Usually, we reserve our site for international travel. It is easy to forget that we live in a world-class destination in its own right.
Big Springs, in the Zion Narrows
Zion National Park is less than an hour from home, and this year we made a concerted effort to take advantage. Monsoon rains in July and August were problematic, forcing the cancellation of my only Mystery Canyon permit this year. September was beautiful, though, and we were able to backpack the Zion Narrows and hike the Subway.
The Zion Narrows make a great backpacking trip. An early-morning shuttle to Chamberlain’s Ranch puts you 16 miles from the Temple of Sinawava, following the North Fork of the Virgin River from its origin in the ponderosa pines and cow pastures below Cedar Mountain as it slowly cuts a deep canyon into the red sandstone Zion is famous for. Backpacking allows you to break the hike up into two days. I enjoy moving slower through the canyon and enjoying the time there. The lower canyon, accessible from the park proper, has become so crowded that the backcountry is about the only place where you can get a wilderness experience anymore.
Wall Street, in the Zion Narrows
After spending the night at campsite 11, we could enjoy Wall Street–the most picturesque section of the Narrows between Big Spring and Orderville Canyon–with far fewer people than the more crowded section of the hike between Orderville and the Temple of Sinawava. Quite a few day hikers do make it up as far as Big Spring, but nothing like the crowds you encounter as you near the paved Riverwalk trail that takes you out of the river and to the shuttle stop.
The first time the whole family has hiked the Subway together!
One week later we were able to hike the Left Fork of North Creek, better known as the Subway. Probably the most coveted hike in the park, Subway permits are only available on a lottery basis and have become harder and harder to get as more people are discovering Zion. For years, Maile refused to return to the Subway, recalling the cold swims that turned her off when she was 9 years old. Finally, six years later, the whole family hiked the Subway together for the first time.
Maile in the Subway in 2015 and again in 2021