I’ve been fortunate to visit Zion National Park twice, before it became overly crowded in recent years: once in 2013 and once in 2016. I’ll bundle both trips together here. We hiked the Zion Narrows both times, once into Orderville Canyon as well. I hiked the Zion Subway both times as well, once from the top down and once from the bottom up ~ both very different experiences and both amazing!
2013:
A few months ago I got a message from my cousin asking if I’d be interested in hiking the Zion Subway with them… it took me about 3 seconds to say “Yes!!!” I’m a Washington girl… I’m used to forests and huge trees and mountains and snow, etc. Going to Zion NP was like stepping onto another planet for me… one that I definitely want to see more of!
WEEPING ROCK:
It was a quick but fantastic few days… not enough time to see it all, but enough to make me very happy. When we flew into Vegas it was a balmy 113 degrees, which is quite a shock coming from somewhere were 75 is considered a nice hot day 🙂 We didn’t have much time that afternoon, so we took the short Weeping Rock trail to ease into the heat and take in some of the jaw-dropping views throughout the park. The Zion shuttle system is wonderful, so glad that it’s in place to keep the park unclogged from thousands of passenger vehicles and big RVs.
Weeping Rock is a little oasis up a short paved trail, and a perfect spot to get wet and refreshed in the heat, plus some pretty amazing views down into the Zion valley. The water constantly drips out of the rock face above, so plants have an easier time here with a continuous water supply.
ZION SUBWAY 2013:
The Zion Subway is a hike I’d never attempt on my own, I didn’t know how to rappel, in many places there is no trail and you have to find your own way, etc. My cousin and his son were excellent guides and teachers, and I’m counting myself as one extremely lucky person to be able to go on this hike with them.
There are 2 ways to hike this (with permit only!), from the top all the way through that requires rappelling/absailing, and from the bottom up thenback out the same way.
It’s 9.5 miles of some of the most incredible scenery on the planet (and I’ve been all over the world…). The hike starts out innocently enough, through some wooded areas, over a gorgeous downslope of slickrock with great views… then you come to a point where you can see a small black crack in the huge wall ahead and realize THAT’S where you’re headed. There’s a lot of steep rock scrambling to get down toward the canyon opening.
(p.s. there are dozens of photos for this hike… there’s no way to condense it)
Once in the canyon, it’s like stepping into a different world. My first time rappelling was a bit nerve-wracking, but oh-so-much fun!!! From the first rappel on we spent quite a bit of time hiking through the river, scrambling over rocks and boulders, and a few spots of swimming through pools of cold water. A good dry bag and waterproof camera/case are a necessity on this hike.
After several short rappels and going through a series of surreal “rooms” and sections, we came into the Subway itself. Gorgeous!!!
Upon leaving the Subway, we hiked several miles down river… in the river itself, with some incredible waterfalls (that make good water slides). Spent quite a bit of time just playing and hanging out in the water, soaking wet, and it felt great in the heat.
The climb up and out of the canyon to the ending trailhead is a big rock scramble up up up… with some jaw-dropping views down into the canyon that we had just come through.
All in all… by far the best hike I’ve ever been on in my life. DO NOT attempt to do this hike if you’ve never rappelled before, if you don’t have the proper gear, and if you have any problems with route finding. Go with someone who already knows the way and who knows the “ropes” literally. I can’t say a big enough THANK YOU to my cousins for this once in a lifetime opportunity 🙂  I’m one lucky girl…. thank you to Ken Barnes for sharing your knowledge and some of the photos for this page!
ZION NARROWS 2013:
I’ve wanted to hike the Zion Narrows for a while, finally had my chance 🙂 DH and I ended up renting 5.10 Canyoneer boots for the hike, and glad we did, though we would have been fine in trail runners. The Zion shuttle dropped us off at the last stop down the valley, the Temple of Sinawava. There is a 1-mile paved path that ends at the point where you have to start hiking up the river itself.
Considering it had been over 110 degrees the day before, stepping into the water in a shaded canyon felt wonderful, and the temperature was perfect the entire day for us. Walking up the Narrows is like walking several miles over wet bowling balls, constantly crossing rocks and weaving from side to side of the canyon, sometimes walking on dry land depending on the water level, but mostly being in the water itself. It’s amazing being in this narrow canyon looking up at 800-foot walls to see a small crack of sunshine coming through from the top. Photos just can’t do it justice, it’s a must-see-in-person kind of thing.
We got as far as the Orderville Canyon fork and decided to go up that instead of continuing on the main Narrows canyon. Glad we did, it was smaller, much less crowded, and the perfect lunch spot on some big rocks near a log jam/waterfall.
One more hike I can now check off my bucket list….  one word of advice: GO!!!
SUBWAY ~ BOTTOM UP: 2016
We got lucky and won the permit lottery for the Zion Subway again, so had a quick trip down to Utah and back last week 🙂 This whole national park is incredible, and deserves more than just 2 days, but at least we got to see some of the best of it!
This time we hiked into the Subway from the bottom, instead of from the top like I did in 2013. The Subway is a 9.5 mile hike/scramble from the trailhead, down steep canyon walls to get to the river, then up the canyon formed by the Left Fork of North Creek to an amazing area of waterfalls and rock formations. Water gets cold this time of year (October), but the weather was nice and we ended up not using the dry pants we had rented from an outfitter. Canyoneering boots and neoprene socks do come in very handy here, since your feet are continuously wet from hiking in and out of the river.
It’s a strenuous hike, with miles of rock scrambling and hiking inside the river itself, but worth every single drop of sweat. This place is pure magic. A loaded bacon cheeseburger and an ice cold beer are recommended after completing this one!
ZION NARROWS 2016:
The Zion Narrows is a must-see for anyone visiting Zion National Park. The hike starts with a 1-mile paved trail, then when the pavement ends, the in-river hiking begins! IMO, it’s well worth it to rent canyoneering boots and neoprene socks, along with a walking stick, to do this hike, though plenty of people just use regular sneakers. The canyoneering boots give a lot more stability on the wet river rocks that you will be walking on for miles.
In the Narrows, you can go as far out and back as you want, whether it’s 1/2 mile or several miles. Most of the hike is actually in the river, with 800-foot-tall canyon walls on either side. Some parts have a bit of dry land that you can walk on, but be prepared to get wet for the majority of it. Water levels depend on season and weather conditions. Of course, if there is any chance of rain, this is a hike to avoid because of the threat of flash floods.
There really aren’t words to describe what it’s like being in this canyon, so I’ll just let the photos do the talking…
