The Narrows Mountains & Virgin River

January 21, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

Zion Narrows - PassageZion Narrows - Passage

'The Narrows - Mountains & the Virgin River'

An award winning 32" x 18" Matte Metal

At a Special Price of $295.00

Hiking IN the Virgin River in The Narrows is one of the most incredible things I've ever done. I highly recommend seeing Zion National Park in person; and if you do, you have to hike The Narrows.

Caveat: The Narrows is not open every day. This is a canyon with no trails other than in the river itself. So if the CFM rate (Cubic Feet per Minute) is 150 CFM or above, The Narrows is closed. And then there's the threat of flash flooding upstream which can be deadly not just because of the rushing water rate, but all the trees, branches and rocks slamming through, too.

When we visited the flow rate was 45 CFM and it was safe to enter and hike in the Virgin River. It was challenging at times so at 75 CFM or faster, it would be a very difficult hike. Zion has large signs along the trail leading up to the river entrance with color coded symbols indicating the viability of hiking in the river that day and they take it VERY seriously, monitoring upstream for flooding and flow rate constantly, and they will never allow anyone to be at risk.

We were provided proper gear for this hike at Zion Outfitters located right at the entrance to the park. They provided special socks, waterproof pants, a thick, strong walking stick (essential) and wet suit shoes. These shoes immediately filled with water once we entered the Virgin River and our bodies warmed that water quickly for a relatively comfortable hike. Excellent! The soles grip better when wet, which was a good thing considering how slippery the algae covered rocks were. Zion Outfitters provided excellent gear for sure, and all of it was essential for a great experience.

Zion in 2018 ruled that photo groups could not use tripods on trails and The Narrows is a trail. They didn't want a group of 6 photographers lined up across a trail blocking other park visitors - understandable. Individuals, however could use tripods - and they did.

We improvised and used our walking sticks as make-shift mono-pods. But that's not the same thing as a sturdy tripod and it made long exposures impossible, which was shame. If I ever return, using a waterproof tripod in The Narrows will make a huge difference.

This scene was relatively early in the hike through The Narrows. Fortunately I had my wide angle lens on my camera to be able to capture this entire scene, from the river foreground to the impressive mountains. This is one of my favorite images from that day and I hope you enjoy it, too.

My Zion - The Narrows Gallery on my website has many images from The Narrows. If viewed on a PC, these can be watched as a full screen slideshow.

https://www.davidandersonward.com/zion_the_narrows

This is a 32" x 18" Metal and it's specially priced at $295.00.

It's regularly $395.00 at this size.

Of course, this is available in just about any size up to 60" on the long side.

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