Hiking Zion Narrows

[gram]

We are going to Zion and Bryce on 5/16 and I have been pouring over a good hiking book I bought, as well as the web sites. Some questions -

Has anyone hiked the Narrows from the bottom (Riverside Walk) up in May? How cold is it???

Has anyone rented the "booties" and pants to protect against the cold water?

Finally, would you advise going into Oderville Canyon, or straight ahead to Wall Street? Hoping we could do both do both, but we're unsure of water levels, cold, etc.

Thanks!

 

[marty]

Gram - suggest you PM Roadtripper, who did the Narrows!

Marty

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Steve and I did the Narrows a few years ago, but backpacked it top down on Thanksgiving. That time of year the water was very cold and we rented dry suits and boots from Zion Adventure Company. I would recommend giving them a call or email (or the rangers) to ask about conditions that time of year. You can also get data on flow in the river, but I'm not sure where that information is (I would have to check) -- you can monitor the flows close to the time of your trip.

ETA: You can also try searching or posting your question on the appropriate section on backpacker.com. I've seen threads about the Narrows on there.

ETA2: I totally forgot that we were in the Narrows last year in late May (we did Mystery Canyon, which dumps out into the Narrows at the very end, so we were only in the Narrows for a short distance). When we were there the Narrows was closed due to high flow and opened up the day we had planned to do Mystery. We had on wetsuits, which was fine for the time we were in the Narrows, but for an all day trip, I'm not sure if we would've wanted dry suits instead. Also, the top portion of the Narrows was closed due to the high flow, but people were still able to go to Orderville Canyon.

 

[sli74]

I hiked the Narrows in the middle of June back in 2004 and the water was indeed cold but I didn't use any "protective" gear . . . just hiked in it when needed and did okay. It did get VERY cold at night because I did the trip as an overnighter, so just be sure you have a set of thick socks you keep dry in your pack and maybe a pair of tevas to throw on at camp.

Hiking it in May might be a little colder so keep that in mind. Have fun, it is beautiful there.

sli74

 

[marty]

In addition to the other comments, it is also possible that the river is running high in May due to snow melt. If it is too high for your comfort, you might opt for some other great hiking in Zion, such as the Emerald Pools, Observation Point and Angels Landing. The latter hike is NOT for even mildly acrophobic types, however!!

Also, in partial answer to your question, the Riverside Walk to the Narrows is a piece of cake. Not much more strenuous than walking down the street.

Marty

 

[audrey]

We were at Zion last year at the end of April. I was hoping to do a dayhike. No way. Here's a picture of what we found (I hope it links OK). Better take a whitewater kayak instead!

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2575477150070644097GGfPPR

 

[sli74]

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/157619263HNbLbF

I had a much calmer river to wade through than Audrey. My pictures are at the above link in case you are interested.

sli74

 

[roadtripper]

I did the Narrows on june 3rd last year and the water was 58 degrees.

Also, definitely bring good water shoes and a trekking pole (or two) when you go. Walking up the river is not that easy.

 

[Paul_Bear]

I did a day hike in the lower section of the narrows (up and back from the end of the paved trail) in late May or early June a few years back. The water was cool (maybe 60?) but felt great as the air temp was in the mid 90s. An old pair of hiking boots worked great. I picked up a walking stick from the stockpile at the end of the paved trail. For that part of the river, figure you'll be wading 50% of the time and on the cobblestones/sand 50% of the time.

 

[gram]

Thanks, everyone, for the advice and the great pics.

Seems like there's a variety of possible weather / water conditions. I must say, Audrey's pic of the river didn't look too appealing. The Narrows is first on our list of "must do" trails, but we'll see what happens.

As for Angel's landing, one of roadtripper's pictures confirmed what I already suspected - I may not be destined to reach the top. Can't imagine what happens when you meet up with someone in the narrow chained section. No passing please! Guess I'll just go as far as I'm comfortable.

Angel's Landing reminds me a little of Table Rock across from the Balsams. I sure wasn't crazy about that one.

 

[sli74]

I actually didn't find Angel's Landing all that challenging . . . I heard all these horror stories and the worst part was the crowds you have to navigate around . . . go EARLY, climb it before the crowds and I would actually only rate it as moderately difficult.

Here are my pictures from that trip, in case you are interested.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/157625498RsaLac

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I've done Angel's Landing twice and it's not so bad. This is coming from somebody who gets a little nervous on hikes like that (i.e. exposure), so if I can do it, I'm sure you can. There are enough places going up that if you meet people, it's easy to step aside and let them pass. If you don't think you can stomach it at all, check out Observation Point across the way (actually higher than Angel's Landing, straightforward hike). Our Zion pics from our latest trip are here (a few pics from Observation Point and the Narrows are in the Mystery Canyon section).

 

[DougPaul]

I've also done Angel's Landing and agree that it is not too bad. Technically, it is just a hike. The problem is exposure (the view down from a narrow ridge). There are hand rails at the worst spots.

There is also a nice view from Scout's Landing at the base of the steep section.

One danger is the weather--you cannot see any approaching storms and the top has to be a lightening magnet. When I was there, a squall line passed over as we started down. The flash floods and instant waterfalls were spectacular from our waiting spot on Walter's Wiggles. One was killed elsewhere when he tried to cross a drainage cleft which would have been trivially passable in a little while.

Doug

 

[audrey]

Gram,

I can highly recommend the hikes that we did at Zion - Observation Point, the West Rim Trail to Telephone Canyon and back, and the North and Middle Forks of Taylor Creek. It took me a bit to get used to the Observation Point Trail since it's often a catwalk that hugs a vertical cliff, but it's wide and solid and has excellent footing (it's paved, for which I was grateful at times!).