September 6th, 2019 – Greg and I end our amazing week in Zion National Park with a top-down assault of the Narrows, crushing it in 7 hours and 47 minutes.
Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me and we ought to appreciate the wonderful natural spectacles she gifts us with. The Narrows are no exception to this, and this hike was the perfect way to cap off our week of hiking, rock climbing, and taking in the views – what a treasure!
The Narrows is one of the most popular and incredible slot canyons in the world carved out by the powerful Virgin River. The top down through hike of the Narrows begins at Chamberlain’s Ranch and ends at the Temple of Sinawava. This 16 mile (26 km) through hike twists and turns through soaring walls and amazing natural gardens and springs. It’s estimated to take an average of 10-14 hours to complete and can be split over two days – there are places to camp along the route!
Our adventure started with a 5am wake up. We grabbed some coffee and power bars for the road and made our way to the shuttle pick-up inside Zion National Park for 5:30am. This shuttle was pre-coordinated and paid for in advance. Chamberlain’s Ranch is outside of the park’s bounds and the park’s shuttle service does not run routes to this location. There are multiple third-party van shuttle services that will make the trip to the Ranch. Cost is any where from $30 to $80 per person depending not the size of the group. Most pick up inside the park and leave the lot by 6:15am to make the hour trek to Chamberlain’s Ranch. Once the driver lets you out at the Ranch you’re on your own. It’s just you and nature for the next 11.5 miles (the last 4.5 mile of the Narrows gets pretty busy with other park goers who take the bottom up approach).
The hike started off easy with a couple miles on trail before actually entering the river. To anyone who hadn’t done their homework it would be very easy to underestimate the physical demand of this route. Greg and I had done our research and knew this going in, so we were at least mentally prepared and actually ended up cruising through this hike. It takes most folks about 13 hours to complete this in a single day and we flew through in just under 8 hours. That doesn’t mean we didn’t take it all in! Believe me, we enjoyed every second of it. It was truly incredible navigating through the winding river and feeling so small compared to the towering sandstone walls as we waded and swam through the water – there were sections WAY over our head! We were beat by the end, but it was so worth it. In hindsight we probably could have slowed down a little, but all-in-all it was an unforgettable experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 11/10 would recommend to anyone looking to scratch the adventure itch and who isn’t afraid of a little extra challenge.
Gear/Equipment Used:
- Canyoneering boots with neoprene socks – a must! You’ll be climbing and hiking through the river and over slippery rocks. You’ll want boots that self-drain and protect your toes! There are several outfitters in Springdale, UT to choose from. We went with Zion Guru.
- Patagonia 30L day pack – two full Nalgenes for each of us plus power bars, energy chews, snacks, and flip flops to change out of our boots at the end of hike
- Sony a7R III camera – gotta get those photos! We kept the camera in a water proof bag when swimming through the river – worked great!
- Bathing suit, shorts, and sun shirt/tank – no need to get crazy with layers here – you’re gonna be wet most of the time
