Hiking the Narrows in Zion
Hiking the Narrows
Wow! This is Jessica’s favorite hike to date. If you ever wanted to hike a river in a canyon with gorgeous scenery and canyon walls, this is a must do hike! You can hike the Narrows in a day hike from the bottom up, like we did, or rent a private shuttle and hike from the top down, about 16 miles. For our bottom up day hike, we left a little after 6 a.m. from the visitors center and rode the shuttle to the last stop at the Temple of Sinawava. We then hiked the Riverside Walk for a mile before entering the Narrows. The shuttle system in Zion is amazing. There is a shuttle every 5 minutes and the first shuttle in the park is 6 a.m. – early enough to get to any trailhead and have some great hikes!
The water temperature was a chilling 40 degrees Farenheit. We started before 7 a.m. and hiked past Floating Rock until we reached a point where it was over Windell’s chest. We would have to swim to go any further. Before reaching Floating Rock, we took a right at the fork and hiked a ways down the Orderville Canyon by ourselves. This was a beautiful side hike with a lot less current and we really enjoyed it.
We hiked over ten miles and it took us about six hours to complete. It was amazing and we would recommend this hike to anyone. The current, rapids and crisscrossing the river, in addition to the canyon colors and features made this hike just amazing. If this is a must do hike for you also, do it!
Virgin River Water Flow
We hiked the Narrows when the flow rate of the river was about 84 cubic feet per second. The faster the flow rate, the more physical the hike. When we first arrived at Zion in the second week of May, the flow rate was 124 cubic feet per second. As we always do, we first hit the Visitor’s Center and talked to a Ranger. She said hiking the Narrows in the 60-70 cubic feet per second was optimal. She suggested that we should wait till the end of our stay to hike it. So, we waited until the end of May to plan our hike and rent our equipment from Zion Guru.
We are so glad we waited! The Virgin River dropped down to approximately 84 cubic feet per second. Even at this flow rate, the current was pretty strong in some areas. Jessica fell in three times hiking back with the current. One time she fell and couldn’t get back up. If Windell hadn’t grabbed her backpack, she had already decided to just ride the current down until the river was more shallow. But, Windell grabbed her and after several trials of running in the air, she finally was able to stand back up again.
If you are interested in this hike, and would like to know the best time to plan your trip, the USGS updates the current Virgin River water flow rate at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/09405500/#parameterCode=00060&period=P7D&showMedian=false. You will want to make sure the cubic feet per second is selected under the graph for a comparison on the physical exertion to hike the current.
Renting Equipment
For the Narrows hike, we rented bibs, boots, walking sticks and one dry backpack from Zion Guru . They are a great resource for renting the equipment and for any questions or concerns. They also guide many adventures, including canyoneering. We were the most dressed of the Narrows hikers. Although we rented the bibs, most of the hikers did not wear them. They wore rented shoes and many had sticks, but we also hiked with people wearing only sandals or boots and carrying hiking poles. Although we might have looked a little overdressed, we were glad we rented the bibs! The river and air temperature was chilly when we started hiking early in the morning. If we had started the hike later in the day, when the temperature was in the high 80s and low 90s, the bibs might have been too hot.
Enjoy this hike, be comfortable, and do only what you want. You will not regret it! Check out the Zion Guru webpage for more information.
