Planning Zion: It's Not as Easy as You Think (Part 1: The Narrows)

Ohhh boy, did we look stupid when the ranger at the entrance of Zion National Park asked us, “Uh what exactly is your plan here?”

This National Park is very different from the rest and, although I wanted to write about our travels in a somewhat chronological order, I think the masses visiting Zion could probably use this blog ASAP.

We drove into Zion pretty late in the day and entered through the east side, making our way to the southern exit. We knew we weren’t going to see much that day, but we wanted to get a map and a lay of the land.

We disperse camped outside of town and showed up the next day bright and early to start adventuring through Zion. When we pulled up to the southern entrance I told the ranger we wanted to go check out the Narrows at the top of the park. He quickly put us in our place. After speaking with the ranger and then talking to a tour guide in town, we quickly picked up on the low-down and spent our first day in town arranging the rest of our stay in Zion.

It would’ve been much more in-character for us to drop the Narrows and opt for something we could find on our own. However, we knew the Narrows was going to be a highlight of our trip. It’s rare to find a hike that keeps you in water for its entirety and even if we found something similar on our own we understand the danger behind entering an unknown water-filled canyon.

Like most places we visit, my parents have been there, hiked the most ridiculously hard/dangerous routes, and have tons of stories to share. After talking with them and seeing pictures we had our hearts set on wading through the turquoise waters framed by cascading canyon walls that ribboned on endlessly, bending their smooth surfaces in tandem. So we got plannin’.

Here is what you need to know—and won’t find anywhere on the internet—if you’re traveling to Zion.

YOU CANNOT DRIVE YOUR OWN VEHICLE THROUGH ZION NATIONAL PARK.

This is the only park we encountered that didn’t allow you full access with your own car. You can enter through the southern entrance, 1) Visitor Center, drive up as far as 3) Canyon Junction and then either turn around and exit through the south or continue east exiting the park through Zion-Mount Caramel Highway.

The problem is the really cool parts of Zion are all north of Canyon Junction and the only way to get up there is to book a shuttle. The shuttles are mandatory transportation from July 1 - Dec 31 when the park is in its busy season to help manage the crowds. This isn’t COVID-contingent, but something they do every year.

You can rent bikes outside of the park and either bike or electric bike in, but literally EVERYONE you talk to says not to walk in since the paved roads can get over 100 degrees even on a not-so-hot day.

Shuttling into ZioN

The park offers a shuttle service for the low fee of $1, but good luck getting a spot on that bus. This season Zion National Park contracted outside shuttle services to help with the overwhelming hoards of people. The contracted shuttle services vary in price from about $30-50 for a single round trip ticket. The shuttles make stops at the Vistor Center, Angels Landing, and the Narrows andddd that’s about it.

We booked our shuttle through a tour company called Zion Guru which outsources to the St. George Shuttle Company. Online they’re pretty clear about not allowing you two stops on one shuttle ticket—meaning you can’t get off at Angels Landing then hop on a different shuttle later in the day to head up to the Narrows. Instead, you pick one stop and buy a roundtrip ticket for that location. Or you walk to the other destinations…but that’s no small walk.

That being said the shuttle drivers were all very cool and accommodating and if you asked while you were on the shuttle they seemed willing to help you get around.

Our shuttle driver told me the National Park only contracted outside shuttle service through November, so if you plan on visiting in December you may have a hard time getting a shuttle unless you book far in advance.

Prepping for the Narrows

I don’t know if it’s PTSD from guided rafting trips with my family where you have to wear a communally-peed in wet suit and a life vest that does more to suffocate you than save you (not to mention the team building that ended in at least one person getting pushed in the water) but I almost always opt-out of guided tours or extra gear provided by adventure companies.

THIS IS THE EXCEPTION. When I went into Zion Guru to figure out the shuttle mess, I got some great one-on-one time with a saleswoman that ran the store. She recommended we rent the neoprene socks (wet suit material), hiking boots with ankle support, and a large wooden walking staff. Originally, I argued my case for Tevas until she finally convinced me to rent the package for $25. She also told me to come back at 6 pm the day before our trek to rent our gear because if you wait until the morning of they’re generally wiped clear out.

