Have you hiked in a river before?
Imagine yourself walking upstream in a river, under the shadows of soaring canyon walls, with hanging gardens, sandstone grottos, natural springs and waterfalls surrounding you. Imagine wading water while walking, the river is your trail,and the canyon walls are the boundaries.At some point, the river water is at your waist level, and it is cold, but you are unable to move ahead, mesmerized by the allure of the canyon as you gaze up, your eyes are greeted by blue skies, and your brain is asking you to move, the cold is spreading through your body, but you are just gazing helplessly. This was my experience hiking Zion Narrows.
The Narrows is the spectacular gorge carved by the Virgin river in Zion canyon. It is 16 miles long, up t0 2000 feet deep and at times only 20-30 feet. It is the most unique hike I've ever done, and among the most gorgeous, tiring and fun trails I've been on.
To get to the Narrows, take the shuttle to its last stop and disembark at the Temple of Sinawava. To reach the Virgin River, you start off by hiking the paved,one mile Riverside Walk trail, possibly the most popular trail in Zion due to its accessibility, hanging gardens and amazing views of the river kissing the magical canyon walls. Once you reach the end of the paved trail, you are at the bottom of the Narrows. The easiest way to hike the Narrows is doing it from the bottom up. It is not recommended to do the full hike(16 miles) in one day, and permit is required for an overnight hike. We decided to walk up the river for a while until we are tired or out of time and then get back. I believe most people do it this way. We have noticed that the further in we went, the less people we encountered.
We ended up hiking about two miles up the river, to "Wall Street", the narrowest point where the canyon walls slim to 22 feet wide.The deepest we encountered was waist deep, and for most of the hike the water was ankle to knee deep.Water levels vary per season, so it is advised to check at the visitor office for river information and flash flood advisories.
Hiking the Narrows was more tiring than I imagined it would be. After all, we were wading water most of the hike, walking on slippery rocks, the current was puling us and the water was cold, at about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I was very thankful for the gear we rented from Zion Adventures Company. The day before our hike, we rented what is called Canyoneers;appropriate water hiking footwear, booties to keep our feet dry, a walking stick and watched a video for Narrows hiking orientation and tips. I believe we paid less than twenty dollars a person. I saw people hiking the Narrows without the gear, so I suppose it is possible, but I was happy with dry feet, and my body temperature was mostly comfortable since my feet weren't wet with the cold water, and although I don't normally use a stick while hiking, I appreciated having the walking stick to wade water, and anchor myself over the slippery rocks. We also liked having a waterproof, transparent camera case that Bill draped around his neck so we didn't have to take the camera in and out and we could just take photos with the camera protected.
It was an experience that will live with me for a long time!
Comments (4)
Hi Candi, wow this hike looks like a great adventure and the canyon walls are amazing! When you see the people in the photos I can get a sense of the scale and how deep some of the sections are. Very cool.
I think having the equipment and shoes was a good investment too.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful experience here and your beautiful photos.
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | October 22, 2009 6:07 AM
Posted on October 22, 2009 06:07
That really does look like fun! I've never hiked in a river but I have hiked through the flooded streets of Venice, so I know what you mean about being glad to have your feet dry. I think it's funny they call that part "Wall Street" (great name). Love your photos!
Posted by Annie | October 22, 2009 8:30 AM
Posted on October 22, 2009 08:30
Fantastic post. I have never seen anything like this. Thank you. I'd love to go there.
Posted by Barb Cabot | October 22, 2009 10:30 PM
Posted on October 22, 2009 22:30
I would want a boat for this hike. Brrrr! 60 degrees is cold. Does look like an amazing experience though. Loved the photos.
Posted by girasoli | October 25, 2009 9:01 PM
Posted on October 25, 2009 21:01