It was unbelievably windy for most of the night! I managed to get a bit of sleep but was eventually awoken in the early morning hours by several deer rummaging just outside the tent.

Trouble causers!

I walked over to the visitor center and caught the first shuttle of the day, at 6 am. There were three other people also headed my way. It was about a 40 minute ride to the end of the line.... the Temple of Sinawava (the Paiute's coyote god). The restrooms at the shuttle stop had been totally vandalized. Every last scrap of toilet paper had been ripped from the rolls, shredded and thrown about everywhere. Such a shame people feel the need to do these kinds of things.

Map of the shuttle route. It's 6 miles from the visitor center to the end stop.

From here, it was a one mile walk along the paved Riverside Walk trail. The canyon would continue to narrow until I reached the river.... at which point, the trail would end and the river would become the trail.

Flooding often occurs in the spring due to snow melt. Thunderstorms during the summer can cause flash floods even if it is not raining over the canyon itself, just anywhere upriver.

Eventually the trail ended and it was time to continue on via the river. I didn't really have a set goal in terms of time or distance. I figured I would just go as far as I felt like, then turn back.

Guided in 1858 by a friendly Paiute, Mormon explorer Nephi Johnson was probably the first westerner to see the Narrows. In 1872 as part of the Wheeler Survey, geologist Grove Karl Gilbert traveled through it on horseback from Navajo Lake to Zion Canyon. He also gave it its name. When Zion became a national park (1919), visitors were given tours on horses. Hiking the Narrows didn't become popular until the late 1960's.

Click for a larger version

What is needed to hike the Narrows? That probably ranges depending on your confidence level, own personal safety requirements, and how far you intend to go. I took quick drying pants; a small backpack with food, water and a warm fleece; old yet sturdy hiking shoes; a walking pole; and of course a GoPro camera!

The smooth, underwater rocks are often very mossy and extremely slick. Good shoes and a walking stick were invaluable.

Entering the river

The trip begins!

There were plenty of sandbanks and dry areas on which to walk so one didn't have to be in the water the entire time (which was definitely chilly but not too cold). The river had fast and slow sections, shallow and deep sections. I ranged from ankle deep to waist high. I was told by others I met who had done this before that these were ideal conditions. The water could potentially be MIUCH colder and MUCH deeper (requiring actual swimming in sections).

There were narrow, fast sections...

... and slow, deep sections.

Highly polished rocks and pieces of wood rested underwater in the soft sand.

And so I made my way slowly up the river, enjoying a new scene with each twist of the narrow canyon. It remained dusky for a while until slowly the sun was high enough to begin lighting the upper cliffs. In some places, the cliffs are up to 2,000 feet tall.

Hike the Narrows!

Another hiker for scale

"Hanging gardens" are lush patches of plants that survive off small seeps or springs above ground.

Red Columbine

I saw a nice rock and decided to stop for some lunch. Light continued to slowly fill the narrow canyon.

My lunch rock

I continued on. About this point, I began to meet hikers who were coming down the river the other way. They had hiked from the top down, camping at various spots along the way. One group told me of a waterfall not too far upriver. Suddenly I had a destination.

The 'trail' becomes creative.

More hanging gardens

Monkeyflower

Yellow Columbine

Getting brighter and brighter

Me in the North Fork of the Virgin River

A very obvious waterfall chute

I turned the corner and was suddenly in the full sunlight! The colors were amazing! And there, in the distance, was Big Springs waterfall. It had taken me 4 hours to go 4 miles, but I hadn't been in a rush. Shortly after I arrived, another couple showed up. They had done the trip in a mere 2.5 hours.

The river continued on but this is where I turned back.