I visited Zion National Park in June 2021 with a few friends and hiked my favorite hike of all time — The Narrows.

What made the hike so memorable was the uniqueness of it — trekking in a river, knee deep in cool water on a hot summer day, with multi-storied high red canyon walls on both sides. Although the temperature that day was over 90F and dry/sunny, the coolness of walking in the shadow of the slot canyon with chilled running water over my feet and ankles made it a very comfortable hike. Most of the hike was in shin high water, however there were a few points where the water reached my waist (~3 ft high).

The Hike:

The Narrows hike from Bottoms-Up is 4 miles one-way to Big Springs, but hikers can turn around anytime. We made it to the start of Wall Street (where there is a fork in the river called the Confluence) before turning back, around 2 miles in. It took us around 1.5 hrs total to hike from the start of The Narrows to the start of Wall Street, ~3 hours total round-trip.

Getting There:

To get to the start of The Narrows trail, you need to first take the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava. From there, walk 1 mile along the flat Riverside Trail to the end where there is a round sitting area. From there, there is a pathway to the river where you can start The Narrows hike.

Gear:

Since The Narrows requires trudging on wet, slippery rocks for miles, we rented special gear for the hike. We rented our gear from Zion Outfitters, right outside the entrance of Zion and just a short pedestrian bridge walk from the park ticket booth. The gear consists of slip-resistant rubber boots, neoprene socks, and a sturdy walking stick, all for $35. It provided the confidence to scale any wet, algae-covered rock!