Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting The Narrows at Zion National Park
The Narrows trail was one of the highlights of my 5-Day Road Trip to Utah and Arizona! It is a slot canyon, which is a narrow canyon that has formed over millions of years due to erosion caused by rapidly flowing water. It is absolutely breathtaking and cannot missed when visiting Zion. Most of this hike is through the pale turquoise-colored waters of the Virgin River, where you’re surrounded by massive cliff walls.
In order to fully enjoy this hike and all its beauty, you’ll want to be prepared so you have the best experience. This guide will tell you everything you need to know before your visit!
Overview:
Getting There
Difficulty
Length and Time
Trail Details
Gear
What To Bring
Additional Tips
GETTING THERE
The Narrows is at the The Temple of Sinawava trailhead at Zion National Park. You will need a park pass to enter Zion, which costs $35 per vehicle. This pass will cover your visits to Zion for one week. Currently, you cannot drive up the road that takes you the trailhead as only shuttles are permitted. So you will have to park at the Visitor Center, which is near the West Entrance of the park closest to the town of Springdale. The Visitor Center is inside the park and has its own parking lot. If that parking lot is full, you can park in a lot outside of the park and walk over.
At the Visitor Center, you will take the Zion Canyon Shuttle to The Temple of Sinawava trailhead and get off on shuttle stop #9, which is the last stop. The shuttle ride from the Visitor Center to the trailhead is approximately 45 minutes. I highly recommend taking the shuttle by 8am to start your hike no later than 9am.
2021 SHUTTLE PASS UPDATE: As of June 2021, the shuttle pass ticketing service has been discontinued. The shuttle is now available on a first come, first served basis. Previously, you had to reserve shuttle tickets for a specific day and time due to Covid regulations, but those restrictions have been lifted.
I had a great experience using the shuttle and didn’t have any issues waiting in long lines to get on, however, I visited in September 2020 when the ticketed shuttle system was in place. Note that due to Covid regulations, you must wear a mask on the shuttle. Click here for the Zion Canyon Shuttle website.
Another option is to book through an outside shuttle company like Zion Guru, who are permitted to enter the road to the trailhead. This option is more expensive as a roundtrip ticket will cost about $40 per person, but it’s a great alternative to avoid potential lines for the Zion Canyon Shuttle.
Once you arrive at the trailhead, you will follow signs to The Riverside Walk trail. This trail is technically the first mile of The Narrows trail. Riverside Walk leads you directly to the entrance of the Virgin River.
DIFFICULTY
Overall, the hike is easy to moderate depending on how far you go. The Narrows is an “out and back” trail, meaning you hike out as far as you’d like and return the same way you went in. The majority of this hike is in water through the Virgin River and the further you go into the canyon, the more difficult it can get to navigate through the rocks. What I didn’t know before I went was how much the terrain varies throughout the hike - one moment you can be stepping over small rocks, and another you can be trekking over larger ones. However, I saw children and people of all ages throughout my entire hike, which was over 9 miles roundtrip.
If you’re looking for a very easy hike, the Riverside Walk portion of the trail is perfect for you. Most of the path is paved and does not require getting in the water. Some hikers just visit Riverside Walk, which is 2 miles roundtrip.
The water levels also vary throughout the hike, but you can expect it to range anywhere from your ankles up to your waist. Sometimes it’s deeper or more shallow depending on the time of year you visit. When I visited in early September, it didn’t go up past my thighs. There are also parts of The Narrows where it’s deep enough to swim, but we won’t be going that far on this trip.
Views along Riverside Walk
LENGTH & TIME
The Narrows is 16 miles long and can take up to 12 hours. However, most people do not go that far. For the best experience, which I’ll get into in the next section, expect to hike 9-10 miles roundtrip. This will take you about 6 hours total roundtrip. This includes stopping for photos and taking breaks for lunch and snacks. Keep in mind that it takes less time to walk back as you’re not stopping as much to take photos.
