Location: The Virgin Narrows are located in Zion National Park at the base of the Temple of Sinawava. The trail head for the complete hike is located at Chamberlains Ranch, outside of park boundaries; but you can also access the Narrows from the bottom via the Riverside Walk Trail.
Cost: $30/private vehicle for a week-long pass. Commercial vehicles are charged $15/person. If you do the entire hike, you must make a reservation for a permit (non-refundable $5). The permit costs $15 for 1-2 people, $20 for 3-7 people, and $25 for 8-12.
Time: Most people will probably spend 1-2 hours in the lower section of the Narrows (accessed via the Riverside Walk). More adventurous folks might spend 4-6 hours exploring the Narrows. Of course, to do the whole hike, you will spend anywhere from 10-18 hours hiking, which will usually necessitate you spending the night at one of the designated camping spots within the canyon.
Description: There are two different ways to access the Narrows. The most common way is by hiking to the base of the canyon via the one-mile paved Riverside Walk to the base of the Temple of Sinawava. From there you can hike up the river as far as Big Spring - which is a 10-mile round trip all-day excursion. You can't go past Big Spring without a wilderness permit. Of course, most people do not even make it that far. Remember, because you are hiking in the river, it will take a lot longer to hike one mile than it would on dry ground. Regardless of how far up you go, just remember that for every mile you hike up, you need to leave enough time to hike another mile back down.
The other way to hike the Narrows is to do the 16-mile hike that starts at Chamberlains Ranch and ends at the Riverside Walk. This hike requires a permit and probably a campsite reservation as well (although if you get an early start and are an experienced hiker, it is possible to hike it in one day). It also requires making transportation arrangements to get dropped off at Chamberlains Ranch so that you can access your vehicle once you are through. The drive to and from Chamberlains Ranch from the park is about an hour and a half each way.
The full hike passes through different phases. You start out in an open valley following an old jeep trail. Along the way there are a few signs of human existence, such as an old cabin or abandoned tractor. Gradually, the trail dips down into a canyon. During this phase, the trail crosses the river periodically, but you don't necessarily have to get your feet wet right away if you try and jump from boulder to boulder. Eventually, however, the river bottom becomes the primary trail.
The narrowest section of the hike is actually in the Little Narrows, a slot canyon that gets as narrow as 10 feet. Shortly thereafter, the river goes down a waterfall which is about 20 feet high. Although it is possible to jump into the pool below if the water is deep enough, doing so without scouting out the pool for underwater obstacles would be extremely dangerous. Luckily, there is a path to the left of the waterfall (heading downstream) that takes you down to the base.
Although there are a dozen different campsites in the Narrows, the most popular one is probably #8 - The Grotto. It is a large cave perfect for spending the night as long as you have a permit to do so. Shortly after this spot is Big Spring. This spot has clean spring water that is often used to refill canteens. Even though it appears to be completely safe, you should always use a filter when extracting water from wilderness areas.
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| The Grotto |
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| Big Spring |
Right after Big Spring, you enter the Narrows, which comprise the remainder of the hike. Although the Little Narrows are even more narrow, the ratio here is astounding. The sun only shines on many parts of these Narrows for a couple of hours each day, creating a surreal type atmosphere.
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: - The Narrows and branch canyons (such as Orderville) are often closed in the spring due to high volume of water from snowmelt. They are also closed whenever the National Weather Service issues a flash flood warning and remain closed for 2 hours after the warning is lifted. When planning a trip, check with the NPS website regarding closures.
- As a flash flood survivor, I can verify that they are potentially deadly. If there is a risk, don't risk it. We received our permits when the flash flood danger was listed as moderate. Unbeknownst to us, it was upgraded to severe shortly thereafter. Luckily, when the flash flood did pass through, we were in a spot where we could access high ground. However, there are many sections of the canyon which do not have accessible high ground. If we had been in one of those sections, we could have all died. Although I haven't done the full hike again, I have done the bottom section several times since then. To find out more about this near disaster, and see the actual pictures my uncle took, you can refer to one of my other blogs: The DTB Cousins.
- The river bottom is often strewn with bowling ball size rocks. This means that you need to be sure of your footing before taking another step - especially since some of these rocks are covered in slippery moss since they rarely see the sun. While running to get out of the river, my father slipped and got a nasty goose egg on his shin, so be cautious.
- Although you can do the whole hike in one day, I wouldn't recommend it. Part of the adventure is taking time to stop and enjoy the different views that can only be experienced within the canyon walls.
Nearby: Bryce Canyon National Park, Grafton Ghost Town, Kanarraville Falls, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
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