The Narrows
Gorge · Springdale, Utah
The narrowest section of Zion Canyon, where the walls close to between forty and a hundred feet apart and there is no bank left — you walk in the Virgin River itself, sometimes wall to wall. Most people go bottom-up from the Temple of Sinawava, about 3.6 miles to Big Springs and roughly 8.6 miles round trip, taking up to eight hours. The top-down route runs sixteen miles from Chamberlain's Ranch. It closes in spring when the river runs above 120 cubic feet per second, and it floods from storms that never pass overhead.
Temple of Sinawava, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, Springdale, Utah, United States
⚠ THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS HIKE IS FLASH FLOODING: rain showers upriver can flood the canyon WITHOUT IT RAINING OVER THE CANYON ITSELF, so check the park's flash flood forecast the morning you go rather than the sky above you. ⚠ THE NARROWS CLOSES WHEN THE VIRGIN RIVER FLOWS ABOVE 120 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, which happens routinely in spring snowmelt — confirm it is open before travelling. ⚠ PERMIT REQUIREMENTS DIFFER BETWEEN THE BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN ROUTES AND HAVE CHANGED — check nps.gov/zion rather than relying on any secondary source, including this one. Bottom-up from the Temple of Sinawava is an out-and-back with no commitment: go as far as you like and turn round. The trailhead is the last stop on the Zion shuttle, which replaces private cars on the canyon road in season. HIRE CANYONEERING BOOTS, NEOPRENE SOCKS AND A WALKING STICK in Springdale, and a drysuit outside high summer — the water is cold year round and the riverbed is loose cobble you cannot see.