OVERVIEW

Southwest Utah is loaded with incredible hiking trails and outdoor adventures. But navigating the waters and towering canyon walls of the Zion Narrows is an exhilarating experience unlike any other.

The trail follows the Virgin River as it sculpts its way through one of the world’s most iconic slot canyons. For the entire duration of the hike you’ll be surrounded by sheer rock walls while wading through currents, scrambling over boulders, and exploring the canyon’s hidden alcoves.

There are a few different variations of the hike and we’ll cover their differences in this article. You’ll also need to have some basic knowledge of canyon hiking in Zion National Park to ensure you have a safe and comfortable journey. 

Hiking the Zion Narrows is a unique experience that will captivate you with its raw beauty and challenge you physically. This article will have you prepared for a thrilling and memorable adventure hiking this amazing trail in Zion National Park.

ROUTE OPTIONS

The full length trail for the Zion Narrows runs for 16 miles, between Chamberlain’s Ranch in the north and the Temple of Sinawava in the south. The trail can be hiked from the top-down or the bottom-up, and there are several variations for both of these options.

Top-Down Route 

The top-down route requires a permit and is far more challenging than the bottom-up approach. It can be hiked in a single day or as a two-day backpacking trip. 

Day Hike Option

If you intend to hike the top-down route over one day, you’ll need to be in excellent physical condition and be a very fast hiker. This route is long and strenuous as it requires hiking through river currents, scrambling over boulders, and carrying a large amount of specialized gear over the course of many miles.

Most hikers take about 10-12 hours to complete the route. It’s critical that you set a fast enough pace to reach the Temple of Sinawava before the last shuttle bus leaves for the day. Otherwise you’ll be walking nearly 4 miles to the Zion Park Lodge in the dark with a lot of gear. 

Overnight Backpacking Option

Most people who chose to hike the Narrows from the top-down will do it as a two-day, overnight backpacking trip. This requires spending a night camping in one of the 12 campsites along the route.

You’ll need to be prepared to hike with all of your camping gear, food, and other necessities as the campgrounds are primitive and lack all facilities. Campsites can be reserved during the permit reservation process, as we describe below.

Pros and Cons

The advantages of the top-down route are that it’s far less crowded, ventures through the entire canyon, and will provide a more adventurous experience and greater sense of accomplishment. You’ll see more variety in the terrain and witness how the canyon continually transforms as you travel further south.

The disadvantages of the top-down route are that it requires a permit, you’ll need to make independent transportation arrangements to Chamberlain’s Ranch, and it is inherently more dangerous as you’re hiking through the remote areas of Zion Canyon with few other hikers.

Bottom-Up Route

Hiking the Bottom-Up route does not require a permit, is easier, and is an out-and-back hike. The furthest you can go is Big Springs, but you’re able to turn around and return to the Temple of Sinawava whenever you wish. As a result, it’s a great option for anyone traveling with kids.

The advantages of this route are its convenience, ability to tailor the hike to your level of fitness and time constraints, and that you will still get to see the most iconic sections of the Zion Narrows, including Wall Street and Orderville Canyon.

The disadvantages of the bottom-up route are the potential for large crowds and the fact that you’ll miss seeing some of the more remote and untouched areas of the Zion Narrows.

STATISTICS

Top-Down Route:

Distance: 16.1 miles.

Elevation Gain: 2,076 feet.

Duration: 10-12 hours.

Difficulty: Strenuous as most of the trail you’ll be hiking and wading through at least ankle deep water. There are also some sections that require wading through chest-deep water, swimming, and boulder scrambling. The hike will be even more challenging if flow rates and water depths are elevated.

Where: Zion National Park. The official trail begins at Chamberlain’s Ranch in the north and follows the Virgin River to the Temple of Sinawava in the south.

Our Bottom-Up Route:

We hiked the bottom-up route and turned around just before Big Springs. We added on an optional detour through Orderville Canyon. These were our hiking specific hiking statistics.

Distance: 11.3 miles.

Elevation Gain: 548 feet.

Duration: 10 hours.

Difficulty: Moderate. We had a few sections of waist-deep water but the currents were relatively calm. A few areas Orderville Canyon required scrambling along boulders and climbing small waterfalls.

Where: Zion National Park. This is an out-and-back trail beginning at Temple of Sinawava at the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. You can return to the trailhead whenever you get fatigued or are done hiking.

LOGISTICS

Permit

If hiking the Narrows using the top-down route, you’ll need to obtain a Wilderness Permit whether you plan to camp overnight or complete the hike in a single day. The bottom-up route does not require a permit.

