The Narrows

The Narrows is the hike Zion is built on: a walk up the North Fork of the Virgin River between sandstone walls that close to within twenty feet of each other in places. Most people go bottom-up, starting at the Riverside Walk from the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop and wading upstream toward Big Spring, about 3.6 miles in, with no permit required. The full 16-mile top-down route through the canyon requires a permit reserved through Recreation.gov.

Before you go

• Flash floods are the real danger here. The park closes the river to all hiking above 150 CFS and shuts the top-down route above 120 CFS, and any canyon closes outright under an active Flash Flood Warning.
• Late-summer monsoon storms, roughly July through September, bring the highest risk. Skip the hike if rain is forecast anywhere upstream.
• Check the park's current conditions page or call the visitor center before wading in.