*If you're reading this because you want to do this hike, skip past the personal stuff and the pictures and read the "Information Only" at the end of this post*
Gavin and I spent the weekend and then some in St. George for my best friend's second reception/ open house. Because we were going down there anyways, we decided to tack some adventures on to the trip. On Saturday, we went with my friend's family to Zion National Park to hike the narrows. It was fun and beautiful and I need to find a program to edit my videos because I recorded the whole thing on my sony action cam and I can't wait to get it posted!
Monday we did the Subway. I have wanted to do this hike for years but they let less than 100 people in a day, which makes it hard to get a permit. When I checked online a few months ago, there was only one permit left for this Monday, so I snatched it! A week in advance, I entered Gavin in for the last minute drawing to get a permit and guess what- he got it! Tender mercies people, tender mercies. This hike was all it was cracked up to be! Words can't even describe it!
I actually love the permit system because it keeps the natural beauty of this place safe. Also, it was nice to have a quiet, peaceful hike. We hardly saw other hikers.
Almost the whole trail was waterfalls, ponds, and bouldering. The water was so clear! We saw a lot of frogs and fish and lizards.
The thing I love about these pictures is they took absolutely no editing. I took the pictures with my $200 camera and put them straight on the blog. If I knew anything about lighting or editing, these pictures could be gorgeous, but everything you are seeing is completely natural!
The following picture was back behind the subway. This is where the water got deep and we had to swim a little bit to get to the waterfall where the trail ends.
This hike gave me hiker's high (it's like runner's high, but it actually exists)! I hope to be an excellent repeller one day so I can do this hike top-down, but bottom-up was completely satisfying... no shame in it! I'd highly suggest it to anyone!
Let me know if you need a tour guide!
Let me know if you need a tour guide!
Information Only
We went bottom-up so I don't have any information to help you top-downers. Also, we went mid-May and the hike changes depending on the time of year. You need a permit to do the hike. Go to this website to get one. You can either get a permit 3 months in advance while supplies last, or apply for the last minute drawing, which is 2-7 days before the day you want to hike. You have to pay $5 to apply for the permit then another $5/person to pick up your permit. You pick up your permit the day of or the night before at the Zion National Park Visitor's Center.
The trailhead is about 40 minutes away from the Zion Visitor Center. To get to the trailhead you drive (there isn't a shuttle to this one) about 20 minutes toward the town of Hurricane (assuming that's the way you came in) and just after hitting the town "Virgin", you take a right on Kolob Terrace Road. Drive about 8 miles on this road until you see signs for the Left Fork Trailhead. This is where you'll park.
Reading reviews on the hike almost scared me away from it. Everything I read said this hike was very difficult and required a lot of preparation. My husband and I are in decent shape and we hike pretty frequently, but we are nowhere near expert hikers. We did not think this hike was extreme or super challenging. You need some upper body strength for some bouldering, and you need some balance and coordination. The water was only ankle deep, except for the pools in the actual subway were about chest deep. I don't want to make it sound like this hike was easy, because I could see how people would have problems with it. BUT, don't let other people's reviews scare you away if you think it sounds a little too difficult for you.
You start the hike by hiking down to the river. The hardest part of the hike is hiking back up this rocky part as you are headed back to your car. The hike is 9 miles round trip. It took my husband and I about 5 hours, even with stopping and taking pictures. When you get to the river, use that as your trail. There are also some rocks stacked along the way to help guide you through the best routes.
Feel free to comment or email and ask questions. I had a hard time finding accurate information about this hike beforehand so I would love to help. Have fun!
The trailhead is about 40 minutes away from the Zion Visitor Center. To get to the trailhead you drive (there isn't a shuttle to this one) about 20 minutes toward the town of Hurricane (assuming that's the way you came in) and just after hitting the town "Virgin", you take a right on Kolob Terrace Road. Drive about 8 miles on this road until you see signs for the Left Fork Trailhead. This is where you'll park.
Reading reviews on the hike almost scared me away from it. Everything I read said this hike was very difficult and required a lot of preparation. My husband and I are in decent shape and we hike pretty frequently, but we are nowhere near expert hikers. We did not think this hike was extreme or super challenging. You need some upper body strength for some bouldering, and you need some balance and coordination. The water was only ankle deep, except for the pools in the actual subway were about chest deep. I don't want to make it sound like this hike was easy, because I could see how people would have problems with it. BUT, don't let other people's reviews scare you away if you think it sounds a little too difficult for you.
You start the hike by hiking down to the river. The hardest part of the hike is hiking back up this rocky part as you are headed back to your car. The hike is 9 miles round trip. It took my husband and I about 5 hours, even with stopping and taking pictures. When you get to the river, use that as your trail. There are also some rocks stacked along the way to help guide you through the best routes.
Feel free to comment or email and ask questions. I had a hard time finding accurate information about this hike beforehand so I would love to help. Have fun!
