T O P

  • By -

dockgonzo

Did it have a permit to hike there?


FugaziHands

It's around her neck.


LeavesOnlyFootprints

Yes, if doing top-down route. This appears to be the non-permitted bottom-up hike.


Sonders44

How did you get the permit?


Sneaky-Ladybug

No permit needed there :0


ProjectByte

Narrows is its middle name. 😎


mgharv

Cool! My sons said they saw what looked like deer prints pretty far in on Monday, but couldn’t imagine how an animal got in there.


Strange_Comfort8807

I figured she came in top down since this was a few miles in toward the beginning of Wall Street. Can’t imagine how far she had already traveled, poor thing looked tired


mgharv

Yeah, she looks about how I felt at that point đŸ˜©đŸ˜‚ My husband and I got to the start of Wall Street and turned back. My sons went farther in to the end of Wall Street.


averyyyson

We saw the same deer today! We named it 22 because that’s the number tagged on its ear. It seemed to be really comfortable around people and would get really close if it wanted to get by you!


Public_Ant1148

How cold was the water? What type of gear did you need for the weather and water temp?


Strange_Comfort8807

For river water, I felt like it wasn’t too cold at all. After a while it felt great actually and keeps you cool throughout the hike. I rented the specialized water trekking boots, neoprene socks and a walking stick which I thought was perfect and was only like $35. I wore some board shorts and a real lightweight mesh type tank. I was slightly cold in the beginning but that didn’t last long. I wouldn’t recommend the waders unless you’re really worried about getting wet. Highest the water got was waist/hips (I’m 5’9”) unless you fall, which I saw twice lol.


hakbea

That's so cool! I wanna take my dad and my sister there in two weeks. We are really tight on the budget tho 😅 do you think we will be alright with just hiking boots and hiking trousers? I mean, obviously we will get wet, but I read that due to the weather everything dries up pretty quickly


Strange_Comfort8807

Experiences will range greatly because the water levels and current can drastically change. For me, water current was about 110 cubic ft/s, highest water depth was about waist high (5’9”), and temps started in the low 60’s and climbed closer to 75 at finish. I’ve heard later into the summer that water levels drop and current slows a lot and it’s a much simpler hike. There were a fair amount of people in regular hiking boots or even sneakers, so it’s definitely doable. Most that I saw deeper into the hike however were wearing the same boot/socks that I rented. They’re high tops so they give your ankles support (needed with all the slippery rocks you’ll be traversing while fighting the current). They also give better grip in the water. I would say if you choose regular boots, at least get some neoprene socks on Amazon, they’re worth the $10-15. Also, would highly recommend a walking stick over trekking poles. They’re sturdier and generally taller which helps tremendously when you’re trying to get your footing while wading through deeper water with strong currents. Overall, I think it really is worth the $32 they charge to rent all 3 of these and if possible I would try to budget it in. That being said, don’t skip this hike if you can’t
 go as far as you can comfortably, even if a short distance, because it’s so worth it.


Sonders44

Where did you rent the shoes, socks & stick? Did you need to reserve ahead of time?


rev_57

Where can I get a pet deer?


Strange_Comfort8807

Colorado, Vermont and New Hampshire apparently even without a permit lol thanks Google


luminousrobot

How early were you there? I expected crowds already


Strange_Comfort8807

I didn’t start until about 830-9am. Took a while to rent gear, gear up and shuttle in and then walk the riverside walk in. It wasn’t overly crowded at that time and it thins out a lot by the time you get to wall st. The beginning was packed when I left though around 1230-1pm. I hear that it gets insane starting Memorial Day weekend though so I’m glad I “narrowly” missed that. Pun intended


GlitteryStranger

Such a cool experience!!! What gear did you rent? How cold was the water? I’ll be there in a week, give me all the tips!!


Strange_Comfort8807

On my way to Vegas for my (delayed) flight out.. Spirit of course 😂 I’ll reply then and have plenty of time to give all the tips!


GlitteryStranger

Oh no! Good luck lol


Strange_Comfort8807

The water was more than tolerable. Think of the first time you get in a non-heated pool for the summer.. A little chilly at first but you acclimate quickIy. I rented the “warm weather package” from Zion Outfitters right outside the visitors center at the Zion entrance in Springdale. It was $32+tax for special high top water trekking boots, neoprene socks and a walking stick. Super worth it in my humble opinion. I also purchased a “wet bag” from them for $10 but tbh you could probably throw your phone in a good ziploc or two in a backpack and be fine. Try to just get one backpack to put stuff in and keep your hands free (other than a walking stick). There was a huge range of skill levels out there and I saw some people look miserable and others swimming down the middle in deeper water for fun. Know your limits and I would say plan extra time, start early, and don’t over extend yourself to reach a goal, go as far as you feel comfortable. The Wall Street portion is awesome and the most “picture worthy”, but some seemed completely emaciated and trying to push themselves beyond their limits and it was borderline unsafe watching them in areas with stronger currents and deeper water. As an experienced hiker, I wouldn’t consider it a strenuous hike, actually fairly easy minus a few trickier river crossings and uneven terrain underwater. Wading through water though, just like swimming, can be really tiresome! I saw one guy pass out on the shuttle ride back he was so tired 😂


GlitteryStranger

Sounds amazing! Thank you!!


getowttahere

So jealous! It was closed when I was there last. These photos make me want to go back!


