Glorious Zion: Lesson #4 The Narrows

The Narrows: It took a private shuttle, but we finally entered the glorious Zion National Park. Clearly soul searchingly magnificent, the shuttle wound its picturesque way to the final stop: The Temple of Sinawava, the departure point for The Narrows.

What is The Narrows you may ask? It turns out to be not only the most popular hike in Zion, but it is listed as the quintessential slot canyon hike in the world. Also, it’s on the nutty side. You actually hike in the freezing Virgin River water.

First things first. The walk up to The Narrows is luscious in every sense of the word. Named Riverside Walk, it reveals one scenic postcard after another. Multi-colored towering cliffs, turquoise Virgin River, and the autumn yellow-leaved trees basically claimed a space in my heart of nature palpitations.

Lesson #5: Hiking The Narrows

Not just Narrows, but THE Narrows! The THE adds a monumentalness to it. This slot canyon (a passageway with steep rock walls) is actually 16 miles long. One can turn around at any point. Full disclosure: I did not hike 16 miles.

So many iconic moments. Okay, did I mention you walk on water and not in the Jesus sense? You wade through the 55-degree river water with the rocky bottom crisscrossing to dry land. The jolt of coldness is mitigated by the beauty of the poetic scenery around each bend. More poetry lay ahead, but my feet were grumbling which leads me to Lesson #6.

Lesson # 6: The Boy Scout Motto–Be Prepared

Equipment is important.  I did not have the equipment. There are rentals at Zion Guru from where we departed. I interrogated many hikers about ensembles and at the minimum river boots and neoprene socks are mandatory. There are also walking sticks available that will make the rocky bottom less treacherous. All my interview subjects said their feet weren’t cold with the boots and socks, only a bit numb. I would have gone at least a mile or more further if my feet weren’t screaming. So rent the damn equipment.

Insights

• There are two main entrances to Zion. We exited on the east entrance along the Mount Carmel Highway, a shockingly beautiful, curvaceous road, passing through the 1.1-mile Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, an engineering feat completed in 1930. The East entrance led us south to Arizona and The Grand Canyon.
• Angels Landing, a world-renowned hike, is not far from The Narrows. Utah.com called it, “An unforgettable short adventure hike worthy of all bucket lists.” Travelwaits.com called it “the scariest hike with “double drop” — areas where a chasm opens up on both sides of the trail, and you have a brief feeling of being on a tightrope. Usually, you’ll have a chain to help you out in those areas, but sometimes you’re on your own for a short distance.” Clearly, I won’t be making it to the Landing, but I’d like to see how far I could get.
• Springdale, the closest town to the South entrance, is charming and upscale albeit with upscale prices. It might be worth the splurge to be so close to the park.
• Travel during shoulder seasons, spring or fall, to avoid summer temperatures in the 100s.
• Always do what we didn’t do. Check for current restrictions and conditions.