The Narrows
Riverside walk - Bottom Up - Top Down
Riverside Walk
Difficulty: Easy, wheel chair accessible
Elevation Gain/Loss: 60 feet / 18 meter gain
Average Hiking Time: 1 hour round trip
Distance: 2.0 miles / 3.2 km round trip
Trailhead Location: Temple of Sinawava
Optimal Time to Hike: Year-round, any time of day, late afternoon sun year round, icy in winter
Experience: Beginning at the last shuttle stop in Zion Canyon where the walls become too close for the road to continue. The trail continues for the last mile of front country access into the canyon. A family friendly, paved trail passing alcoves, weeping walls, and paralleling the Virgin River to the Gateway to the Narrows. At its end, intrepid hikers continue into the river, while most dip their feet, then return the same way.
Bottom-Up
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Elevation Gain/Loss: up to 400 feet, 120 meters gain
Average Hiking Time: 1 to 6 hours round trip
Distance: You choose: out and back,
4-6 miles/6.4-12.8 km
Trailhead Location: Begin at the Temple of Sinawava and Riverside Walk
Optimal Time to Hike: Highly dependent upon water levels, but accessible with the right gear in all but spring run-off and rainy days.
Experience: This version is the most popular and the way 90% of all Narrows hikers see the famous Wall Street section of the canyon, where towering walls are 1500 ft. tall and the river is merely 22 feet / 7 meters wide. Suitable for most able hikers, the Bottom Up can be as much as a 10 mile / 16 km round trip, or as little as the 2 mile / 3.2 km round trip on the Riverside Walk. To see Wall Street, hikers must travel a minimum of 6 miles / 10.4 km round trip, 4 miles / 6.4 km of which is in and along the river, past the confluence where Orderville Canyon, a narrow canyon enters from the east. BottomUp hikers are allowed to venture into Orderville only as far as the Veiled Falls, 1/2 mile / 0.8 km from the confluence. See the Zion Guru Narrows Map for more details. Even a short hike upstream of the Riverside Walk is beautiful 1/2 mile/ 0.8 km to Mystery Falls and back is a nice treat for young kids and less ambitious day hikers.
Top-Down
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation Gain/Loss: approximately 1600 foot / 500 meters loss
Average Hiking Time: 7 to 12 hours of hiking one-way
Distance: 17 miles / 27 km
Trailhead Location: Private or hired shuttle to trailhead @ Chamberlain’s Ranch (1.5 hours away from Springdale)
Optimal Time to Hike: Highly dependent upon water levels and road access to Chamberlain’s Ranch. Inquire about current access.
Experience: This 17-mile day hike, or moderately paced overnight hike, is a great wilderness adventure and requires permits, often sold out 3 months ahead. This is a sought after trip and worth the effort, pre-trip planning and expense. Though not recommended as your first backpacking experience, it is breathtaking to spend the night in the canyon. Plan on using Restop® bags to carry out your poop. The upper Narrows section 5 miles into your hike is spectacular and the junction with Deep Creek is a great place to have lunch and relax your feet before continuing to your campsite, or if you are going through in a day, it is your half-way point of the hike. We have found taking your shoes and socks off, rinsing them, letting your feet relax for 15-20 minutes during the thru-hike is extremely rejuvenating. Don’t forget to look up!