My first morning in Zion National Park, I hiked "The Narrows" with a guy I had met in Yellowstone and who just so happened to be in the same campground I was! Hiking the Narrows means wading up the Virgin River through Navajo Sandstone walls. The water was 63°, which after 5 hours of walking in it with NO sun is COLD...my feet were numb. This is a popular hike so there are lots of folks along the way, most have rented footgear (neoprene hiking boots with ankle support) at $20....I was doing it in my Chaco sandals which were fine, but certainly offered no warmth!
Most of the time the water was anke or calf deep, but a couple times it was waist deep. I was glad to have pants that dried quickly!
We hiked a little past where Orderville Canyon meets the Virgin River.....the water got swifter and the canyon walls closed in......made you feel very small and vulnerable....this is where some hikers died a few years ago when a sudden flash flood came as there is no way to go up!
The trail begins with a one mile hike along the river on a paved trail, the chance to do the Narrows opens and most people turn back.
My first morning in Zion National Park, I hiked "The Narrows" with a guy I had met in Yellowstone and who just so happened to be in the same campground I was! Hiking the Narrows means wading up the Virgin River through Navajo Sandstone walls. The water was 63°, which after 5 hours of walking in it with NO sun is COLD...my feet were numb. This is a popular hike so there are lots of folks along the way, most have rented footgear (neoprene hiking boots with ankle support) at $20....I was doing it in my Chaco sandals which were fine, but certainly offered no warmth!
Most of the time the water was anke or calf deep, but a couple times it was waist deep. I was glad to have pants that dried quickly!
We hiked a little past where Orderville Canyon meets the Virgin River.....the water got swifter and the canyon walls closed in......made you feel very small and vulnerable....this is where some hikers died a few years ago when a sudden flash flood came as there is no way to go up!
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