Gear for Zion Narrows Hike?

Low 80’s in Zion, however; the Canyon will be much colder as the sun hits the bottom of the canyon for a very short period of time.  Conditions vary, but I have hiked the Narrows where is felt like I was walking on alga covered bowling balls, other times, it was not too slippery.  Not  a fan of using trekking poles as they can snap pretty easily in those rocks (others have found that it was successful though).  Have fun!

No special gear needed.  Take a fleece, though, as the water can chill you and there is little sunlight.  SOmetimes the water can be chest high as well.  Have fun.

When we did it we had to swim a few times, best to plan on being totally wet and in the shade just in case. We didn’t rent any of the clothing the outfitter who drove us was pushing, but we did get the walking sticks. Slipping on water covered rocks can make for a hard catch, we were glad to have stout pieces of wood and not trekking poles.

Here’s my daughter at age 9, dressed for the Narrows in Spring (less water, but colder water – maybe 55F air, 45F water).  A rash guard on top and a heavy poly-pro bottoms then a shortie wet suit.  Wool socks inside of running shoes.  YMMV – we’re Alaskans and she’s tough.  Most other people had another layer on, including some in dry suits which seemed overkill to me because it isn’t a very long outing.

Mostly, we just walked along, but later I gave her a trekking pole to use.  As Jon and George mention, since any hiking staff is susceptible to getting jammed in between rocks and our UL trekking poles aren’t very strong, consider a stouter (and I’d recommended slightly longer) wooden staff.  Super cheap and reasonably functional would use be a 2″x2″x8′ for $1.89 at Home Depot cut to 5 feet (ideal, IMO) or 4 feet if you want to make two or maybe if you have to fly with it as a checked bag.  Better would be a light broom handle – sold as a replacement or scavenged off of old broom.  To either, screw some 3/4″ flat webbing as a handle – one loop where you’d want for level ground and another loop a foot higher if you need support from a deeper spot or one far to the side.  I’d do something cheap and offer it to other people to keep / PIF as I exited the Narrows.

If you get into any fast water or want more stability: (1) grab each other’s shoulder straps or clothing  just below the other person’s shoulders (and they, yours) and push down on them (giving them better purchase) when you need support.  Then you can move along as a quadruped, moving only one of your collective four legs at a time if it’s really bad (which the Narrows isn’t).  Or (2) two or three or four people can all grab the same hiking staff (if you brought a broom stick), half on each side.  Now you’ve got 6 or 8 legs over a much wider area.

We stashed a day pack with another layer outside the Narrows because it is shady and you’re wet when you come out.  Depending on the season, you may have to take the shuttle bus so it may be a while before you get back to your car/room.  In high season, I wouldn’t stash stuff under a bush but would use dry bags:

(these are $10-$11 for the set at any Walmart) to keep an extra layer for everyone in your daypack.

Oh, and since you’re not in the shade, skip the sun hat, but bring a wool/poly beanie/Ruff/balaclava.  Tuck it inside your upper garment when not used.  That’s the quickest, lightest, most compact way to regulate your temperature.

Not sure I can add anything to all the points above.

Hiking poles work but you risk breaking them.

It can be cold in the canyon even when you are out of the water because of the deep shade from the canyon walls

Sometimes you can get into some sun to get warm but no guarantee

If you want some solitude, start your hike before the first shuttle bus arrives. The schedule is posted on the web.

Remember to stop and look up otherwise you miss some of the best views

Thanks for the info everyone! I love David’s wooden broom handle idea. I have a couple of dry bags for an extra layer. My hubby will be waiting for us so no waiting for a shuttle. Thanks for the tip about getting started before the crowds. I’ll check the schedule and make sure we get to the trail head before the shuttles.

You won’t be in water regularly for several hours at least, so keep that in mind.  Lugging lumbar along for the initial bit of road walking doesn’t sound so fun to me.