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| photo by mrbturner |
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park was something that my wife and I looked forward to doing from the moment we booked our plane tickets for our vacation. Everyone we talked to before we went to Zion told us that The Narrows was a must-do.
You might be asking, "What is The Narrows?" The Narrows is a gorge that was carved by the Virgin River in Zion National Park. It is 16 miles long, up to 2,000 feet deep, and sometimes only 20-30 feet wide.
It's an awesome hike! Even the Riverside Walk Trail, which is the half mile paved trail you have to hike to get to the beginning of The Narrows is cool. We did that the first day that we were in Zion. My father-in-law recommended that one of the first things that we did in Zion was to take the shuttle all the way to the Riverside Walk Trail. This was a great way to see Zion for the first time. This paved trail is really easy hiking and you get to see up close the awesome red rock that Zion is known for. Here's us getting ready to take our first hike in Zion National Park!
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| photo by dturner |
The hike to The Narrows is really peaceful and beautiful. There are several spots along the trail where you can see the Virgin River. We saw a lot of wildlife along the way, including deer. A few days into our stay at Zion, we decided that it was time to rent the the boots and poles that are recommended for hiking the Narrows. We made a trip to
Zion Outfitter to rent neoprene socks and boots and a lightweight walking stick. We got a good night's rest and headed out bright and early for the trek of a lifetime.
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| photo by mrbturner |
Hiking The Narrows means hiking in the Virgin River. More than half of the hike is spent wading, walking, and sometimes swimming in the
river. This is where the socks, boots, and poles come in handy. The river current is sometimes really swift, and the rocks on the river bottom are extremely slippery. The boots were designed specifically with The Narrows in mind. They support your ankle really well, and the bottom of the boots are kind of grippy.
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by mrbturner |
The coolest thing about hiking The Narrows is that the sunlight changes the color and the character of the rock constantly. Every turn in the river brings a new experience.
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| photo by dturner |
We hiked 3.5 hours in one direction before turning around. We got to a point in the river where the water was so deep that we would have had to swim to continue our way up The Narrows. We were pretty tired and had to return our rental gear before dark, so we decided that it was time to head back.
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| photo by mrbturner |
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| photo by mrbturner |
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park was pretty amazing. I can't wait to go back and do it again. Next time, though, we are going to hike from the top down instead of from the bottom up. The hike from the top down takes you two days and requires a back country permit.
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| photo by mrbturner |
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| photo by dturner |
What do you think? Does this look like something you would enjoy doing?
That sounds like a lot of fun!! The way that you described it, it sounds like a great experience and a great place to be in nature.
ReplyDeleteIt was an amazing hike and the pictures just don't justify how beautiful it is.
ReplyDeleteYou sharing these details and photos made me add this trip to my bucket list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBrett, this sounds like so much fun and it's really something I would want to do when I decide to travel. It looks challenging but yet at the same time the scenery would just be breathtaking. It's so crazy that you had to swim in some areas just to get through this. You have some pretty neat pictures. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like something i would want to do. I enjoy nature and being outside. I agree that pictures don't even justify how beautiful things can be.
ReplyDelete