Zion National Park hikes- Emerald Pools Trail & the Narrows

This post was written in September of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I flew to San Diego to visit my boyfriend so that we could take a road trip together, deciding that hiking the National Parks would be a safer way to get some traveling in. This is the third part of the series about the National Parks road trip- specifically the Emerald Pools & the Narrows hikes in Zion National Park.

Zion National Park

Our first foray in Zion National Park began the day before, when we drove from Vegas to Zion. We took the scenic drive through the park and were stunned by all the beauty that is Zion. Read all about that drive, and see the amazing pictures, here. In that blog post, I also talk about getting into the park, getting tickets and using the shuttle, and describe what Zion is like during COVID.

We started our day in Zion early, and though many hikes are temporarily closed because of COVID, we decided to begin our day with the Emerald Pools hike.

Emerald Pools hike

The hike to the Upper Emerald Pool was 3.2 miles, and started off quite steep. But because it was early in the morning, we had the trail basically to ourselves, and the most amazing views of the mountains surrounding us. The trail begins by following along the river from a great height.

The views just got better as we progressed, and it was early in the morning so the colors were just amazing. Below is one of my favorite pictures that I took in all of Zion National Park.

Sometimes the trail just hugged the edge of the cliff, and no guardrails to block your fall here, so pay attention!

There was so much vegetation that I was just loving: the prickly cacti growing along the ground and the trees that stubbornly refused to budge, their roots holding on every which-way. Even the decaying trees were picturesque.

The hike itself was of medium difficulty. There is an elevation gain of 350 feet, though there are often steps. Sometimes the trail was sand, as you can see from the picture below.

Book Recommendation!

Middle Pools

A bit over halfway on the trail you have a choice to go to the lower pools, or continue on to the upper pools. We chose to go to the upper pools first. Before we reached that, we came to the middle Emerald Pools. Here it is very flat, and from the large stone there is a great view of the valley. There were lots of signs warning about safety in this area because of the danger of falling.

Upper Emerald Pools

Finally we reached our destination, the upper Emerald Pools. It is magnificent, and pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice. To enter this spot you pass through some shady trees, and it is really like entering into a secret oasis at the top of a mountain.

There are large stones scattered about, and sheer-walled Lady Mountain looms over you. In the middle is a small pool, and a faint waterfall can be seen.

I took a panoramic picture, going upwards instead of side to side, so you can get an idea of the grandiosity of this spot.

This would be the perfect spot to relax (like we did) or to have a picnic. I’ve read it can get busy, but there were very few people there when we were (hooray getting up early!).

Lower Emerald Pools

To leave the Upper Emerald Pools you have to backtrack, and after descending and passing the Middle Pools you come to the part of the trail that leads to the Lower Pools.

If you are interested in an easier hike you can access the Lower Emerald Pools by beginning at the Zion Lodge (the shuttle stop before the Grotto). This hike is only a mile long.

Very quickly from the fork you can see the Lower Emerald Pools section of the hike. The curved mountain that is dripping water was so colorful, it looked painted. You descend the steps and then you are standing under the waterfalls.

You can see the waterfall in the picture below. When you hike it be prepared to get a bit misted. The trail can be slick so take caution.

Why the name Emerald Pools? They are named because of the algae that grows in the summer months, which color the water a deep emerald green.

After passing under the waterfalls you can continue on the hike towards the Zion Lodge. It was so quiet and peaceful, and the views of the Zion valley were beautiful.

Zion Spring Water

Riverside Walk

Our next hike destination was the Narrows. To get there, take the shuttle to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava. You begin the hike on the Riverside Walk, which is one mile of wheelchair accessible trails.

The Riverside Walk follows along the Virgin River. There were plenty of places to stop and relax. You may want to enjoy a picnic or put your feet in the water.

When you get to the end of the Riverside Walk, it is time to either turn back, or be ready to get your feet wet, there is no way to continue without getting in the water. Starting your hike in the Narrows at the Riverside Walk means you’re hiking bottom-up. If you want to hike the Narrows top-down, a permit is required. Visit the Zion National Park site for information about this.

The Narrows

The Narrows allows hikers to hike inside the Virgin River. On either side of the river are high walls. As you continue along the Narrows the stone walls get closer and closer, while reaching higher and higher.

Less than half-a-mile from the Temple of Sinawava, you will pass Mystery Falls, a beautiful spot where water rolls down the sandstone walls from the canyon above.

When hiking the Narrows, its about the journey, not the destination. You can choose to go all the way and turn back, which would be 9.4 miles round trip. Or hike as far as you want, and turn back at any time. However far you decide to hike, you will love the views. Brandon and I hiked about 6 miles total, which took us several hours.

There is no set trail through the Narrows; instead, hikers crisscross the river, wading through the water to get to whichever side has stones to clamor over. Sometimes the river would get up to waist-deep.

I’d guess that 70% of the hike is spent wading or walking through the river. Hiking can be rough in cold, fast flowing water, on top of slippery rocks. Many people we came across were wearing canyoneering shoes and Neoprene socks they had rented from Zion Adventure Company. Brandon and I didn’t have them, and I didn’t miss them. My hiking sandals did the trick. I did wish sometimes that we had walking sticks. If you get to the trail early enough I read there are often a plethora of them at the head of the trail. We didn’t score any, and we made it through the hike.

Orderville Canyon

The scenery changed so often during the hike. It was often crowded, but sometimes we would turn a corner and have moments of quiet solitude in the canyon. One of my favorite places was Orderville Canyon, about a mile and a half into the trip.

I couldn’t get over the differing beautiful facades of the stone walls.

There were plenty of spots where you can stop and rest. The large stones made for a great seat, and we packed a lunch and gave our legs a rest. Besides breaking for lunch, I stopped often just to stop and take in the surroundings, completely in awe of all the beauty that God has created.

Wall Street

Orderville Canyon leads to one of the most impressive parts of the Narrows- the section known as Wall Street. Here, the shoreline gives way to sheer canyon walls and there is little escape from the water.

The effect is especially scenic and photogenic. The waters are closer together, and the sky seems to be hidden.

With no high ground, the flash flood risk increases here too, with no high ground. Before your hike, always check the weather. This hike is not recommended if there is a chance of rain in the forecast. Flash floods are deadly, and several people have died here because of being caught in a flash flood. On our way out of the Narrows, we heard a ranger telling someone that if people get caught in a flash flood, the rescuers don’t even go in until the water has receded, so please take caution before hiking the Narrows (or any slot canyon).

We really loved Wall Street, there were fewer people there, and there were a few side trails to explore.

After exploring Wall Street, we started hearing thunder, and with all the things I had heard about flash floods ringing in my ears, we decided to head back.

Last thoughts on Zion NP

After our big hiking day, we headed back to the shuttle stop. There was a long line and we had to wait about 45 minutes. Remember, if you miss that last shuttle at 8:15, or if there is no room on the shuttle (33 people during COVID), you will be walking back, so plan ahead.

On the shuttle ride, and then on the drive back to Kanab, I was enjoying every last view of Zion I could. It really is just magical.

And then, as we were leaving the park, we got to see some of the wildlife in Zion. Bighorn sheep were having their lunch right on the side of the road.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post about some of the awesome hiking options at Zion National Park. And I hope you get to visit it for yourself soon. Stay tuned for more blog posts about my National Park roadtrip.