Top-Down Day Hike

Wilderness permits for the top-down day hike option can be reserved for $5 on the Zion National Park webpage within Recreation.gov. Simply select “Virgin Narrows Day Use Trail From Top” from the dropdown menu and choose the day that you would like to hike from the ones that are available.

Advanced reservations are released in three month blocks on a quarterly basis. After obtaining the reservation, you’ll still need to purchase the actual permit at the Visitor Center the day before or day of your hike.

Wilderness permits for the top-down day hike route can also be obtained by entering the Canyoneering Daily Lottery for a chance to obtain a last-minute permit. The lottery runs two days prior to the designated hiking day.

Top-Down Overnight Backpacking

The other option if hiking the top-down route would be to break up the trip by camping overnight at one of the 12 campsites along the trail. The overnight Narrows permit can be obtained online, similar to the process of reserving a day hike permit. Campsites can be reserved in advance online as well.

Last minute permits can also be obtained the day before the hike, or early morning the day of the hike. This is done in person at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk during their hours of operation. Half of the camp sites in the Zion Wilderness region are available on a walk-in basis.

Gear

To have the best experience while hiking the Narrows, it’s best to rent some gear as it will make the adventure safer and more comfortable. We rented our gear from Zion Adventures, a local outfitter based right outside Zion National Park in Springdale.

Zion Adventures has a variety of gear available that you can try on and pick up the day before your hike. Their expert staff closely monitor the conditions of the canyon and weather so that you can make informed decisions about what kind of hiking gear you’ll need. 

During the summer months, renting only canyon boots is usually sufficient. In the spring and fall you’ll also need dry pants or a dry bib as the water temperature plummets. In the winter it’s best to have an entire dry suit. 

You might also consider adding on a dry bag regardless of the season to store your electronics and valuables in the event you fall from the unstable and slippery footing of the riverbed. Zion Adventures also have walking stick to keep you from toppling over in the river.

Getting to the Trailhead

During most of the year, no personal vehicles are allowed on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. This creates a logistical challenge for the Zion Narrows hike as the trailhead for the bottom-up route is located at the end of this road.

One option would be to use the complimentary Zion National Park shuttle. It operates on a seasonal schedule, generally from March through November, but sometimes longer. 

The Springfield Line buses leave Majestic View Lodge every 15 minutes, making several stops throughout Springfield. They go as far as Zion Canyon Village. The first buses start operating at 7 or 8 AM, depending on the season.

The Zion Canyon Line buses leave Zion Canyon Village every 5-10 minutes, beginning at 6 or 7 AM (depending on the season). They go to the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive at Temple of Sinawava and make 9 stops along the route. 

Alternatively, you could investigate tour agencies or local outfitters to see if they provide trailhead transportation. We reserved a spot on the Zion Adventures private shuttle that dropped us off and picked us up whenever we wished. 

The cost was about $50 but was extremely convenient and hassle free. When we returned to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the hike, there were hundreds of other people waiting for the free park shuttle back to the Visitor’s Center. 

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Water Flow Rates

Your experience hiking The Narrows will depend on a number of factors, not the least of which is the Virgin River flow rate. The flow rate is a measurement of how fast the water is flowing through the canyon and is measured in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS). 

The flow rate is not only a large determinant of the trail’s safety, but also its difficulty. As the flow rate rises, the river depth increases and the currents become more powerful. This will create more drag on your legs during hiking and create a far more demanding experience. 

In general, hiking with flow rates of less than 50 CFS is considered easy while anything above 75 CFS is considered challenging. You can view the flow rates on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) site.

For those hiking the top-down route, the trail will be open if the flow rate is 0-120 CFS. For bottom-up hikers the trail will be open if the flow rate is 0-150. The National Park Service will close the trails at flow rates above these levels.

Flash Floods

The Narrows are also susceptible to flash floods, which occur when heavy rain or snow melt causes a rapid rise in the water height. They can be extremely hazardous due to their strong currents and the debris that they carry downstream. 

Flash floods can occur with little to no warning, potentially trapping hikers in the narrow confines of the canyon. Even if skies appear sunny and clear, you could still be at risk from the precipitation falling and accumulating several miles away.

If weather conditions look concerning, the National Park Service will declare a Flash Flood Warning and close the Zion Narrows. However, it’s always a good idea to check the weather yourself before hiking through any slot canyon.

Fitness

We spent about 9-10 hours hiking through the Narrows. Navigating the river currents and scrambling around debris while wearing a dry suit and carrying gear can make this a very demanding hike. 

Fortunately, if hiking the bottom-up route, you can turn around at any time if you’re getting fatigued. The top-down route, however, is far longer and much more strenuous, particularly if doing it as a single-day hike. 

