THE SUBWAY
Bottom - Up
DISTANCE
14 km
out and back
TIME
9H
(with breaks)
ELEVATION
300m
TH 1554m
Subway 1630m
ESSENTIALS
SEASON
(of the report)
YOU'LL NEED
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Navigation skills
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Good shoes
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A permit
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4L of water/person
For my first publication about this 2019 trip in the southwest I chose the hike we thought we couldn't do and finally got lucky the day before. This one is taking place in Zion National Park/ Utah and can be done as a day hike only with permits.
BEFORE GOING:
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You have to get permits. For this particular hike it's a little bit complicated as you have to be lucky enough to win a lottery. It can be done months in advance or some days before. More information here.
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Start early! Although this hike is not long in distance it can take some time to find the path and it will require climbing small boulders up and down repeatedly.
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No need of waterproof shoes or socks, only good hiking shoes that can get wet without becoming too heavy (multiple river crossings) and that still have a good traction.
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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 (for instance if you get stuck in the canyon, better be safe than sorry). On the same topic you should always have a blanket and some water in your car as these areas are often reachable on dirt roads that can be damaged if a storm occurs while you're hiking, thus making your return the same day impossible.
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Check the weather and ask rangers. If there's a chance of rain or if they advise you not to go...just don't! We did it during the monsoon season (July-August) and it was ok but we monitored the weather very closely.
WHEN TO GO?
Anytime when it doesn't rain or when there's a 0% chance! Because, obviously the major risk is a flash flood. 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. Note that depending on the season you will need different type of gear.
We did this hike in August and it was pleasant to have water almost all the way to refresh ourselves, moreover by starting early it enabled us to walk with the shade provided by the canyon. Nevertheless, you have to be ready for some heat, especially on the final ascent when you'll return to the trailhead.
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 - LEFT FORK TRAILHEAD
The left fork trailhead is located along the Kolob terrace paved road which is approximately half an hour from Springdale. There should be enough place on the parking as there are only 40 people per day allowed to hike this trail and this includes the top-down too. Now you feel privileged?...Well you are! This is exactly how we felt when we discovered the day before that we could finally hit this magnificent trail! (want to know more about how? just ask!).
We started to hike around 7:30 a.m. with 15 minutes of an easy and flat stroll with beautiful views of the canyon. Then the pretty steep descent onto North Creek's canyon started for about half an hour, fully exposed to the sun if you're too late and didn't follow my advice (we were in the shadow). I read somewhere that although it's a mix of sand and loose rocks it isn't treacherous and I have to say this was true for us, our feet didn't slip once in this portion. I still can't explain why, but this part of the hike seemed sooo much worse when we got back up (as usually it's the opposite). The most rational explanation I can give is that the morning shadow + us being not totally awake helped to ignore the steepness.
Once you finish the descent you'll join the river and will "follow" it from this point on. Yeah...so...I've put "follow" because the trail will disappear many times as there's no official one and you may feel a little bit frustrated at some point while seeing that you've only advanced 200 meters despite considerable efforts. Just so that you know: this is totally normal and an integral component of the "subway experience".
!!! Very important!!! : when crossing the river for the first time turn around to see where you will have to head out on your way back. This is something you can repeat during your hike in as the trail doesn't look the same at all when returning.
ALONG THE RIVER - LEFT FORK of NORTH CREEK
To describe this part of the hike I will divide it in three approximately equidistant sections.
The very first part along the river is pretty easy to find, there's no big boulder to climb and only a few river crossings. Yet this is where I managed to slip and fall, a total rookie mistake as I underestimated the insidious power of sand on boulder rocks!
I found the second section more difficult to navigate as there were multiple big boulders to climb around and trails going on both sides of the river thus making it difficult to know which one was the best/right one. When we went to the visitor center and talked to the rangers they gave us a good advice that I will share with you: as long as you can, it's better to walk directly in the river as a lot of people created trails on the side only to avoid their feet to get wet (which we don't care, right?). This is particularly true for the end of the second section and the whole last one.
The third section was not only the most straightforward but also the most scenic one. To simplify: you just have to walk in the riverbed! There's no more big boulders blocking your way and you can even climb up amazingly beautiful waterfalls. You'll have two small waterfalls that you can easily pass by walking in the river but the third one was a little bit steeper so we did take the trail on the right side (although at this point the rocks aren't slippery, so it may be possible anyway).
Now that it's been some time you're walking in the river you may have noticed that the floor is mainly composed of slickrock, which makes it so easy and nice to walk on. This also means that you are really close of the Subway.
And finally there it is, you'll see a small tube in the distance that already looks so unique. Now if you started early enough you could be all alone to enjoy the Subway like we did for some time. Just be careful as you're entering it the rocks become more and more slippery! We stoped here because it wasn't warm enough (crazy right?) for us to have the heart to swim in the deeper pools separating us from the last waterfall reachable by this hike.
Take time to enjoy but also think about when you will need to return (this will also allow other people to have the place for themselves as you did).
This hike was one of the most beautiful and unique I was lucky enough to experience, the kind of day you may never forget (yeah, I'm serious).
One last thing: BE RESPECTFUL, you're a lucky guest!
First of all to mother nature: bring out of the canyon everything you brought in (if you don't understand everything, ask the rangers or check on their website), leave no trash, no trace and follow the path as much as possible. If there's a tree blocking the way it could mean that they are trying to re-vegetalize an area, please respect it (I mean, one more boulder to climb is nothing for you on this hike, right?). Secondly, be respectful to other hikers, it is always nice when being in the wilderness to say hi and have a chat or help if somebody needs it. Finally: take your time! This is a strenuous but beautiful hike, take time to enjoy beautiful landscapes, thousands of cute little frogs, canyon wrens singing as if they were laughing at you and think about these canyon walls created by water. What's your super power? Feeling small? Good.
Now you can go and enjoy the outdoors!