Destinations / North America / United States / Utah / Add This to Your Adventure List- Hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park in the Winter
Zion National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the United States; with dramatic red rock cliffs and sandstone canyons it’s no surprise that Utah’s first national park attracts millions of visitors every year. After my first visit 12 years ago I too fell under Zion’s spell and to this day it remains one of my favorite national parks. Hiking the Narrows was my favorite experience from that July trip over a decade ago and when I was invited to visit Zion for a winter trip with Travel Mindset as a part of #InstameetStGeorge I was beyond excited. Even as someone who had hiked the Narrows before I was curious to see how hiking the Narrows in the winter compared to my previous summertime experience.
I traveled to Zion National Park as part of a campaign with Travel Mindset and Visit St. George. As always, all opinions are my own. The Casual Travelist contains affiliate links, when you make a purchase or book a hotel through these links the Casual Travelist receivesa smallcommission that helps support this site at no additional cost to you.
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With air temperatures around 50 degrees and water temperature a brisk 38 degrees layering is key to staying comfortable during your Narrows hike. In addition to special gear (more on that in a minute) I wore fleece leggings, a long sleeved running shirt and a thin down jacket. I also had a hat and fleece gloves, so if you’re cold-natured like me make sure you come prepared.
Being that the hike is in cold water staying warm and dry is extremely important your first stop of the day should be at Zion Adventure Company in Springdale to get properly geared up. We went with the Full Drysuit Package, which for $55 included a Gortex drysuit, neoprene socks, special canyon shoes and a hiking stick. There was also a quick video with instructions for putting on your gear as well as tips for your time in the Narrows. Zion Adventure Company also stocks dry bags, camera/phone bags, clothing (you can rent fleece layers if what you have on isn’t warm enough), and snacks, basically anything you need for your adventures in Zion National Park.
After you enter Zion National Park you should park at Zion Canyon Visitor Center. From the Visitor Center take the park shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava (stop 9), which will take about 40 minutes. On the day I visited shuttles started running at 7am and the last shuttle departed the Temple of Sinawava at 6:45pm, be sure to check the website for Zion National Park for the most up to date information for the day of your visit. From the shuttle drop off point there is an easy 20 minute stroll down the Riverside Walk, which is paved and fairly flat, to get to the Gateway of the Narrows. We were advised to partially gear up at the shuttle stop then complete dressing out right before we got in the water to avoid overheating on the Riverside Walk.
Add This To Your Adventure List Hiking The Narrows In Zion National Park In The Winter
There are two options for hiking the Narrows, the Bottom Up Day Hike (an out and back hike that our group did), or the Top-Down Thru-Hike which requires a special permit and will take at least 12 hours. For the Bottom-Up Day Hike once you pass the Gateway of the Narrows 95% of the hike will be in the Virgin River. Now as someone who hates having cold, wet feet I was concerned at how I was going to fare over the next 4 hours of hiking but those fears were largely unfounded as the neoprene socks did a great job of keeping my feet warm (like diving booties your feet will get wet) and from the ankles up the drysuit kept me dry and downright toasty. The water got as deep as mid-thigh on me ( compared to waist high during my summer trip) and the drysuit did a fantastic job of keeping me well, dry. The hiking stick was also extremely helpful while navigating the uneven and sometimes slippery riverbed.
Navigating the canyon is fairly easy to do on a self guided hike, with the exception of a fork at the beginning of Wall Street (a dramatic slot canyon that is only 22 feet wide with walls reaching a height of 1, 500 feet) there is really only one way to go. At the fork you will keep left to continue to Wall Street toward Big Springs, a right will take you through Orderville Canyon toward Veiled Falls.
I hiked up to the start of Wall Street and it took me about 2 hours going at a leisurely pace and stopping to take plenty of pictures along the way as well as a quick snack break. The sheer sandstone walls provided a dramatic contrast against the blue-gray Virgin River and was just as beautiful as I remembered.
Ausable Chasm: A Winter Exploration
So how does hiking the Narrows in the winter compare to hiking in the summer? Much to my surprise I actually preferred my hike in February over my hike in July largely due to the lack of crowds. Come summer both the crowds and temperatures soar. Zion has become one of the most visited national parks and logged in over 500, 000 visitors for July 2017 with many of them looking to hike part of the Narrows. Conversely Zion only saw about 100, 000 visitors for January 2018, making winter a prime time to visit without the crowds. In addition to our group of 30 I only saw about 20 other people hiking the Narrows for our visit during Presidents’ Day Weekend. That means our group had one of the most famous hikes in one of the most popular national parks largely to ourselves. I’ve also been lucky to be able to hike the Narrows both times I’ve visited, though I’ve heard from a few friends who have visited in the late spring and summer who were unable to hike as the canyon was closed due to dangerously high water levels from snow melt or the threat of flash flooding.
