The Narrows is one of the most scenic hikes in Zion National Park. It is challenging, wet, and packed full of adventure.
When I am planning a road trip, I research and read blog posts, just like you are doing now. My research and blog post reading prepared me for some of what I could expect, but it did not prepare me for all of it.
I knew that we would only have one day in Zion National Park, so I wanted to do something epic. Instead of Angel’s Landing, I chose to hike The Narrows. Kevin doesn’t really want to know anything beforehand. He leaves it up to me to pack, make plans and reservations, and navigate. All he wants to do is get in the driver’s seat and take off.
Do Your Research
It is absolutely necessary to do your research and watch plenty of YouTube videos to help prepare you for this hike. The hike can be a little difficult in some areas.
Check Zion National Park’s website for tips on what to know when hiking The Narrows.
Make sure you know the bus schedule. Once the last bus leaves the trailhead, they will not come back and get you. Several people have been stranded on the trails, and they have had to survive through the night.
Prepare for the Hike
The North Fork Virgin River does not a continuous flat bottom. There are boulders that you will have to walk over, and some of them are slippery. I highly recommend preparing for this hike weeks in advance by climbing stairs. We live in a community that has a spillway. On days that the spillway was dry, I walked up and down it several times.
Kevin was completely unprepared. He refused to do any hike preparations, so by the time we got to the end of the paved portion of the hike, he was tired. After seeing the river, he got excited and pushed forward. It didn’t take him long to start taking small breaks. Finally, he wound up letting me go ahead of him and Luka, so I could make it to Wall Street before having to turn around and make it back to the bus on time.
Family Adventure
The Narrows is a family adventure, however, it is not for small children. Luka is almost 5′ tall, so it wasn’t too bad for him. The water came up to about his waist in some areas. Luka is also skinny, weighing about 60 pounds. – No, I’m not starving him. He eats; he just has a high metabolism, like his mama. – Because he was lightweight and doesn’t have a lot of muscle, going against the current was a challenge. Going with the current was also a challenge, because the current kept trying to take him with it. Luckily, Kevin stayed with him and guided him along.
Rent the Hiking Gear
In our opinion, it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to rent the hiking gear that Zion National Park and other hikers suggest renting. Just outside of Zion National Park, in Springdale, Utah, is a hiking gear rental store, Zion Outfitter. It is walking distance to Zion National Park’s Visitor’s Center. The cost for their Warm Weather Packages is $32 per person. The package includes waterproof hiking boots, neoprene socks, and a hiking stick. It is important to note that even if you are just renting the boots, the price is still the same.
https://zionoutfitter.com/product/warm-weather-package-copy-3/
Waterproof Hiking Boots
We all have our own waterproof hiking boots, however, I didn’t want us to get them wet because we were going to need them the next day. We knew we were going to need the boots no matter what, and the boots that Zion Outfitters provided to us were perfect. Even though they were waterproof, our feet still got wet. They were durable, and the tread was great for the wet rocks.
Neoprene Socks
The neoprene socks did not rub blisters on our feet, like cotton socks probably would have. They are designed for scuba divers and getting soaked. Because Kevin has a thing about putting his feet in socks that others have worn, we purchased our own on Amazon for about $15 to $20 each.
Disclaimer: Roadtrippingthree.com is an affiliate of Amazon, so we do get a very small percentage when an Amazon item that is linked to our page is purchased using our link to the item.
Hiking Poles
Kevin did not want the hiking poles, but I opted to have them from the beginning. Four years ago, I broke my hip in a freak accident on a walking path, so I am very cautious. Hiking poles are part of our road trips anyway, so we didn’t have to rent these either.
You won’t need these on the paved portion of the hike, which is approximately one mile, but once you get in the river, you will want them. The hiking poles will help stabilize you as you go over the boulders and large rocks. The stabilization helped me hike faster, which allowed me to go further.
Start Early
Kevin likes to take his time waking up, so that he is wide awake and fresh on our hikes. That caused us to start our hike later than we had expected. In fact, we didn’t get on the bus to take us to the trailhead until 1 PM. Because we waited so late, we didn’t have as much time to get to Wall Street like I had hoped.
The Narrows hike is one of the most popular hikes in Zion National Park. There are a lot of people in the river and on the paved path, no matter what time you go. If you don’t plan to go very far, you can opt for a later time. However, if you plan to go to the waterfall, past Wall Street, you will want to get to the trailhead in the early morning.
Flash Floods
Do not plan to go to The Narrows if it is raining or if it has recently rained. We were lucky enough to get to Zion the day before it was expected to rain.
Zion has had several deaths in The Narrows due to flash flooding. The month before our trip, August 2022, a man died for this very reason.
You can check the details of the river prior to your hike at the visitor’s center. The park rangers at the information desk are very knowledgable and can give you help in deciphering the river details and what they mean for your hike.
Dry Bag
It’s not necessary that you bring a dry bag, but we did, just in case. Our dry bag kept our food (lunch and snacks), car keys, and phones dry.
We also bought waterproof phone pouches, so that we could take pictures during our hike. There were times that the phone pouch got on my nerves. It hangs around your neck, so when you are walking, it swings and bangs against your chest.
Camelbak
In addition to our dry bag, we brought a Camelbak hydration bag. We had extra bottles of water in the dry bag, because after reading that we could be stranded if we missed the last bus, I wanted to make sure that we had enough water.
Having an additional source of water came in handy when I split off from Kevin and Luka and continued on the hike alone, because I had the Camelbak with me.
If you plan to travel alone, there are dry bags that have internal hydration bags.
We hope that this helps you better plan for hiking The Narrows. May you have a safe and fun road trip adventure.