We got our gear that evening, freshly cleaned from the returnees of the day, and we were actually able to steal a spot on an earlier shuttle because of cancellations. If you couldn’t get what you wanted, always check the day before to see if anyone canceled.

As far as a camera equipment goes—we took our GoPro instead of Kyle’s nice Canon camera since we were worried about getting it wet. We didn’t really know what to expect for the water level and how intense things would get. In our case, this decision was probably best since Ky and I got carried away and sought out deep routes where we were pretty much swimming. However, it’s definitely possible to do this hike with a nice camera, avoiding the deep spots…at least for the first 4 miles.

That being said, our picture quality wasn’t the best and we really didn’t capture the Narrow’s beauty. What you can’t see from our photos is the crystal clear blueness of the water, the vibrant greens of the plants lining the red canyon walls, and the marbled rocks on the river floor.

Doggy daycare during the Narrows

We were able to book Vita a spot at the local doggy daycare called Doggy Dude Ranch. We got lucky finding next-day availability and I highly recommend making your reservation earlier on. The ranch was perfect—local and very close to the park, check-in time as early as 8 am, check-out as late as 6 pm, lots of land to run, segregation of big and small dogs, and overall great, genuine people running the place.

Unfortunately for us, they close on Sundays which meant we couldn’t use them both days of our Zion trip. But we were lucky to have them the first day when we took on the Narrows.

Charging the Narrows

The shuttle takes you to the top of the park where the Riverside Walk begins—about a 40 min scenic drive. The Riverside Walk is a paved trail that runs alongside the river leading into the mouth of the canyon. It’s beautiful, easy, and something my 78-year-old grandma could do.

After about 0.5 miles the Riverside Walk ends and the water begins. You come to the mouth of the canyon where the water is about ankle deep and flowing against you very calmly.

You immediately appreciate the neoprene socks when the chilly water rushes into your boot…and stays there the rest of the hike. It’s not too soon after that you appreciate your walking staff. The big base acts as another leg and helps stabilize you as you traverse terrain underwater and unseen. Andddd you immediately appreciate the ankle-supportive boot when your walking stick can’t save you.

We started our trek around 10 am, both of us wearing shorts and a t-shirt. We expected that in about an hour the sun would be overhead and the canyon would no longer keep us shaded. Not the case. Even with the sun above you, the canyon is narrow enough to protect you from the sun almost all day. Bring a light jacket, it gets a little brisk...especially if you’re like Kyle and I who didn’t shy away from the deep areas and ended up wet the whole time.

The first 2 miles is a circus, full of people struggling in Converse and influencers snapping butt pics. The third mile calms down a bit, when the canyon forks and you have to choose left or right. We went left which had some amazing trivets and turns. Although there were sections that were unavoidably deep, so if you’re looking to stay dry keep right. It wasn’t until the fourth mile into the canyon that we had our first moment of being truly alone.

We hiked about 4.5 miles into the canyon and only turned around because we had to make it back in time for the 4 pm shuttle we booked. The first leg of the trek you’re hiking against the current, and with the current on your way in. We didn’t account for this, so hiking back took less time and we got back around 3 pm. The round trip of 9 miles took us about 5 hours, but we really booked it the first two miles in to get away from the crowds. Luckily, our shuttle service was super accommodating and allowed us to jump on any shuttle with a free spot.

While hiking back in we found a sunny spot and stopped for lunch. Don’t forget to pack snacks, lunch, and carry lots of water with you. There’s no rest stops or water fill ups and you CANNOT drink the river water—you’re on your own out there.

When we came closer to the canyon mouth it was much later in the day and the paths along the waterline were heavily treaded and incredibly muddy. The earlier you can get to the Narrows, the better. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of trash on the trail and the end of our hike was dedicated to picking up tourists’ trash. Pack out EVERYTHING you bring with you and if you see trash, pick it up.

The shuttle driver also filled us in on their recent problem with graffiti, which became very apparent by the end of our hike. We didn’t see people carving into the rock (although there was a lot of old carvings—most about how Jesus loves you….) but we did see people writing their Instagram handles on the rocks in mud so they could pose with their names. It was a bit shocking to us to see such poor stewards of the environment and I’d hope that anyone visiting in the future will be more respectful of the natural beauty.

For insights into other Zion must-do’s check out Planning Zion: Part 2 Charging Angels Landing…Or Not.