were also able to try on the right sizing for our socks and shoes at this time and pick them up later that day.

The socks and shoes are not necessarily to keep your feet completely dry.

That was apparent the moment we walked into the water. Instead, the socks are made of the same material as wetsuits. Wetsuits work by letting in a thin layer of water, which warms due to your body heat and stays trapped there by the insulating layers. The water was not extremely cold, but I think the socks helped kept my feet from getting too cold. The shoes were also great to have a bit of grip in the water. Both mine and Rebecca’s shoulders were sore from relying on the hiking pole while on the hike. Overall, I think $25 is not much to pay for good information and to be well-suited for the hike.

Wear this on the Narrows Trail

Getting To the Trail Head

We camped in Zion and boarded the shuttle at the Museum. We used googlemaps to get to Zion from Bryce Canyon National Park. Check out more detailed directions on the National Park website. To get to the Narrows trailhead, take the shuttle to the last stop – the Temple of Sinawava. I cannot recommend enough to take the first shuttle of the day, which you can find information on this website.

If you’d like to read about camping in Zion, I wrote about it at the end of my Hidden Canyon Hike article.

Overall Thoughts: The Narrows Hike

The Narrows Hike was so unique and beautiful, it felt like it was out of a movie. The high canyon walls with the warm water made the hike really enjoyable. There is not a lot of elevation gain during this hike, but walking upstream for miles and staying stable on slippery rocks does take some energy. I could have spent all day on the hike and look forward to doing the top-down hike in the future. It is a world-famous hike, which explains the crowds, so I am so glad we got an early start.

Before we went to Zion, everyone we knew told us how busy it would be. I am not going to lie, yes, it was very busy. Do not expect a peaceful reprieve in nature in Zion. But if you go early in the morning to your priority hikes, you can avoid a lot of people. The longer and more strenuous hikes will also allow you some distance from the crowds, but it is inevitable. Knowing it was going to be crowded before going into the experience helped a lot. We expected to never be alone and were able to marvel at the incredible structure of the National Park on our hikes. Hopefully a little mindset shift will help you too.

What other trails do you know of that walk through a stream? Or have you done the top-down version of this hike? Let me know in the comments because I am interested in going on more hikes like this.

Happy Travels,

Hanna

Filed Under: Hikey Climby, Utah, Water Activities