TRAIL DETAILS
The first mile of the hike is Riverside Walk, which goes along the Virgin River. After a mile, it will lead you the entrance of the Virgin River, where the real trekking begins! At this point, the remainder of the hike will be mostly through the river.
The further you go out, the narrower and narrower the canyon gets, and the more beautiful the views! These next details are key for having the ultimate experience at The Narrows as you don’t want to miss these breathtaking sections of the hike. We almost turned around before this and I’m so glad we didn’t!
You will continue hiking until the canyon walls start turning black and getting narrower. You’ll start seeing people turn around before this point, but don’t be discouraged and keep going! It took us about 3.5 hours to get to the first black narrow part of the trail - you will know once you’re there because it is stunning.
Continue hiking for another 10 minutes or so until you reach a fork in the trail and keep right at the fork. Once you take the trail on the right you’ll be in a really narrow slot canyon where you will climb over a small waterfall.
Entrance at fork in the trail
Keep going for about 30 minutes until you reach the large boulders with waterfalls. Once you reach the boulders you have arrived at your final destination and wow is it amazing! You can climb over the boulders to a flat area where the sun shines through. If you keep going a little further, you’ll reach the part in the trail where you can swim in the water, but this is where we turned around. These views are worth the long hike to get here!
GEAR
The key to having the most enjoyable experience at The Narrows is to go with the proper gear. I cannot stress this enough as I don’t think I would have hiked as far as I did if I wasn’t well equipped. You’ll need:
Hiking Boots – The boots will help you from sliding off the rocks or getting your feet stuck in small crevices between larger rocks.
Neoprene Socks – These socks are made from a wetsuit material that will protect your feet from blistering since they’ll be wet most of the hike. They also help keep your feet warmer in the cold water.
Hiking Stick – This will help you navigate through the rocks, especially in parts of the water where you can’t see to the bottom of the river. It also serves as a third leg and will help you keep your balance as you make your way over the rocks.
During colder months, you will also be required to wear dry pants to help keep you warm.
There are several rental companies in the area where you can rent all of the gear. I rented all 3 items from Zion Outfitter for $25/ day, where you can reserve in advance or pick up same day. They also offer 1/2 off for any additional days. If you have your own hiking boots, I recommend still renting a stick for only $7 and purchasing neoprene socks in advance.
What’s great about Zion Outfitter is that they’re conveniently located less than a 5-minute walk from the Zion Park West Entrance. In fact, they’re walking distance from the Visitor Center where the shuttle picks you up from. I recommend parking at the Visitor Center and walking over to Zion Outfitter to pick up your rentals, then head back to the Visitor Center for your shuttle.
Give yourself extra time to pick up your rental gear. If you have an early morning hike, you can also pick up your gear the evening before.
WHAT TO BRING
Comfortable Backpack
Sunscreen
Hat
Waterproof Phone Carrier
Water – Lots of it! I took a 36 oz. Yeti tumbler and finished most of it by the end of the hike.
Snacks – I packed more than I thought we needed, and we almost went through all of it, so always take more if possible. Tangerines, trail mix, granola bars, chips, and fruit snacks are great for this.
Lunch – You’ll get hungry so pack a lunch. Pro Tip: Make your sandwich dry without any condiments and bring condiment packets with you to add on before you eat.
Light Jacket or Sweater – Even in the summer months you’ll need this as the canyon gets chilly.
Dry bag – For anyone bringing a camera, you may want store it in a dry bag during certain parts of the hike where the water is up higher.
Toilet seat covers – There are restrooms at the trailhead, but they do not have seat covers. For anyone with small children, you may want to have these on hand. I’ve linked them in this post.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Start early as it’s less crowded in the early mornings. We took the 8am shuttle and arrived at the trailhead by 9am. There were even pockets where we were the only hikers in the canyon! On the way back around 3pm, there were a lot more people.
There’s a faucet near the trailhead restrooms to rinse off your muddy shoes
Leave an extra pair of shoes in the car to change into after the hike
Have any questions? Leave a comment below.
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