My first trip to Zion National Park was September 2013; I was visiting the five national parks in Utah, and I didn’t serve the park justice. My second trip to Zion was November 2013; greatly enjoyed hiking Angels Landing, and the Walter’s Wiggles section, one of the classic hikes in the park.
My third trip to Zion was September 2021, and greatly enjoyed hiking the Narrows, one of the classic hikes in the park. Lodging in around Zion is not inexpensive, so I elected to camp for free on Bureau of Land Management outside the park on Kolob Terrace Road, located on the west side of Zion Canyon, about fifteen minutes from the Springdale park entrance. Dispersed camping didn’t have toilets, showers, or trash cans, but it was near a small creek, and shaded by cottonwood trees.
I woke up at 5:00am, and arrived at Zion before 5:45am; the visitor center parking lot was already crowded. Zion uses shuttle buses to keep automobiles out of the park; the shuttle buses started running at 7:00am; there must have been one hundred people in line before me, as I didn’t get on until the third bus.
I took the shuttle bus until the final stop, the Temple of Sinawava; from there, I proceeded along the Riverwalk, until I reached the Narrows trailhead. The narrows represents the narrowest section of the canyon, with steep walls; one hikes through the Virgin River; turning around at Big Spring, the hike is ten-miles round trip.
The water temperature was around 60-degrees, consistent with the air temperature; for the most part, the water was less than knee deep; one section was waist deep; another section was neck deep. When I reached this deep section, I had to put my iPhone and car keys in my hat to keep them dry.
I hiked wearing Merrell Vapor Glove, minimalist shoes; I wore a wicking t-shirt and shorts; I also used hiking poles to maintain balance, as some of the rocks are slippery, and hiking against the up-stream current is strong, in places.
Often in the desert, the danger is heat-related injuries; this was certainly the case when I hiked Grand Canyon, rim to rim to rim. What’s interesting about the Narrows hike, is that one of the dangers is hypothermia; this is due in part to the water temperature, but also that the canyon receives little direct sunlight, due to the steep canyon walls.
The hike up to Big Springs was quite enjoyable; the hike is a truly unique experience; the hike back to the trailhead was more crowded, as the day unfolded. The Narrows experienced a small rock slide on Wednesday September 15th; the trail was closed that day as the Park Service rescued an injured hiker. The trail is closed from time to time; if the water release is too high (above 150 cubic feet per second), or on days where there is risk of thunderstorms, where the slot canyon could easily flood. I’m grateful for the opportunity to complete this unique hike; it was a joyful day.
garthmonroe 