Nate and I had a rest day between climbs (
Texas Hold'Em in Red Rocks and
Shune's Buttress in Zion), so we decided to hike The Narrows.
The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. This gorge, with walls a thousand feet tall and the river sometimes just twenty to thirty feet wide, is one of the most popular areas in Zion National Park.
Hiking in The Narrows upstream starting from the Temple of Sinawava area and going as far as Big Spring does not require a permit. Doing the hike this way allows you to see some of the most spectacular and narrowest parts of the canyon. You can hike in the river for an hour and have a great experience, or you can hike as far as Big Spring, a strenuous, 9.4-mile round trip, all-day adventure. Orderville Canyon, a tributary that flows into the Narrows about two miles up the hike, is a common destination for hikers. Upstream travel in Orderville Canyon is not allowed after ¼ mile. At least 60% of the hike is spent wading, walking, and sometimes swimming in the river. Travel is rough and slippery in cold, fast flowing water, on top of slippery rocks. High water levels can prevent access sometimes.
We were fortunate that The Narrows was open to hiking, since The Narrows is often closed during the spring due to high water levels from snowmelt. The National Park Service closes The Narrows when the flow rate of the Virgin River exceeds 150 cubic feet per second (CFS), as higher flows make the hike unsafe. When we hiked the Narrows (April 29), the flow rate was approximately 83.4 cubic feet per second (according to
snoflo), about 14% of the normal average streamflow for this time of year of 590 cfs. (The river can flow can be much much higher than this average, with recent peak last observed on 2023-03-16 when daily discharge volume was observed at 40,940 cfs!).
Rather than just go for it in shorts and old sneakers, we decided to rent gear from Zion Outfitters in Springdale for $55, which seemed a reasonable price. We went with the dry bib package, which included Waders, Adidas Hydro Lace canyoneering boot, neoprene socks, hiking stick). River temperature was around 52°F, and daytime temperature ranged from 40°F in the morning to a high of 75°F in the afternoon, so the waders were nice to have. The boots were perhaps the best part, as sneakers or sandals would have been a bit insufficient for the constant walking on underwater rocks and slippery boulders.
We hiked the main canyon to just past the Floating Rock (a 45' wide boulder in the center of the river). I summited the Floating Rock. Although we did not go all of the way to Big Bend, we got through the coolest and narrowest sections of the hike and eventually were in a part with very few people. We also did a sidetrip up Orderville Canyon to try to get to Veiled Falls, but it got a bit too scrambly on wet terrain so we turned back just short of the falls.
The following page gives photos and a few videos from this super cool unique hike. Enjoy!
