Hiking the Zion Narrows

Hiking the Virgin River Narrows at Zion National Park is one of the most spectacular hikes in the country. Once National Geographic rated it as the 5th-best adventure in the United States.

Naturally this was going to be the main event of my first visit to Zion, with a two-night stay at the campground, and only one full day to go exploring. The Narrows consists of a beautiful river gorge that’s 16 miles in length and up to 2,000 feet deep, sometimes only 20-30 feet wide. It’s possible to do the entire length as a day-hike (My preferred itinerary), but a backcountry permit is required even for this because of high use, the strenuous nature of hiking up a riverbed with your feet submerged underwater 60% of the time, and flash flood potential.

I had my permit in hand and had arranged for a shuttle up to Chamberlain Ranch – the entry point outside the park for starting the narrows from the top – but I missed the early morning shuttle! I was waiting at the wrong pickup location (Doh!). Very disappointed, I had to settle for seeing the narrows as a typical tourist would, from the bottom and upstream. This meant beginning at the exit point at the Temple of Sinawava. My hike ended up going only as far as the junction of Orderville Canyon, which is not all that significant, but all was not lost as I got some excellent photos, and a great taste of what the narrows is all about on this easygoing 4-5 hour hike.

Skip to 3:37 for an artsy clip of the light reflecting off the water.

From the Temple of Sinawava, you follow the “Riverside Walk” upstream until the path enters the river. There are usually a number of good walking sticks here – the informal procedure for day-hikes is to pick one up when you begin, and to return it as you exit. A stick is an essential peice of gear for the narrows.

One of the things that makes the Zion Narrows so beautiful is the way the light shines into the canyon, reflecting off the walls and hanging gardens, often illuminating the water in various hues.