THE NARROWS
Top - Down
DISTANCE
29 km
point-to-point
TIME
11h
ELEVATION
450m
Max 1796
Min 1343
ESSENTIALS
SEASON
(of the report)
YOU'LL NEED
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Canyon shoes
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Neoprene socks
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Waterproof bags
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Hiking poles
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4L of water/person
For my first publication about the US I choose the most unique hike : the Narrows! This one is taking place in Zion National Park/ Utah and can be done as a day hike.
BEFORE GOING:
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You have to buy permits in advance, access is restricted. More information here.
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Organise your transfer to the trailhead, it's a point-to-point hike which means you'll arrive at a different place than where you started. Also, keep in mind the schedule of the last shuttle in the park (Stop: Temple of Sinawa), otherwise you can add some hours of walk (a few).
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Rent canyon shoes, neoprene socks and waterproof bag(s). You'll walk - maybe even swim - in water all day! Zion Adventures can help you for the last two points.
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Bring: plenty of water (4L/person) and food, this is total wilderness, you need to be self-sufficient. On the same topic, take some warm clothes because it can feel really cold when the sun goes down.
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Check the weather and ask rangers. If they advise you not to go...just don't!
WHEN TO GO?
This hike's uniqueness lies in the fact that you're walking in a river bed down a canyon! So, obviously the major risk is a flash flood. It is advised to go in summer or fall but even during those months you have to monitor the weather until the last moment. Keep in mind that even if you're not seeing a single cloud above your head, flash floods can still occur as a thunderstorm miles away can trigger them.
If you still have a question do not hesitate to contact me with the form below or to visit the park's website.
N.B. : We had a GPS watch but as we were down in a canyon it didn't manage the change of altitude so well by sometimes putting us on the top of the canyon. I don't have precisely the time we did for each portion of the trail so I'll try to approximate, hence the hike description will not be as precise as others.
START - CHAMBERLAIN'S RANCH
You'll start your day by waking up early to take a shuttle during 1h-1h30 to finally arrive at the trailhead. Chamberlain's ranch is an amazing place, if you're lucky you'll cross the path of sheeps and cows living in a dreamy landscape. By the way, herding dogs are not the kind you can pet, their job is to protect the herd so be careful and just watch all of this from far and respect their territory.
On your marks, get set, go!
You'll have approximately 30 min of dry feet and then you'll cross the river once...and twice....and so on! Regularly the cliffs will get more abrupt and you'll feel you entered the canyon, it will take around 30-40 min. At this point it's still funny and you won't mind to walk in water and have your feet wet (because they will be).
At this point you're walking mostly in the water but you'll still have some places where you can be on the firm ground. I remember that there was a low level of water during a long time so I suggest you to walk as fast as you can (but stay careful with the rocks in the water). We would have missed the shuttle if we didn't. There's an alternative if you don't want to be stressed, you can camp along the trail in designated areas and take 2 days to do it (check permits).
What's interesting is that you're walking in the same canyon all the way, but the landscape will change constantly. First rocks will be greyish, the river bed still wide and you'll have some sun to warm you up. Then rocks will become more reddish and the cliffs will come closer to you, the canyon becoming more narrow, which will make the sun disappear and make the water feel colder than before.
After 6 hours you'll be at Big Springs, that's the turning point for day hikers who started the other way around. I was quite happy to arrive there but then... I asked a question I instantly regretted: " How much time left do we have ?". The answer - 4 hours - was hard to process because yeah, at this point you'll start to get tired. Moreover it is starting to be strenuous because there's more water, you'll even have to swim at some places.
And then comes the famous "Wall Street" part of the canyon, I'm sure you saw pictures and that's how everybody imagines this hike to be. It is indeed beautiful but it is also very impressive as you realise there's no close firm ground and no way out in case there's a flash flood (reminder: listen to rangers advices). Also, be more careful here since there could be sudden changes of water depth. Enjoy this iconic landscape, take pictures, but don't stay too long as it is not a safe place to be.
Then you'll cross Orderville Canyon and this is where the "Wall Street" section ends. For us this was a turning point as we were really exhausted, but especially after passing several hours in the wilderness all alone with such a beautiful nature it was difficult to deal with so much tourists. So I can't tell you exactly what it looked like because we were going really fast and were concentrated: the mental had to come into play. Of course it would be unfair for me to say that this part wasn't beautiful, yet to be honest we didn't enjoy it.
We finally arrived on time for the shuttle, exhausted and happy.
One thing to remember is that we walked fast on the first portion and the last one, so if you don't feel comfortable with that you should plan this hike on 2 days. Because even with all of this we just arrived for the last shuttle.
Also, book or think about a good restaurant where you would like to eat after the hike because...well, you'll deserve it!