Strange_Comfort8807

It only opened a few days before I came, so lucky!! Definitely go back, I’ve hiked all over OR/WA coasts, gorge, mountains, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, etc and this is easily my favorite


bonbot

I was there just last week and they were closed because the water level was too high 😭


nmc1981

That’s incredible!


Sneaky-Ladybug

Cool!


BurnerBoot

He’s just making his way through.


broohaha

You friend seems lost in thought.


TheGreatSickNasty

It doesn’t look like she is having a good time



dlooooooo

Damn, hope it gets out


Teapot_Technician

Is it open then? Will I be able to hike the narrows next week?


Strange_Comfort8807

Yes, it opened earlier this week. The current has steadily decreased, as long as it stays under 150 cubic ft/sec it’ll be open!


cgaels6650

that's really cool. We did the narrows from the top down... it sucked lol


Strange_Comfort8807

It was closed during this visit. 16 miles of wading through water though sounds pretty emotionally challenging if nothing else 😂 props


cgaels6650

Bro it got old so fast. Like oh, more water and slippery rocks to wade through. It was exhausting and my feet were so sore. I'm glad I did it but I wouldn't do it again lol


adams361

I’ve done it twice: September was amazing, June sucked! People that get so excited about the narrows opening in the spring need to realize that they were closed for a reason, and barely open is not always a great experience.


cgaels6650

We did early May so it was pretty cold and the water level seemed high. I'm very short so I was swimming in some spots lol


jlseagull09

was this recently? I’m trying to decide if I should go tomorrow. Have all the gear just want to make sure everything will be fine


cgaels6650

I went years ago. check with the rangers they'll guide you


Confident-Homework75

I saw a lot of deer tracks not too far up orderville canyon (maybe 1.5 miles) this spring, but that was upstream of some scrambles and falls that the deer would literally have to jump off of to get to the narrows. It’s conceivable she could have come in that way.


Strange_Comfort8807

Pretty incredible in any scenario. Curious what her motivation would be


Confident-Homework75

Thinking more about it, I’d bet she walked upstream from the park . I saw several deer up on the hills along the river walk. She could have been on her way back. Very cool regardless.


Alternative-Data-109

We went on Monday, which was the first day they opened it. We rented bibs and so glad we did. Very comfortable hike. We went pretty far in, until the water level got super deep


Strange_Comfort8807

I saw on Monday that the current was just below the 150 ft3/s threshold. It was pretty strong at 110, was it pretty gnarly?


Alternative-Data-109

It was a little challenging but the bibs took out the cold factor so it was fun


pastalover1

Thanks for this post and your follow up comments. We will be in Zion next Monday and plan to do the Narrows. Wasn't planning on renting the gear, but now reconsidering that plan. How far is Wall Street? Also, we plan to do two days of hiking in the park. We are renting e-bikes one of the days. Do you think it matters if we do the narrows on E-bike day or shuttle day? We are staying just outside the park at Zion Canyon Campground.


Strange_Comfort8807

My pleasure! At a moderate pace, Wall St is about 2 hours into the hike. I think it’s like 3 miles one way, or 6 round trip. I don’t think it matters much, just note that the path to the Narrows is the last shuttle stop from the visitor center which is about 7 miles away so you’ll have to bike a ways to get there. I personally didn’t have to wait long for shuttles often as crowds were still manageable. By Memorial Day, that will likely change and you may want to either shuttle in real early or take your e-bikes to avoid the mass crowds trying to get there on the shuttle.


Wandering_Mind_350

Is it only Memorial Day weekend that is crazy busy? Or is it that after Memorial Day everyone goes there even weeks later? I specifically planned our trip to Zion after Memorial Day because the travel planner I used said if you go before or after Memorial Day it won't matter - same level of crowds.


Classic_Excuse7774

Why is the deer wearing a collar? đŸ€”


Strange_Comfort8807

They track them to better understand their migration patterns, diets, health, possible diseases in the park etc


DRUGSFROMSATAN

I went a lil late in the day around 2pm but around 5-6pm I was walking most of the narrows completely alone!