The Narrows is classified as a strenuous hike which can seem daunting. Read this post to get all the information you need about hiking The Narrows and then determine if this hike is right for you. Seeing the beautiful photos of the canyon and its narrow walls, the water flowing over the rocks and sun rays shining their light into the canyon surely gets your adventure bug going.
This hike is at the top of the list for most people when visiting Zion National Park. This post will provide you with all the information you need to prepare yourself for the hike. We hiked The Narrows in July 2020 and we will share our tips, experiences and photos throughout this post.
Article Contents
What is The Narrows?
How do I hike The Narrows?
How to get your permits
When is the best time to hike The Narrows?
How difficult is it to hike The Narrows?
Hiking the Narrows with COVID-19 measures
Do I need to be fit to hike The Narrows?
What gear do I need?
Flash Floods
Our experience of The Narrows
FAQ’s
What is The Narrows?
The Narrows is a slot canyon in Zion National Park located in Utah. The Virgin River has formed the canyon by flowing and rushing it’s way through. This makes for beautiful high walls with different colors and scalloped shapes. The Virgin River still flows through the canyon, so you hike in the water without a paved trail. There is no specific sight to see or point to reach. You could say that hiking The Narrows itself is the sight.
How do I hike The Narrows?
You can hike The Narrows in two ways:
1. Bottom-Up
Duration: day hike
Distance: 9.4 miles/15.1 kilometers roundtrip
No permit required
The most accessible and popular way to start The Narrows. You take the shuttle to stop 9, the Temple of Sinawava. This is a no-loop hike. You walk upstream and walk back the same way. You decide how far you want to go, you can hike 1 easy mile or 10 strenuous miles (roundtrip) up to Big Spring.
2. Top-Down
Duration: (two) day hike
Distance: 16 miles/26 kilometers one way
Permit required
You end at the Temple of Sinawava (the start of the bottom-up hike) and start at Chamberlains Ranch. There are camping options in The Narrows if you decide to take your time and do the overnight hike. Private shuttle buses can pick you up and drop you off from your start- and endpoint of the hike.
How to get your permits.
There are three ways to get your permits.
1. Use the online calendar system.
Half of all the available permits can be reserved online during a three-month time frame, which costs $5. That means that you can make your reservation three months in advance. The next months permits will be released on every 5th day of the month. So on July 5th, you can reserve your permits for the month of September.
2. Last minute draw.
You can reserve your permit 7 to 2 days before your hike online on the website of the National Park.
3. Walk-in permit.
If there are still permits available, you can get your permit at the visitors center one day before your hike. The cost of your permit depends on the size of your group.
When is the best time to hike The Narrows?
The water is warmer and lower in late spring and summer along with more daylight. We hiked The Narrows in July and still experienced the water as cold.
Especially when you hike beyond 2 miles, the canyon becomes more narrow with more shade. A beautiful experience, but the shade and water temperature makes it for a chilly hike.
How difficult is it to hike the Narrows?
In our experience, you can make the hike as strenuous as you want. You can tell that the avid hikers start early in the morning and hike at least 2 miles into the canyon where the walls become very narrow (that’s when the hike gets beautiful!).
The slippery rocks, which vary greatly in size, make the hike difficult and tiring. You are constantly balancing yourself and hiking upstream with more resistance from the water. Sometimes we were even hiking waist-deep in the water. On a good note, we barely noticed any elevation change.
Hiking The Narrows with COVID-19 measures
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how the National Park operates. The different protocols are most likely changing as the situation with COVID-19 changes as well. The measures we are describing in this post were in effect in July 2020. Read the website of the National Park to find out what the current situation is. The workers will also provide you with updated information as you enter the park.
Reserve shuttle bus tickets
It wasn’t possible to enter the park and hike all the trails whenever we wanted to. We had to reserve shuttle bus tickets (time and date stamped), without the reserved tickets we could not enter the park.
The tickets can be reserved on the recreation.gov website and cost $1. You type in ‘Zion National Park shuttle tickets’ and it takes you to the page where you reserve. The tickets go so quick! They are released at 9AM and all timestamps were completely sold out by 9:15AM.
We planned out what trails we wanted to hike on what day. You cannot get into any other shuttle bus with your previous ticket once you return to the visitors center. You can take as many shuttle rides as you want at the different stops with your one ticket.
Closures
Some parts of the park were closed due to COVID-19 concerns. These were the trails that were closed when we were at the park:
– The last part of Angels Landing (chains attached to the rock)
– Scenic Drive
– Kolob Canyons
– Visitor Center
Read the updates on the website of the National Park before your visit to get the latest information.
