Holy Slotcanyonsville: Kayaking the Zion Narrows

The ringleader was Jarrod, who had tried to do it the year before but got hosed on river levels. It flashed to 3,000 cfs while he was there, forcing him to drive back home. So, he monitored the water level all spring again this year and when it was right he rang Kurt who rang me. Roadtrip time.

We got to the ranger station at the park visitor station with barely enough time to get a permit for the next day. It was flowing at about 350 on the gauge, the ranger said, about two-thirds of that coming in from Deep Creek about eight miles down from river right. We’d likely have to hike our kayaks in that entire way, he advised, as only about 80 cfs or so was trickling down the North Fork Virgin. Getting a special permit allowing us to go through the bus gate to drop our shuttle rig off at the Temple of Sinawava, we heard the same from other naysayers; at the takeout, we saw a group of packrafters ending their trip who also said we’d have to hike our hardshells in the whole way, as did a commercial shuttle driver we passed. For Jarrod, with a bum knee, that wasn’t an option. And my aging cartilage also cringed at the thought. It also threw our plans to self-support it with camping gear into question; loaded boats would be a lot heavier.

So, after camping alongside the dirt shuttle road in, we figured we’d sort it out at the put-in. The whole run is 16 miles, which you can knock off in a long day. We knew our hardshells could scootch down the North Fork’s low water easier than packrafts, and bringing overnight gear meant we could take our time. Then again, it also meant heavier boats and if and when we did have to carry them, it’d be way more difficult. To overnight or not, that was the question. In the end, we decided to knock it all out in a day, keeping our boats light—despite the obligatory pin kits, breakdown paddles, bivvy sacks and other safety gear.

Our flow was 358 cfs, but only a quarter of that or so was trickling down the first 8 miles of the North Fork. Still, while all the packrafters had to hike the whole way in, it was enough to float and scrape our way down, with only one fence and a couple pieces of wood to walk around in the first mile. Then the canyon began, making it all worthwhile. “Even this was worth the drive down here,” I uttered about the canyon as we bounced our way down.

Still, it was a game of scootch-your-boat. At one point, my stomach muscles cramped up from so much torso wiggling back and forth. And, for the first time ever, I got a case of “draw stroke hand.” The top of my left hand, where the fingers connect, got sore from having to do so many draw strokes to avoid rocks. The only times you could really rest and not micro-manage your line was when the current pooled up deep enough along cliff bands. But that was usually only for 10 seconds or so, and then it was back to rock-dodging.

This section also harbors a 15-foot waterfall in a section called the First Narrows, which had a log running down its righthand side. Since we couldn’t tell how deep the pool below was, and a logjam right after meant we’d have to get out anyway, we portaged it on an easy trail on the left. Still, the boat-scootching sure beat hiking eight miles; the packrafters had to ford the creek 48 times on their five-hour hike in. Some advice we got from them if you do hike in: wear neoprene booties (some of them didn’t and their feet were freezing). We caught most of them at the confluence of Deep Creek, which comes in from a giant canyon on the right and added three times the flow. Now we were finally on a river.

And that’s where the canyon gets mesmerizingly awesome. So much so that I also got a sore neck from staring upwards at the towering walls. In places walls were just two paddle-widths wide, with the slot towering a thousand feet overhead. As for the actual river running, for the most part it was Class II-easy III, with a relatively new Class IV-V where a landslide careened down from the right (easily portaged on the left) and a couple Class III-IVs. But you’re there for the setting more than the whitewater. And you do have to keep your eye out for wood, with a couple mandatory portages.

There are 12 official campsites on the run, which begin about two miles below Deep Creek., mostly used by canyoneers come the low hiking flows of summer. They’re small, without much room to roam, but the setting is spectacular. The best ones, it looked like from our vantage in the river, are numbers 5, 7 and 12. Camps 11 and 12 also provide access to a spring for re-supplying water.

Soon, serpentine Ordoville Canyon came in from the left, where we stopped for a quick twisting-and-turning side hike in the heart of the gorge. It’d be hard to find a more spectacular slot. Shortly later, we had to portage around a river-wide log on the left. From here, it was another two miles of fast boogie water until reaching a Class III-IV rapid at the top of the Temple of Sinawava Trail, where tourists can hike up to from the final bus stop. It was a bit of a buzzkill entering civilization again after 16 miles of wilderness slot-canyon paddling, but we smiled for photos as we kayaked the final drops to our car at the takeout. In all, it took us about 10 straight hours with hardly any breaks to pull it off in a day. Doable, for sure, especially if you need to go light. Or, spend the night and take your time—just like the water has carving this spectacular gorge.

If You Go: Permits are available in-person the day before your launch at the backcountry desk of the Zion Visitor’s Center. They cost $25 for a day trip and $40 for an overnight, which you must decide on beforehand. Permits are only issued when the Virgin River exceeds 150 cfs for 24 consecutive hours.

Shuttle: The ranger can give you a permit allowing you to shuttle your car up to the Temple of Sinawava. You can run the river lower (beware a Class IV+ rapid below Court of the Patriarchs), taking out at other bus stops, the Zion Lodge or the Visitor Center, but you’ll likely be pretty tired by this point, especially if you run all 16 miles in a day. Note: You can carry a pack raft rolled up on the bus for a ride back down to the visitor center. You can either hire out a shuttle (Red Rock Shuttle, $55 per person), with most operations picking you up at the Visitor Center at 6 a.m., or run it on your own (you can drive through the park 24/7). Head through the park’s main road and turn off onto the North Fork Road just after leaving the park’s East Entrance. Travel on this road for 16 miles, taking a left at a sign to Chamberlain Ranch. Note: avoid the put-in road if there’s been any rain as it ruts up quickly.

Gauge: The best gauge is for the N. Fork Virgin here: Note that according to AW, these flows apply for the last 8 miles of the river only. The majority of this flow in the river (usually two-thirds) comes in from Deep Creek 8 miles down. The Springdale Gauge provides little information about the flow for the first 8 miles of the run. Flows also fluctuate throughout the course day, with the peak around 5am in Springdale, which means early morning in the Narrows. So flows should rise during the day. Due to the narrow nature of the canyon, small variations in flow can change its character quickly (above 500 cfs it becomes Class IV to avoid wood), with the river becoming deeper and faster. When you get to the put-in, what you see is what you get; this is the flow you’ll have to deal with for the next 8 miles, likely requiring scraping/dragging/pulling/carrying your boat. Put on as early as possible (don’t get your permit the morning of, get it the day before).

Supplies: There are stores in Springdale for food and other provisions, as well as gas stations (fill up before running shuttle).

Nearby Camping: If you don’t want to pay the fee to camp in the park (whose sites book up quickly), try Hurricane Flats, a free dispersed camping area on the right (south) about 10 miles before Springdale. To end the trip on a super special note, consider trying to book a night at the Zion Lodge and paddling straight there after exiting the gorge.

Pet: Leave you dog at home; dogs are not allowed in the park or on the shuttle buses.