If you will primarily be focusing on Zion National Park during your trip staying in Springdale is your best bet, fuel up for your adventures at Deep Creek Coffee Co. or unwind at Oscar’s Cafe at the end of the day. If you are exploring some of the stunning state parks like Snow Canyon State Park or Red Cliffs Desert Reserve then it’s best to base yourself in St. George and make sure to grab breakfast at the Bear Paw Cafe.American Fork Canyon Nature Trail is also called Swinging Bridge because the trail connects with the Swinging Bridge picnic area. Plus there are bridges on both ends of this hike.
On a Friday after school in January, we decided to hike the American Fork Canyon Nature Trail. It’s only a half-mile roundtrip, and since it was getting toward 4 o’clock, we needed to keep it short (see our Tips for Winter Hiking). This is also our fourth hike in our 52 Hike Challenge this year.
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It had snowed over an inch earlier in the day, so we were the first people on the trail. We were able to follow the trail just fine, but we were blazing our way through 6-8 inches of snow, which was actually really fun. This hike is a gentle uphill out-and-back trail, and it is beautiful in the winter. The trail walks in and out of trees, and offers beautiful views of the mountains.
We love the American Fork Canyon Nature Trail for a few reasons. One: it is so short. Most people can hike this trail since it is only 0.5 mile roundtrip. Two: there are interpretive signs along the way, and we love to learn more about the canyon and the trees and animals that live there. Three: The trail is paved. Even though that doesn’t help in the winter, in the warmer months, you can push a stroller or wheelchair. And Four: there are bridges at the beginning and end. Our boys love crossing the river, and it makes the hike fun for them.
We like to do this hike by parking at the lower lot near the bathroom (The Swinging Bridge Picnic Area) and hiking uphill. After winding through the snowy trees for a quarter mile, you drop down to the upper bridge, which crosses over to the upper parking area near Timpanogos Cave. From there, we simply turn around and walk back to the lower parking lot. You can also park near the upper bridge because there is a small pull out, but we like to park at the picnic area because there is a lot of parking, and bathrooms (even though they weren’t open in the winter).
Glenwood Springs Colorado Archives
American Fork Canyon Nature Trail is a great place to try winter hiking with young kids. For other winter hike ideas with kids, check
So how does hiking the Narrows in the winter compare to hiking in the summer? Much to my surprise I actually preferred my hike in February over my hike in July largely due to the lack of crowds. Come summer both the crowds and temperatures soar. Zion has become one of the most visited national parks and logged in over 500, 000 visitors for July 2017 with many of them looking to hike part of the Narrows. Conversely Zion only saw about 100, 000 visitors for January 2018, making winter a prime time to visit without the crowds. In addition to our group of 30 I only saw about 20 other people hiking the Narrows for our visit during Presidents’ Day Weekend. That means our group had one of the most famous hikes in one of the most popular national parks largely to ourselves. I’ve also been lucky to be able to hike the Narrows both times I’ve visited, though I’ve heard from a few friends who have visited in the late spring and summer who were unable to hike as the canyon was closed due to dangerously high water levels from snow melt or the threat of flash flooding.
If you will primarily be focusing on Zion National Park during your trip staying in Springdale is your best bet, fuel up for your adventures at Deep Creek Coffee Co. or unwind at Oscar’s Cafe at the end of the day. If you are exploring some of the stunning state parks like Snow Canyon State Park or Red Cliffs Desert Reserve then it’s best to base yourself in St. George and make sure to grab breakfast at the Bear Paw Cafe.American Fork Canyon Nature Trail is also called Swinging Bridge because the trail connects with the Swinging Bridge picnic area. Plus there are bridges on both ends of this hike.
On a Friday after school in January, we decided to hike the American Fork Canyon Nature Trail. It’s only a half-mile roundtrip, and since it was getting toward 4 o’clock, we needed to keep it short (see our Tips for Winter Hiking). This is also our fourth hike in our 52 Hike Challenge this year.
Things To Do In Alta And Snowbird Utah
It had snowed over an inch earlier in the day, so we were the first people on the trail. We were able to follow the trail just fine, but we were blazing our way through 6-8 inches of snow, which was actually really fun. This hike is a gentle uphill out-and-back trail, and it is beautiful in the winter. The trail walks in and out of trees, and offers beautiful views of the mountains.
We love the American Fork Canyon Nature Trail for a few reasons. One: it is so short. Most people can hike this trail since it is only 0.5 mile roundtrip. Two: there are interpretive signs along the way, and we love to learn more about the canyon and the trees and animals that live there. Three: The trail is paved. Even though that doesn’t help in the winter, in the warmer months, you can push a stroller or wheelchair. And Four: there are bridges at the beginning and end. Our boys love crossing the river, and it makes the hike fun for them.
We like to do this hike by parking at the lower lot near the bathroom (The Swinging Bridge Picnic Area) and hiking uphill. After winding through the snowy trees for a quarter mile, you drop down to the upper bridge, which crosses over to the upper parking area near Timpanogos Cave. From there, we simply turn around and walk back to the lower parking lot. You can also park near the upper bridge because there is a small pull out, but we like to park at the picnic area because there is a lot of parking, and bathrooms (even though they weren’t open in the winter).
Glenwood Springs Colorado Archives
American Fork Canyon Nature Trail is a great place to try winter hiking with young kids. For other winter hike ideas with kids, check
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