on a backpack through the length of the canyon must first obtain a backcountry permit, and begin at Chamberlain’s Ranch, hiking downstream. Flash flood danger can make this hike life-threatening. Each hiker is responsible for obtaining updated information on river conditions and weather forecasts from the Visitor Center, and each is responsible for their personal safety.
Never hike into The Narrows alone, and be sure to have a sturdy staff for balance and lightweight, rubber-soled shoes for traction on the slippery river bottom. Hikers can obtain a pamphlet at the Park Visitor Center explaining the hazards and precautions one should take before entering the canyon.
Description: Since this trail is the Park’s most popular, expect plenty of company as you stroll up the trail beyond the parking area (0.0; 4418), flanked by the redrock tower of the Temple of Sinawava on one side and the unimposing red spire of The Pulpit on the other. The trail leads upstream, east of the river, in the shadow of tall, broken cliffs. White fir and Douglas-fir stand tall on the canyon walls above us, while the canyon floor is well-shaded by velvet ash and boxelder. Along the way we’ll pass interpretive signs explaining canyon widening, hanging gardens (where the Zion Rock Snail, a species endemic to The Narrows, makes its home), a rockslide, and a perpetually wet desert swamp. Many visitors enjoy picnicking along the rushing river, and some of them may wish to follow a use trail that turns left only 100 yards from the trailhead, quickly leading to the river’s edge.
The trail ends where the canyon bends northeast (1.0; 4490), and hikers unprepared for river hiking are advised to go no farther. But those who are prepared simply plunge into the river, either crossing to the opposite bank or following its waters upstream. The river is usually only knee-deep, but depending on recent rains or snowmelt runoff, it can be much deeper, and swift. Even during low water, expect some holes to be waist-deep or even deeper. Use your staff to probe deep holes as you proceed.
The canyon becomes increasingly narrow, and even in summer, little sunlight penetrates into this narrow corridor. Boxelder grows on riverside benches in tandem with white fir, a tree typically found on the plateaus 3000 feet above. The river meanders below Orderville Canyon, and along this stretch we can crisscross it between sandy benches, following short trails between crossings.
Mystery Falls, a 100’ cascade backdropped by rugged Mountain of Mystery, is the first of many outstanding features we encounter along the way. As we proceed, we’ll pass numerous springs and seeps nurturing verdant hanging gardens that decorate fluted canyon walls that are stained with streaks of red and dark patches of desert varnish.
As we proceed, we should choose our crossings carefully, as the riverbed is strewn with slippery, moss-covered rocks. Black basalt rocks and boulders, eroded from the plateaus far above, are abundant and particularly slick. Approaching Orderville Canyon we are forced into the river more frequently, as the benches are fewer and widely spaced. Orderville Canyon contributes its small stream to the river (2.2; 4620) where it exits a narrow cleft on our right (east).
Strong dayhikers can continue up-canyon about as far as Big Springs (2.1 miles ahead) but many dayhikers go no farther than Orderville Canyon. That canyon is a challenging hike in its own right, but small waterfalls and other obstacles make much of the route passable only to the experienced canyoneer.
On the return trip, wade the river with care.
Trip 12
Canyon Overlook Trail
Distance: 1.0 mile, round trip
Low/High elevations: 5130’/5240’
Suited for: Walk
Difficulty: Moderately easy
Best season: All year, but the trail should be avoided when ice- or snow-covered, or if thunderstorms threaten.
Map/Trailhead: 2/9
Hazards: Steep dropoffs; no water or shade.
Introduction: This short, self-guided nature trail leads across slickrock to a grand vista point high above Pine Creek Canyon. Views into lower Zion Canyon, 1000 feet below, include some of the most striking landmarks in the Park. The hike should appeal to hikers of varied abilities, and is an especially fine choice for a short stroll if one has limited time or energy.
An interpretive leaflet available at the trailhead or the Visitor Center explains the natural history of the area, and should help hikers to gain knowledge and better appreciate what they encounter along the trail.
Ranger-led walks are frequently conducted along this trail; check the schedule of interpretive activities at the Visitor Center.
Description: From the parking area at the east portal of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, carefully cross the highway to the beginning of the trail (0.0; 5130), indicated by a small sign. A series of steps soon leads to a traverse high above the narrow cleft of Pine Creek Canyon. Despite the presence of handrails along exposed stretches, hikers should nonetheless exercise caution throughout the trail’s length.
A variety of seasonal wildflowers adorn the Navajo Sandstone slickrock among such trailside shrubs as squawbush, buffaloberry, singleleaf ash, and shrub live oak, and an occasional Utah juniper.
Where we curve into a prominent but narrow side canyon, maidenhair fern appears in the moist and sheltered habitat beneath an overhanging slab. Other denizens of these rocky environs include singleleaf pinyon, littleleaf mountain mahogany (found exclusively on and near slickrock), and Utah serviceberry. More maidenhair fern is encountered ahead, growing along a seepline that dampens the wall of a trailside alcove.
Upon exiting the side canyon, we continue to follow the seepline, and soon pass a lone Fremont cottonwood, further evidence of ample moisture within the sandstone. The slickrock trail ahead winds among tilted sandstone slabs, soon reaching a fenced overlook (0.5; 5255) perched on the rim above Pine Creek Canyon. The Great Arch, that deep, arch-shaped alcove seen from the highway below, invisible from our vantage, lies just below the brink of the cliff. Thousand-foot slopes plunging from Bridge Mountain and East Temple frame a stirring view of the Towers of the Virgin, a host of rugged crags rising nearly 4000 feet above the canyon floor. A plaque at the overlook identifies many of the prominent landmarks that meet our gaze.
Canyon Overlook
One of the five galleries in the Zion-Mt. Camel Tunnel can be seen on the cliff below. During the three years of construction in the late 1920s, narrow gauge rail cars hauled waste rock from the tunnel to the galleries, from where it was dumped over the cliff into Pine Creek Canyon.
Above us, conspicuous cross-bedding on the face of the Navajo Sandstone, formed as ancient winds swept across a vast sand desert, offer evidence that the world has not always been the same as it is today.
Return the way you came.
Trip 13
East Rim Trail to Weeping Rock via Stave Spring and Echo Canyon
Distance: 10.7-mile, shuttle trip, not including side trips to Deertrap and Cable mountains
Low/High elevations: 4350’/6730’
Suited for: Dayhike or backpack
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous as a dayhike or overnighter.
Best season: May through October
Maps/Trailhead: 4,2,3/10,7
