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Weekend Warriors
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VIRGIN RIVER NARROWS - ZION NATIONAL PARK
If hiking, wading, and scrambling through a high desert slot canyon appeals to you, then you will like the Virgin River Narrows. This hike is located in Zion National Park (Southern Utah). To the upper trailhead (Chamberlain's Ranch): take HWY-9 East from the East entrance of the park. Drive 2.5 miles to a road going North, signed as North Fork. Turn left onto this road and take this road 18 miles. This road is well signed, but turns to a dirt road about 1/3 of the way. This road may be difficult when wet. After driving 18 miles, you will reach the Virgin River. Take the bridge across the river and turn left. After 0.25 miles, you will reach a gate, go through the gate (close the gate behind you) and drive another 0.5 miles to the trailhead. Keep in mind that Chamberlain's Ranch is private property, so treat it well so we can continue to have access to this incredible hike. To the lower trailhead: Park at the visitor center and take the free shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava stop. Be Aware of: Wading through cold pools, many river crossings, flash flood danger, permit required. 30 yr old Recommendation: This is surely one of the most impressive river slot canyons in the United States. Footing can be tricky and there are many times where hiking in the river is the only way through. This is one of those hikes you will be talking about for months afterwards. This hike is Strenuous. For a less strenuous hike with children, start from the lower trailhead and hike into the narrows area about 2 miles. No permit is required if hiking from the bottom and not going past Big Spring. Elevation change: about 1700 ft gradual decent Distance: 16 miles. Time: It took us twelve hours of hiking. Time of year: Summer. Solitude: There were many other hikers, but the one-way nature of the canyon is such that you rarely see them. There are probably 50-60 other people in the canyon at any one time. This hike takes some planning, as the National Park service requires a permit to hike the complete length of the Virgin River Narrows from Chamberlain Ranch to the Temple of Sinawava trailhead. Go to the NPS website at www.nps.gov/zion for more information. Permits can be reserved on their website and some of the spaces are reserved for walk up hikers. Permits must be received the day before your hike and cost $5 per person. Pay particular attention to the weather, as there is flash flood potential in this hike. The backcountry office in Zion where you get your permit has flash flood warning ratings and weather reports. We arranged for a shuttle from one of the local private companies offering this service (recommended). We used Zion Adventure Company (www.zionadventures.com) although there are a number of outfitters offering this service. Zion Adventures rents equipment for this hike, and we rented canyoneering shoes (consisting of neoprene socks and self draining rubber soled shoes - also recommended) for the day. Although we were worried about wearing shoes that had not been broken in, these shoes worked very well and neither of us had blisters. They also keep your feet warmer in the cold Virgin river. Bring a hiking stick (I used an old ski pole), as the river can be pretty stiff. I would not want to try hiking this canyon without one. Make sure the items in your backpack can get wet, as there is at least one mandatory swim (and falling into the water at least once is likely). Try to arrange for a shuttle that gets you to the Chamberlain Ranch trailhead as early as possible. Due to the length of this hike, you may be fighting daylight depending on your hiking speed. Be sure to bring a headlamp along in case darkness falls before you can make it out of the canyon. From the Chamberlain Ranch trailhead, cross the river and walk along the dirt road for about 3 miles. You will pass by a ruined cabin (Bulloch's Cabin) which precedes the end of this dirt road. From this point you will be walking in the canyon and making your way through it by any means necessary. There are some trails in this area made by hikers, but there is no official trail. Progress through the canyon can sometimes only occur by walking through the river. There is no escaping that you will get wet! Of course, that is one of the things that makes this hike so much fun. About 5.7 miles of hiking will get you to the start of the narrows. Here the river cuts through the sandstone cliffs, some as deep as 2000 ft. The scenery is world class and as we hiked through this area, we were quite thankful we could hike so many miles through this canyon, as neither of us wanted it to end. Some of the landmarks to judge your distance:
This is a great adventure for those brave hikers looking for excitement. What a hike!
[One of the many narrows of this hike]
[Big spring]
[Typical scene in the narrows]
We did this hike in early September, 2005
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