Is it still worth going when parts of the park are closed?
We think so! Despite the closures and having to reserve shuttle tickets, we had a great time and we were able to see the park and all its beauty. There are probably less people on the trails with the shuttle reservations in place, and that’s another plus right?
Do I need to be fit to hike The Narrows?
We think most people can hike The Narrows. To give you some perspective, the canyon is wider at the beginning of the hike with more space to walk. We have seen people hang out in the water, take pictures and eat their lunch.
But for the hikers among us, we do think some degree of fitness is beneficial. Denny and I have a moderate activity level. We work out 4 to 5 days a week, we run in the mornings, lift weights in the gym, do yoga and walk almost every day.
The hike can be strenuous and may require some stamina. You will have to step up on big rocks or sand hills, walk against the stream and walk for several hours.
What gear do I need?
There are shops that rent out gear specifically for The Narrows hike. One thing to keep in mind is that the outfitters open at 7:00AM and the first shuttle leaves at 6:00AM. However, we do not think that renting gear is necessary for the hike.
We do highly recommend walking sticks! If you find yourself at Zion and you don’t have walking sticks, you might find them at the start of the bottom-up trail. Hikers leave big wooden sticks behind after they finish the trail. Another reason to start the hike early! If you are nervous about finding sticks, then you can always rent them at one of the many outfitters in Springdale.
Here is a list of everything we wore and brought with us to the hike:
– closed-toed shoes with traction
– shorts and swimming trunks
– short sleeve and long sleeve shirts
– pair of trekking poles
– dry bag (for camera gear, wallet, phone etc)
And what was in our bags?
– 5 liters of water (we drank 3 liters together in total)
– 8 sandwiches
– 2 cliff bars and licorice
– Mirrorless camera, go pro HERO 8, 2 phones
Nikki wearing long sleeves, shorts and visor.
Flash Floods
The water level can rise rapidly, within minutes or seconds. This happens because rock does not absorb water and the canyon is narrow. You don’t even have to see rain for it to happen. It could be raining miles away, while the water is rushing its way in the canyon.
The park will inform you whether there is a flash flood warning. Remember, floods do happen even if it’s not forecasted. Here is how the park rates flash floods:
Not expected
Possible
Probable
Expected
What to do in a flash flood
– Seek higher ground immediately.
– Wait it out, it could take several hours or more before it’s safe to cross.
– Leave the canyon if you can.
– You cannot outrun a flash flood
Our experience of The Narrows
We got on the first shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava and hiked The Narrows bottom-up. You will first need to hike the riverside walk, which is an easy hike of about two miles to the beginning of The Narrows.
The canyon starts pretty wide, where you can walk on dry rocks and sand to get a break from walking in the water. There are lots of people hiking The Narrows, especially in the first 2 miles. There are plenty of stops to rest, eat, or take pictures.
Leave no trace behind!
We brought plastic bags to store our trash and take it back with us.
The canyon started to become more narrow and shaded as we hiked 2 miles in the canyon. There are less people that hike to this point in the canyon, so there were moments where we hiked alone. Hiking upstream, the slippery loose rocks and trying to balance started to wear on us. There were times where we forgot to look at the views around us, as we were putting much effort in the hike. We decided to turn back when the water was so deep we had to swim to continue.
Would we do it again? Yes. Next time we will hike the top-down route to experience The Narrows differently.
FAQ’s
What do I do when I need to pee or poop?
It is better to pee in the river as you are hiking, the smell of your urine will persist on the land. There are ways to take your poop with you. There are bags with gel in them that absorb the moisture of your poop and minimize the smell of it. Ask the backcountry desk for more information!
How long is the shuttle ride to the stop?
It takes about 20 minutes to ride from the visitor center to the Temple of Sinawava.
Do I need a guide to hike The Narrows?
No. The hike is pretty straightforward, you hike one way and go the same way back. Canyoneering is a different ballgame, we are talking about the bottom-up hike!
Can I hike The Narrows with kids?
We have seen families on the trail who hiked with small kids, even without walking sticks. It is always up to your own judgment if you deem it safe to hike with your children.
We want to hear your thoughts!
Would you ever hike The Narrows? Or what were your experiences hiking The Narrows? Leave your comment in the comment section below!
It’s going to be finish of mine day, but before ending I am reading this enormous post to improve my
knowledge.