Hike the Narrows

WOW!!! This hike was epic and definitely in our top 5.

The Narrows is a unique hike in Zion National Park where you walk through the Virgin River, surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs that can reach up to 1,500 feet high

Before we started the hike, we had to rent some gear because on this hike, your hiking, literally in a river bed, and sometimes the water comes up to chest high. We rented a dry bib package which consisted of chest waiters that include waterproof, neoprene socks that are attached to the waiters so no water gets in, river boots which are waterproof sort of but help you navigate the river rocks and a hiking stick that is about as tall as your shoulder. We were able to pick up the gear the night before so we were ready to hit the park early in the morning.

Once we arrived at the park early, we had to take the shuttle all the way to the end of Zion Canyon. After departing the shuttle, we had a 1 mile hike to the river on a paved path. That was the easy part! Then we entered the river and the canyon called the Narrows. We have hiked Fern Canyon in the redwoods, but it’s nothing like this hike. This is the most unique hike we’ve ever been on. We were walking on river rock through the water, and then sometimes there would be sandbars along the side of the river, where you could walk for a short time on land. But most of the hike was through the water. For the most part, the water was knee-deep, but there were several times where you had to walk through a deep section and the water came up to chest high. Not only was it difficult to walk on the river rock in the water, but the current was flowing pretty good and sometimes it felt like it was going to sweep you away.

But all the effort of this hike definitely paid off from the moment we stepped into the water. Seeing the cliffs on either side of the river, towering 1500 feet above us with the most beautiful rock, formations and serene peace with the water running by. It was unbelievable!

We headed 4 miles up the river to a section called floating rock. Mike wanted to keep going further, but I knew it would be a long walk back, so we turned around and went down a little side canyon almost a mile. In the side Canyon there were a lot more trees and vegetation, and there were no people so it was just beautiful. The sun hitting the walls of the canyon is undescribable and I know these photos will not do it justice. We got to a point in that side canyon where you either had to get in and swim or jump onto a giant boulder to get across the water. Neither of those happened so we turned around and headed back to the starting point where we entered the river.

By the end of the hike, we logged 9 1/2 miles. Not much elevation at all, but walking across River rock and in deep, fast flowing water was more than any bit of elevation we’ve done before.

Now we can check this hike off our bucket listRead more