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I headed back to Zion with some friends to hike The Narrows. We had originally obtained Top-Down Day permits (Virgin Narrows Dayuse Trail From Top -12), but due to some scheduling issues, we cancelled our permits and opted for a bottom-up day hike (no permit needed).
On the day of our hike, it was a rainy and overcast and we thought about cancelling our hike. After talking to some locals (including the shuttle bus driver), we decided to give it a shot. It ended up being a great day. While I wouldn’t say that any particular section of the hike was difficult, I would rate our hike as moderately difficult. Due to the cumulative effect of hiking in the water all day, fighting against the current for half of the hike and at times struggling to find stable footing, we were all exhausted at the end of the day. We had hoped to hike to Big Spring, but we found an area where the water was deep, going higher than the top of our waders. Here is the cleaned up GPX track from our hike:
Gear
Overcast day with the possibility of rain showers. We rented dry waders, canyoneering shoes, and hiking staffs from Zion Outfitters (the gear and the shop are highly recommended).
Notable Gear
- Cotton Carrier Camera Vest
- The vest is usually overkill with my Sony NEX, but I decided to bring it in case I wasn’t happy with the camera dry bags I wanted to test
- Once I decided the bags weren’t working well with my camera, I put the vest on, underneath my waders and jacket. I was able to keep the camera protected, assuming I didn’t get in water higher than the top of the waders.
- Tteoobl Universal Underwater Waterproof Camera Bag
- Major fail – left this item at home. More on this later.
- MicroNano Blue Waterproof Underwater Camera Housing Case & Dry Bag
- It worked ok. Detailed review after I try it with a large camera and/or lens
- Geigerrig Hydration Pack Engine
- I used the Hydration Pack Engine in my Mountain Hardwear Wandrin 48. I installed a Sawyer Mini inline and it works well.
Geek Stats
- The Narrows (Up & Back, Orderville Canyon exploration) || Distance: ~9 miles round trip || Duration: ~4 hrs of hiking
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Frank Asbury
Lyndon,
Beautiful photos of the hike, one I have always wanted to do, I like getting wet as long as it is not too cold. I have always figured a shuttle to the top was the only way, but you have inspired me to think different and consider following your track. I do have a question, I would be wary of a flash flood ruining the day, apparently you were also. What did the shuttle driver say that gave you the confidence to go ahead and enter the canyon?
Thanks for sharing.
Frank
TheHikingGeek
Thanks Frank, good to hear from you!
The shuttle driver told us that there was “high ground” all the way to Orderville Canyon and that the worst of the rain had passed through the area. He said he’d personally hike at least up to that point, keeping a close eye on the color of the water. When we got to Orderville Canyon, we hiked a ways up and it was barely a trickle. As we exited Orderville back into the Narrows, the water looked the same and we met other hikers coming from both directions. One person that I talked to had just started an hour prior and that the park had dropped their warning for flash floods (there’s a sign at the trailhead showing what the perceived risk is). At that point we figured we’d continue on until the water got too deep for comfort.
This map shows the most dangerous areas (no highground, highlighted in yellow):
http://hikinggeek.com/wp-content/plugins/global-gallery/albums/2015_0511_Zion_The_Narrows/forum/Zion_PDF_Notations_800w.jpg
If I were to do the hike again, I would try for:
1. Overnight, top-down hike
2. Day Use, top-down
3. Do exactly as we did on this trip
Personally the Sierra Nevada is most awe-inspiring place I’ve visited. The Narrows is a close second.
AJ
Hi there,
I’m planning on doing The Narrows bottom-up hike on July 4th weekend of this year. And I wanted to do the exact same route you did; Temple of Sinawava, up to Wall Street, back down and up through Orderville Canyon and then back to the shuttle. I can’t seem to find any consensus on how long our route is supposed to take. Your post says 4 hours, which seems to be much lower than other times I’ve seen. Everyone in the group I’ll be going with is in their 20’s and are all fit, however none of us is a particularly expert hiker (although we did do half-dome cables last year). That, factored in with the time of year we’re going; we shouldn’t expect to get slowed down too much by the water level and should be able to do the hike at a pretty decent pace. Do you think you could estimate a time my group should be expecting to finish this hike in? For what it’s worth, the reason we need a time-table is because we’re staying in Vegas that night. Thank you so much. Your blog/post was awesome and extremely helpful. And your photos are getting me very excited to head to The Narrows.
TheHikingGeek
Thanks!
We actually stayed in Vegas the night after our hike. I would plan to catch the first shuttle that morning. 4-6 hours seems reasonable to me.
girlonahike
You say that a permit isn’t needed Bottom Up – that isn’t true. I had to get a permit to do the hikers route (bottom up) last year. I applied in August and went in October. Great hike and time of year to go. – Alicia @ http://www.girlonahike.com
girlonahike
Just kidding, I thought I was looking at your Subway post. Oops!