Whats the best way to hike the Narrows?
My wife and I did the overnight (top-down) hike last September and had a fantastic time. I can’t wait to go back with my son when he gets old enough. I’ll MeMail you the link to our pictures. Definitely the walking stick, or even better – a lightweight but strong trekking pole. I would NOT wear big hiking boots. They would get waterlogged and incredibly heavy and tire you out. We did fine with neoprene socks and old tennis shoes and managed not to turn an ankle. The Zion Adventure Company (who provided our trailhead shuttle) will rent you the canyoneering shoes, which are very popular and provide more support. Keep your pack light – it will make it so much easier to keep your balance. Take plenty of gallon ziploc bags if you don’t have any dry sacks. We were plenty warm enough in our tent with 35 degree sleeping bags. Bring a good water purification system instead of packing in water. If you have the choice, take the earlier (6:30 AM) shuttle instead of the later (9:30 AM) one. You’ll
Just wanted to post a few suggestions for anyone who ends up doing this hike. We just got back yesterday and had a fantastic time. The weather at this time of year was perfect. The air temperature was in the 80s, but the water was at right around 60 degrees. It was certainly a shock at first, but I got used to it very quickly and most of the time the water temperature was pleasant. We opted to rent the canyoneering shoes/neoprene booties and hiking sticks from one of the local outfitters. The rental was worth every penny. I’m not a very sure-footed person even on dry land, but the shoes made me feel much more confident and at times I was surprised at how comfortable I felt navigating over the slippery rocks in the river. We initially reserved campsite #2 online, but realizing that staying there would make our second day much longer than the first, we were able to change sites when we got to the backcountry desk for one of the camps not available for online reservation. We ended up with