OUR HIKING EXPERIENCE

Getting to the Trailhead

We hiked the Narrows in November. The night before the hike we stayed in a camper van right outside the park. We rented gear from Zion Adventures which included a dry suit, canyon boots, dry bags, and walking sticks. 

The morning of the hike we met a few other excited hikers at the Zion Adventures main office in Springdale. Their shuttle took us to the trailhead at Temple of Sinawava which took about 20 minutes. The shuttle driver provided additional information about the trail and what to expect on the hike. 

We felt as though we could hike for about 10 hours, so we arranged to be picked up at 6 pm. The driver pulled into the parking lot, we put on our gear, and set out on our hike.

Riverside Walk

At the Temple of Sinawava we found some restrooms and information boards about the Narrows and the surrounding areas. A nearly 1 mile, flat and paved path led along the eastern side of the Virgin River, eventually ending when the river filled the canyon from wall to wall.

Along the trail we witnessed the grandeur of Zion Canyon and saw its walls towering high above us. In November, the cottonwood and willow trees were still finishing their transformation into winter, which added some additional color to the landscape.

As we reached the end of the paved trail, the canyon walls began to close in as the Virgin River then became the trail. This is where the Zion Narrows adventure truly began.

Entrance to the Narrows

From this point on we’d be hiking upstream through the Virgin River. The flow rate and water level was relatively high as we were hiking in late autumn. The water was also frigid, but we stayed nice and warm with our dry suits and canyon boots.

It took a little time to figure out the best strategy for navigating the currents and slippery riverbed. Initially we took things pretty slow. Without our walking sticks we would have fallen several times throughout the course of the day. 

The river wound its way through the narrow corridor of the slot canyon. A few locations challenged us with waist-deep water, large boulders, or fallen debris. This area also featured Mystery Falls, a faint waterfall cascading down the diagonal canyon wall. 

We soon found our way to one of the most iconic sections of the trail, the “Narrows Alcove”. The Virgin River had eroded the walls of the canyon into a smooth and cylindrical-like rock formation. The shadows and angle of the sun created fascinating patterns on the colorful sandstone walls.

Nearby was also “House Rock”, a large boulder set in the middle of the river that served as a landmark to gauge our pace. The amount of geological variation throughout the canyon was simply remarkable. 

Orderville Canyon

After about 2 miles we reached the mouth of Orderville Canyon, an optional detour leading east. The slot canyon was characterized by a more narrow passageway containing several small pools, waterfalls, and rocky arches. 

The walls of Orderville Canyon were not as tall as Zion Canyon, allowing sunlight to reach the ground and support plant life. We really enjoyed hiking through here as it felt like an obstacle course, requiring boulder scrambling and climbing up the small waterfalls.

The trail through Orderville Canyon came to an abrupt end at the beautiful Veiled Falls. After a short break for lunch we retraced our steps back to Zion Canyon and continued hiking northward.

Wall Street

Soon after rejoining the main trail we came upon the most iconic section of the Zion Narrows…Wall Street. The canyon quickly closed in on us and we were now overshadowed by its near vertical walls towered hundreds of feet into the sky. 

The afternoon sunlight could no longer reach the canyon floor. The shadows and now cooler temperatures created an eerie aura as we progressed further upstream. Photographers set up their tripods in the ankle-deep water to capture the natural beauty and impressive images of this section of the Narrows.

Immediately after exiting Wall Street the water depth increased up to our chest. Shirlee stayed back with her camera as I lifted my backpack above my head and waded several hundred feet further. 

It became apparent that the water depth would continue like this for quite some time, so we decided to make this our turnaround point. We arrived at the Temple of Sinawava just before sunset where we found our shuttle driver patiently waiting to take us back to Springdale.

FINAL IMPRESSION

Shirlee and I weren’t exactly sure what to expect when preparing to hike through the Zion Narrows. How do we get to the trailhead? How do we protect our feet from the riverbed? Are we safe from flash floods?These were just some of the questions we asked ourselves.

Fortunately, the National Park Service and Zion Adventures provided loads of information and had us very well prepared for the journey. We felt safe, comfortable, and confident the entire hike and had an unforgettable experience.

It felt otherworldly to be trudging through the Virgin River as the shadows of the canyon surrounded us in every direction. Gardens hung from the canyon walls as waterfalls cascaded down the cliffside. The scenery throughout the Zion Narrows can only be described as magical.

The highlight of the Zion Narrows was definitely Wall Street. While hiking upstream through the Virgin River we were dwarfed by the colorful sandstone cliffs towering above us. It was also exhilarating to swim through the chest-deep currents that carved their way through Zion Canyon.

Hiking through the Zion Narrows will challenge you physically while offering an extraordinary experience. If you’re traveling through southwest Utah, make sure to add this unique adventure on to you’re itinerary, you won’t be disappointed.