Zion overnight recommendation

[Ben C]

I plan to be in or around Zion in early October. I have never been before. What is a great overnight trip there?

[Randall Johnson]

Just recently completed a overnight through the narrows from the top. 16 miles of river hiking through breathtaking vistas, canyons, waterfalls ect. In my opinion it us arguably the most interesting and entertaining hike in the park. There are others as well including a nice one that ascends to the top of those peaks above Angel's Landing that can be accessed of that trail. Anyway much to do and a truly beautiful place. Enjoy!

[David Chenault]

If you want a full two day hike and are a strong hiker with strong joints and legs the Narrows cannot be beat. Rent/buy neoprene socks (2mm) and bring warm clothes in a dry bag. Might be the most beautiful time of year to do it. You'll need a permit and a shuttle to the top (can be arranged with Zion Adv Co.).

A more conventional hike is the West Rim trail. Going from Lava Point down into the canyon is very nice, and will give you some excellent views. Again, you'll need a shuttle.

Doing an out and back to a site up on the West Rim would be good if you don't want to futz with a shuttle, as would an out and back up on the East Rim trail.

[spelt with a t]

This is the perfect time of year. I did it two years ago over labor day. Perfect daytime temps, a little chill at night. Even with one my party getting injured and me having to hustle out the bottom half to inform a ranger, it was still spectacular. I plan to go back and re-do it when I'm not on the clock.

[Josh Platt]

Pretty much everything at Zion is awesome. Went there and all the little side trails off the road you can actually drive on are even cool. Very interesting features anywhere you go. However, the narrows will be the hike you will never forget. Do it if you can!

[Ben C]

Thanks for the input all. I am very excited now. I think I will do nearby coyote gulch too.

[Randy Nelson]

I don't know how many are in your group but I strongly advise taking the Zion Adventure Company (there may be others) shuttle to the top of the Narrows. I think it's $35 per person. Around that anyway. We had a group of 9 and left one car at the visitor center and took 2 to the top. The road to the TH is known to turn into slick mud that even 4×4's get stuck in. The forecast was good and we messed around and didn't get reservations for the shuttle so we thought it would be OK. Big mistake. We had some really slow hikers so 2 guys went ahead and thought they'd at least get one car from the TH and maybe 2. We got a few drops of rain in the last 4 miles but didn't think anything of it. As we approached the park shuttle stop, there was a sign facing away from us. The other side said "Flash flooding imminent. Narrows closed to entry." Uh oh. That could only mean it had rained hard above the canyon. And it had. The guys that went for the car did eventually get out but with a lot of time and effort. We had to leave one car up there until the next day which wiped out our Subway trip. But at least we were able to get back to where we were staying.

I'd also recommend renting the water shoes. I had done a short stretch of the Narrows in trail runners after coming out of Mystery Canyon the day before and that was fine so I thought I'd be OK doing the whole Narrows that way. I have really wide feet and the thought of doing 16 miles in ill fitting shoes was not enticing. Big mistake! They were fine for most of the trip but there was about a 5 mile section where the rocks were very slippery (no idea why just that stretch) and it was not fun for that section. And rent or buy a wading/walking staff.

The great thing about the Narrows is that you get a lifetime of stream crossings in one hike. Great practice.

[d k]

We did the Narrows as a day hike – it was wonderful, and not that strenuous. My partner wore old tennis shoes, I wore old cloth hiking boots that I didn't mind ruining (they weren't ruined, just soggy after). We used poles, which were very helpful at times (if I recall correctly, this was before we got hiking poles so we just used cheap PVC pipe!).

Orderville Canyon is a side trip you can take near the bottom of the Narrows, it's much narrower and really amazing – don't pass it up!

Angel's Landing and another trip across the canyon from that were also great day hikes. We'd planned on going on the Subway trip also, but didn't get there.

If you have limited time and can do the Narrows in one day, I'd recommend doing that so you can do some other trips too.

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