Hands down our favorite part of our Utah trip last year was Zion NP, and our favorite part of the park was the Narrows, a 16 mile stretch of the Virgin River passing through a very deep and very narrow canyon. Last year we only hiked a mile or two up from the bottom with the rest of the tourists, but we had decided to hike the whole narrows this year from the top down.
This was the trip of tricky permitting, but by pouncing on the online permit system the minute spots were opened up for our desired dates, we were able to get hiking permits and a backcountry campsite that fit in with our timetable.
After our night in Mammoth Lakes, we had a travel day that involved traversing some of the most desolate areas of California and Nevada, a stop in Vegas to get my car serviced, and a hotel night in Springdale, UT, outside Zion.
To see the whole Narrows, you have to start at the top, and to do that, you need to arrange a ride. At 0500, we met at the Zion Adventure Company for the shuttle to Chamberlain's Ranch. The van was driven by an aged hippie who seemed intent on impressing us with the speed with which he could traverse the rough dirt roads in a modified 15-pack van, while recounting several tales in which he almost slid off cliffs during incliment weather. Fortunatly, the weather was good, and we survived.
Desert bighorn sheep balancing on the rocks
And hanging out on the road..."what are YOU looking at?"
Checkerboard Mesa
The "road" in...
The trail started out in a meadow valley, and gradually sloped down toward the canyon. We followed a small stream that would gradually expand into the Zion River.
Like in Havasupai, the walls just gradually got higher around us
The water flow was low this year, so we made it about half of the way without having to do too much wading, and we managed to escape getting our packs wet (mostly)
These cave-in areas reminded me of something one of our fellow shuttle-riders said about rock slides: "Geological time includes now"
Our first section of real slot canyon. These parts were so cool!
Cool monolith
Slot canyon selfie!
By the time the canyon opened up again, the walls had gotten really high!
There are only twelve designated campsites in the canyon, and we were assigned the last of the twelve. We were both really glad we had decided to spend the night in the canyon. It's possible to do the whole 16 mile hike in a day, but you have to move it. Not nearly enough time to take it all in. We didnt get to our site until about 1600, and there was a family that was going the whole length in a day that was still behind us!
Setting up camp
We don't need much for a great vacation!
Our streak of great weather luck held up here, too. We had heard that afternoon thunderstorms were likely, but all we saw was a couple hours of clouds and a few sprinkles. The temperatures in the canyon were moderate, with so little direct sunlight. It was even warm overnight, which was a nice change from the cold nights in the Sierras. And no late night visitors, either!
What a great way to start the day!
The river picked up most of it's volume right before the campsites, so the second day we were in the wading portion of our hike. With water socks and Keens and poles, we made it without twisted ankles.
My darling fiancee!
My favorite picture from that hike!
The crown jewel of the Narrows hike is the section called Wall Street. The thousand foot-plus vertical walls over a canyon only a couple dozen feet wide in places was stunning.
Floating Rock
Since we had time, we took a side trip up Orderville Canyon, a tributary into Zion Canyon. The walls went from only about 15 feet wide into a grassy valley that was just beautiful.
Look at that gorgeous hiker!
South of Orderville Canyon, we started running into the throngs of tourists that just hike a ways up from the bottom, but we had gotten to enjoy almost all of the canyon just seeing a couple people here and there. The top-down hike is definitely the way to enjoy the Narrows.
After reachiing the riverwalk, we caught the shuttle bus back into Springdale. We treated ourselves to a night at a really nice hotel in town, the Desert Pearl Inn. The pool and some craft beer felt great after a long hike. We stuffed our faces at Zion Pizza and Noodle, and wandered the town for a bit.
On a whim, we stopped into a photography gallery, and learned that the photographer himself was the one manning the store. He was really nice, and spent time talking to us about the photos. He had lots of great stuff from the southwest and Alaska. Sarah got me a couple of his prints, one from Denali, and one of Wall Street. If you're ever in Springdale, check out the David J. West Gallery--highly recommeded!