Hiking The Narrows (Bottom-Up): Virgin River Slot Canyon, Gear Rentals & Flash Flood Rules

If you only do one hike in Utah, make it The Narrows: at the northern end of Zion Canyon (Shuttle Stop #9, Temple of Sinawava), the canyon walls pinch so tightly together that there is no room left for a bankside trail. For the next several miles, the shallow North Fork of the Virgin River is the trail. You wade upstream over rounded river cobblestones between vertical 300-metre-tall walls of crimson and gold Navajo Sandstone that narrow to just 6 to 9 metres apart.

1. No Permit Needed for the 'Bottom-Up' Narrows Day Hike

While overnight 16-mile 'Top-Down' hikers from Chamberlain's Ranch need a wilderness permit, day visitors hike The Narrows 'Bottom-Up' from Stop #9 with no permit or reservation. Because it is an out-and-back river walk, you can turn around whenever you wish:

• Milestone 1, Riverside Walk to the Gateway (3.2 km Round-Trip, Paved & Dry): walk 1 mile on a flat paved path past hanging fern gardens to the river entry steps.
• Milestone 2, Mystery Falls & Orderville Canyon Junction (6.4 km Round-Trip, 2.5 to 3 Hours): ten minutes into the water, look right for 35-metre Mystery Falls; 45 minutes further upstream, narrow Orderville Canyon joins on the right.
• Milestone 3, 'Wall Street' & Big Spring (8 to 15 km Round-Trip, 4 to 6 Hours): just past Orderville Junction begins Wall Street, the famous 2-kilometre corridor where 450-metre vertical walls overhang the water on both sides.

2. Gear Rentals & Flash Flood or Spring Runoff Closures

1. Rent the Shoe Package at Zion Outfitter (At the Pedestrian Gate): slick stones make sandals and thin water shoes hazardous. Rent ankle-supporting Canyoneering Boots, 4mm Neoprene Socks and a Wooden Walking Staff (plus dry trousers or a drysuit in cold October to May water).
2. Check the 2 Closure Rules: in April and May snowmelt, The Narrows closes whenever river flow exceeds 150 cubic feet per second (cfs); in July and August monsoon season, check the Visitor Center Flash Flood Potential sign and never enter if rain is forecast upstream. Follow our packing guide and seasonal water guide.