Zion National Park: Riverside Walk (Blog Hike #197)

Trail: Riverside Walk

Hike Location: Zion National Park

Geographic Location: north of Springdale, UT (37.28497, -112.94743)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: May 2006

Overview: A flat, paved walk along the wild Virgin River.

Park Information: http://www.nps.gov/zion

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=441964
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The trailhead is accessible only by the free Zion National Park shuttle.  Board the shuttle at the Visitor Center.  Ride the shuttle up canyon to its final stop, the Temple of Sinawava.  Depart the shuttle; the trail begins just left of the permanent restroom building.

The hike: Although native people had known about the canyon for hundreds of years prior, it was not until the 1860’s when the first white men, Morman pioneers, arrived at Zion canyon.  In fact, the name Zion comes from these pioneers who saw the canyon as a sanctuary or place of refuge.  In their theology, the word Zion was a fitting name for such a place.

It did not take long for Zion’s scenery to begin attracting more visitors.  In 1909, the canyon entered what would become the national park system as the Mukuntuweap National Monument.  The designated land holding was expanded twice, once when the name was changed to Zion National Park and became an official part of the national park system in 1919.  The second expansion came in 1937 when the Kolob area, located off of I-15 northwest of the main canyon, was added to the park.  The total area now stands at 147,000 acres of desert and canyonland.

With 65 miles of trails to choose from, ranging from easy to extremely difficult, hikers will find plenty of options in Zion National Park.  While several long trails lead hikers from canyon to canyon, most hiking trails depart from on or near the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which is accessible only by park shuttle for most of the year.  Perhaps the most popular of these trails is the Riverside Walk.  At only a single paved mile in length, the trail is walkable by most people yet allows intimate access with the wild, beautiful Virgin River not found elsewhere in the park.

Exiting the Temple of Sinawava, heading upstream

            The trail begins to the left of the orange-colored permanent restroom facility in the Temple of Sinawava.  The Temple of Sinawava is a large cove located at the north end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  Shuttles use this point as a layover before heading back south to the Visitor Center, so expect large crowds near the trailhead.

Immediately the trail begins to interact with the river, as the first of several designated areas for river access appears to the left.  Make sure you take advantage of at least one of these opportunities.  When I hiked this trail in mid-May, the air temperature was in the mid-90’s and the river water, kept cool by the melting snow from the higher mountain elevations to the north, was a refreshing shock to my system.  While many will enjoy wading in the water, keep a firm handle on kids, as the current is very swift for most of the year, i.e. until the snow has all melted.

Virgin River

            The paved trail stays on the right (east) side of the river as it undulates upstream with a little more up than down.  Low brick walls on the left separate the trail from the river in spots.  At some points the canyon walls close in very tightly and the trail is pressed against the towering red sandstone wall of the canyon, here over 1000 feet in height.  At 0.5 miles, pass a small waterfall on the right as a small stream comes down from the canyon walls and enters the river.

Zion Canyon walls

            The trail undulates for another half-mile mostly in warm sunshine, though occasionally shaded by a small tree or the canyon walls.  One particularly nice river access features a small gravel “beach” at a flat spot right beside the river.  1 mile after leaving the Temple of Sinawava, the Riverwalk Trail ends unceremoniously where the canyon wall completely closes in on the right bank of the river. 

If you notice some people wading upstream in the river at the end of this trail, they are attempting to reach the Virgin Canyon Narrows, a spectacular stretch of canyon less than 20 feet wide and more than 1000 feet high.  Unfortunately, the canyon is so narrow that, in order to reach “the narrows,” one must hike in the river itself.  Such a trip should not be attempted without sturdy boots (to support your ankles on the rocks in the bottom of the river) and a hiking staff (to give you a valuable “third leg” to keep your balance when walking on the rocks).  Also, a trip to the narrows should only be attempted in late summer, after the snow has melted, so the river depth is minimized.  Most visitors should be content with the section of “the narrows” traversed by the paved Riverside Walk, turning around at the end of the paved trail and retracing your steps to the Temple of Sinawava to complete the hike.