It’s hard to spend any time in Zion National Park and not
start thinking about the Narrows.
You’ll see images and read descriptions of it from pretty
much any informational resource you choose.
You’ll overhear people in the nearby lodges and restaurants talking
about it. And you’ll see passengers on
the Zion Valley bus wearing waders and carrying walking sticks (more on those
later) and automatically know how they’re spending the day.
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| Zion Narrows; click any photo to enlarge |
The Narrows are as iconic to Zion as Half Dome is to
Yosemite – but with practically zero elevation gain and the flexibility of
doing as much or as little mileage you want, it’s far more accessible to the average
Joe Hiker than
climbing up some massive bald rock.
Unfortunately, it was also one of the areas I missed on
my first pass through the park a couple of years ago – so this time around, with a family
full of kindred souls looking for adventure, I knew which hike would be at the
top of our list.
And just because the adventure is accessible, that doesn’t mean
it’s easy; the challenges of hiking in the Narrows are still formidable, but in
a more unique way than most hikers are typically accustomed to. By the end of the day, your legs will be just
as tired as if you spent a long day climbing and descending on regular trails –
but the memories you keep with you afterwards will be far more distinctive.
But before we talk about the end, we should talk about the
beginning – and at Zion, the starting point for a day hike of the Narrows is a
paved trailhead at the last stop off the public bus line that runs through Zion
Valley.
The paved portion is only one mile long, and is gently
rolling, without anything that really deserves to be called a hill. Basically, it’s an extended warmup walk to
enjoy some nervous chatter, and to take the measure of the river you’ll be
spending the rest of your day wading through.
Before getting to that part, there’s a transition zone of
sorts where you can gear up for entering the river. Prior to our arrival, it was this aspect of
the trip that caused the most uncertainty (and occasional anxiety) for my wife
and me, in that we had no way of knowing what exactly we might need.
Here’s the deal with the Narrows: the hiking route essentially
goes straight through the Virgin River.
Not adjacent, not criss-crossing … but literally walking in the river. Therefore, you’re guaranteed to spend the day
wet – the only question is how much of your body is going to be submerged at
any given time. And when you talk to
people or read reports about the Narrows, you’ll hear about the possibility of waist-deep currents or hidden sinkholes where you risk being completely
submerged.
Accordingly, pretty much every guide to hiking the Narrows –
especially those that are affiliated with one of the local rental shops - will
tell you that you shouldn’t attempt the hike without canyoneering shoes, thick neoprene
socks, drysuit wading pants, and a sturdy walking stick. However, since I’m 1) a minimalist at heart,
and 2) cheap, I wasn’t convinced that shelling out big bucks to outfit everybody
was really necessary.
Truthfully, this assessment wasn’t a complete shot in the dark; with
some advance research, I was able to make a reasonable guess as to what the
water conditions might be like. Zion
uses a
USGS water volume measurement of cubic feet per second (CFS) to gauge how
much water the river is carrying on any given day. If the flow is above 120 CFS, the park won’t
issue through-hike permits, and any day under 75 CFS is considered reasonably safe for hiking. On the
mid-October day that we targeted for our outing, the river was a measly 35 CFS.
So we took our chances.
Instead of renting shoes and socks and pants, we wore … something else,
which I’ll indicate shortly. The only essential piece of gear you need is a walking stick …
… and you can most likely save yourself the rental cost and just grab one from the “take a stick, leave a stick” rack that’s just beyond the
transition area. Once you select the size and style you like …
… it’s time to make your way into the river.
When water levels are low, there are portions of the hike
where you can avoid the river via rocky paths along the bank …
… but it won’t be long before your side trails disappear,
and you’ve got nowhere to hide from the water.
Here’s what NOT to use for footwear: a pair of princessy
high-heeled sandals, as the owner of this abandoned pair at river’s edge can
attest to. As for me …
… I went with
VIVOBAREFOOT Ultras, which were designed as a hybrid
aqua / land shoe – in other words, exactly the conditions you find in the
Narrows. Eschewing my traditional Vibram
hiking shoes also allowed me to wear merino wool socks, which provide effective
insulation even when wet. Water
temperature in the Virgin River was in the 55 to 60 degree range, so keeping
your toes warm is definitely a priority for this hike.
(As a family, we were evenly split between Merrell Barefoot
and VIVOBAREFOOT – and there’s one more note on footwear coming soon.)
On the subject of keeping warm: as you journey into the
Narrows, you’re not only spending the majority of your time in frigid water,
but the high canyon walls on either side effectively block the sun and keep the
entire route cold …
… so anytime you find a narrow sliver of space where
daylight actually reaches the ground, that’s occasion to stop and soak in some
rays to bring your body temp up just a bit.
The further you go into the canyon, the more the walls seem
to close in on either side of you, and the more surreal the entire scene
becomes. You also gain a heightened
appreciation for the park service’s regulation of this route – because if there
are heavy rains or flash flooding, you’ve got absolutely no place to hide.
Approximately 1.5 miles upriver is a junction for a side
canyon called Orderville; this also marks the beginning of the most famous
section of the Narrows, known as Wall Street.
Also, one final footwear note: if you click to enlarge the
photo above, you’ll notice that the two people pictured are barefoot. They weren’t the only ones we saw with naked feet, and I also
found some people wearing Vibrams. Obviously
this was encouraging for me to witness, and it also completely dispels the notion
that you need specialized shoes to navigate the Narrows.
There are some precautions, however. The slick river rocks cause your footing to constantly
be unsteady, and you often slide unexpectedly from the surface of one rock to
another. Even with a walking stick, bashed
toes are probably inevitable if you go the barefoot or Vibram route. Also, a full day of this kind of unsteady
walking on rocks is a pretty high-demand activity for your feet and especially your ankles, so if you’re a
newbie minimalist, you’re going to have some soreness afterwards.
Inside Wall Street, the river is less than 25 feet wide in
places, and the vertical sandstone walls on either side rise up to 1500 feet
overhead. If you’re a Star Wars freak
like me, you’ll have flashbacks to the trash compactor scene in Episode IV –
and if you’re a normal person, you’ll probably have an overwhelming feeling of
smallness when staring up at the cliffs looming overhead.
When you’re day hiking* the Narrows, the turnaround point is
wherever you make it; a popular turning point is the far end of Wall Street
when the canyon opens up slightly again.
(*As opposed to through-hiking, where you can start at the
far upstream end and hike the entire 12 miles down to the transition area where my
family’s hike started. You need a permit
for through-hiking, but not for day hiking as I’m describing here.)
You also want to budget some extra time on the way back …
… to make a side trip up Orderville Canyon, which is
narrower and has less water flow than the main canyon …
… but has some distinctive features all its own, such as a
couple of low scrambles over logs or rock piles. You can go about a half-mile into Orderville
before day hiking is prohibited (but through-hiking with a permit is OK) …
… and it’s time to turn around and head back through the
main canyon towards the transition area.
By the time you finish the day, your vital stats won’t be
very impressive; the trip described here is probably only 7 miles round trip,
and took us the better part of 6 hours to complete with a few rest and meal
breaks. However, this hike isn’t about
the numbers – it’s about venturing into surroundings that are unlike almost any
other hike you’ll ever do, and taking in one of the best experiences that Zion National
Park has to offer.
There’s a reason people talk about the Narrows so much – and
if you ever get the opportunity, it’s definitely worth spending a day to see
what all the talk is about.
*See other photo tours
under tab at top of page.
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