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Zion National Park, in southwest Utah, preserves perhaps the most fairytale landscape to be found in the American Southwest, and offers some of the best day hikes to be found anywhere in the region. I've visited all of the National Parks and many of the wilderness areas in Utah and in my opinion Zion is the one place you absolutely should not miss on a trip to Utah. This page collects a few photos and brief descriptions of the best Zion hikes.
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Hiking the Zion Narrows
Trailhead: The hike starts at the Temple of Sinawava trailhead, at the end of the Zion Canyon Road. During the peak months (from April through October) Zion Canyon is closed to traffic and access is via shuttles. If the weather is amenable, a trip into the Narrows is undoubtably the highlight of a visit to Zion. Beyond the end of the Zion Canyon road, the Virgin River flows for several miles through a narrow gorge that is perhaps a thousand feet deep but only thirty or so feet wide. The narrowest sections, where the river fills the canyon completely, are a majestic sight, and definitely the most memorable part of my visits to the park. On a good day this trip is popular, and depending on your tolerance for your fellow man you might consider it crowded. It's the price to pay for one of America's unique day hikes being so accessible, but it doesn't ruin the experience. A full trip through the Narrows, going from North to South with the flow of the river, is a lengthy one way slog of 16 or so miles that requires a permit, and either a (long) day or an overnight stop. Spectacular sections lie within a few miles of the end of the paved trail at the North end of Zion Canyon, however, and these are easily reached on a day hike. There's no trail as such, you progress upstream along the banks of the river where they exist, with frequent fordings and extended stretches of wading otherwise. When the river is at its lowest (50 cubic feet per second and below) it is generally possible to stay within water that is not much more than knee deep, though you may run into some waist deep spots. No swimming should be needed. Unless you do more river wading in everday life than me, though, it still feels pretty deep! The water-polished rocks that line the river bed make for treacherous going - boots and a wading staff were essential. One popular turnaround point is at Orderville Canyon, which joins the main canyon close to one of the most impressive sections of Narrows. Orderville Canyon can be explored for some distance itself, but although it's also an impressively narrow (and much drier) gorge it's not nearly as interesting or photogenic as the main canyon. If you're pressed for time I'd recommend instead exploring further up the main canyon, ideally as far as Big Spring (which is where the Park Service requests that day hikers stop). The sole downside of this hike is that it's dependent on good weather. There are three considerations: the warmth of the water (summer is best - by November you'll need a wetsuit or even a drysuit for the legs, which you can hire locally), the water depth, and the risk of thunderstorms and flash floods. Using historical U.S. Geological Survey data I've made a chart showing the flow rate of the Virgin River in "typical" and "moderately high water" years (for statistical afficianados, this is the median and 80th percentile data). The Park Service issues permits for through day hikes only when the water flow is below 120 cubic feet per second, so taking this as a limit on when the Narrows is hikeable you can see that in a typical year the season starts in late May or early June, whereas in a high water year it might be July before the snowmelt subsides. The video below shows what the hike is like when the flow rate is about 90 cubic feet per second. Also remember that although the average flow in July and August is low, these are also the months when storms pose the greatest risk. All things considered, June, September and early October are probably the optimum times. The Park Service posts the weather forecast and local flash flood danger in the visitors' center, and waiting for a favourable forecast is essential. I've seen the Virgin River in flood (after heavy thunderstorms), and you certainly wouldn't have wanted to venture into the water under those conditions, much less be stuck somewhere upstream in the canyon.
(Best viewed fullscreen in 720p HD version) Photographically much of the canyon is stunning beautiful, though you do need to watch out for the extreme contrast between shaded and sunlit parts. Most of the photos on this page were shot using slow exposures on a tripod, with a polarizer to both cut down the light and reduce reflections off the water surface. Note that it's well-nigh impossible to set up a stable tripod in the fastest flowing sections of the river - the vibration from the turbulent water is too pervasive.
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photography, text and design by Phil Armitage
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