A vast labyrinth made up of blues,reds and greens. Wind and water carved its way through sandstone rock creating a canyon hundreds of feet deep. See why exploring the Zion Narrows is a once in a life time experience!

First and foremost when entering the Zion Narrows your safety is your responsibility!

The Narrows can and does have flash floods! Always check the conditions report at visitor’s center before entering into the Narrows. The rangers there will give you the proper info and let you know if its advisable to go or not. Also make sure to look at this sign at the beginning of the Riverside Walk to see what it says before starting the journey in.

When exploring Zion Narrows it is important to get up and out there bright and early! Just like with hiking Angel’s Landing this trek is one of the most popular attractions of Zion National Park. Make sure to catch the first shuttle bus of the morning, it will be about a 20 minute ride from the visitor center to the Temple of Sinawava. This location is where you will get off to start your hike toward the entrance of the Zion Narrows.

As you take the mile stroll along the Riverside Walk make sure to keep your eyes peeled for some of the local wildlife out early in the morning. We had a chance to see this mule deer grazing near the banks of the river as we made our way down the riverside walk toward the entrance of the Narrows.

Another cool feature along the Riverside Walk is the “Weeping Walls”. These sections of the wall leak out ground water stored inside the rock creating a unique growth of grasses, moss and plants on the sides of the wall.

This was our intrepid crew at the entrance of the Zion Narrows. This photo leads me into an important note for your perspective trip into the narrows. It can and probably will be 20 degrees colder inside the narrows then in the rest of the park! It was around 50 degrees when we started in the morning. There is a consistent wind within the Narrows so packing a long sleeve or hardshell jacket is advisable. Your best bet is to wear layers so that you can add and remove clothing as needed throughout the day.

As you begin the journey into the Narrows, you will quickly realize the water you are walking through is pretty cold and the rocks slippery! It is advised that if you do not already own a pair to think about renting a pair canyoneering shoes, neoprene socks and a walking stick.

As you make your way through the Narrows you will notice notches. Due to the numerous flash floods, water has carved out these notches where it spills into the canyon. The power of these flash floods can be seen 30 feet up by the size of the log stuck into the rock Mel is pointing at in the photo above!

It is hard to comprehend the sheer depth of the canyon until you are actually walking through it. The Zion Narrows can go from being several hundred feet to merely 20-30 feet wide in sections.

The glow of light that illuminates the various sections of the canyon walls is simply breathtaking.

A mix of vibrant red walls, green foliage and turquoise blue water surrounds you as you make your way up the river.

Exploring the Zion Narrows is an experience that is will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Learn more about the Zion Narrows:

NPS:Zion Narrows web page & tutorial video: Click Here

NPS: The Narrows Safety – Click Here

Read the Next Article – Zion National Park: Hiking Angel’s Landing