Riverside Walk: Zion's Paved Path to the Narrows

At the far north end of Zion Canyon, the road stops and the canyon keeps going. The last shuttle stop drops you at a natural amphitheater called the Temple of Sinawava, and from there the only way forward is on foot. That’s where Riverside Walk begins.

The trail is 1.1 miles one way, fully paved, and follows the Virgin River as the canyon walls close in around you. It ends at the entrance to the Narrows, where the pavement gives out to river rock and water. You don’t need a permit, special gear, or a fitness test. Just shoes and water.

The Temple of Sinawava

The shuttle drops you at the Temple of Sinawava, shuttle stop number nine, the last stop on the Zion Canyon line. Early Mormon settlers named this spot for a coyote spirit from Paiute tradition. The name stuck.

Step off the shuttle and you’re already inside something remarkable. The canyon walls here rise 2,000 feet on either side. The river is audible before you see it. The rock is Navajo Sandstone, layered in cream and buff and rust, with dark streaks of desert varnish running down the vertical faces. Most people stop here for a few minutes before starting the walk, and it makes sense. The scale takes a moment to register.

The trailhead kiosk has basic information about the Narrows and current conditions. Check the flash flood risk rating if you plan to wade any distance into the river at the end. The main Riverside Walk is paved and sits above the river, so flooding doesn’t usually affect it. But the Narrows itself can flood fast and without warning.

Walking the Path

Riverside Walk follows the east bank of the Virgin River for its full length. The paved surface is wide, smooth, and nearly flat. The official elevation change is 57 feet over 1.1 miles. You’ll notice some gentle undulation but nothing that qualifies as climbing.

The river stays close. You can hear it the whole way, and the trail dips near the water at several points. Cottonwood trees line the lower sections, filling in with leaves from April through October. In fall, those same cottonwoods go bright yellow against the red canyon walls. It’s one of the more striking color combinations in the park.

As you walk north, the canyon walls get closer together and taller. The sky overhead narrows to a strip. By the time you’re halfway along the trail, you can hold your arms out and point at both walls at once, though they’re still hundreds of feet away. The effect is hard to describe. The canyon is compressing around you, and the walls just keep going up.

Morning is better for photography on Riverside Walk. The sun enters the upper canyon from the east in the morning, lighting the upper faces of the Navajo Sandstone in warm light. By afternoon, much of the lower canyon is in shadow. Neither is bad, but if you have a choice, take the early shuttle.

The Hanging Gardens

About halfway along the trail, water begins to seep through the canyon walls. It comes out of the rock in slow weeps and thin trickles, emerging from the boundary between the porous Navajo Sandstone above and the harder Kayenta Formation below. The moisture feeds hanging gardens on the cliff face.

Maidenhair fern grows in dark green curtains from cracks in the rock. Columbine blooms yellow in spring. Monkeyflower turns the wet seeps orange-red from June through August. Moss covers the damp stone in every shade of green. These plants survive in a desert canyon because of a geological accident, a layer of impermeable rock that redirects water sideways until it finds an exit.

The hanging gardens are more impressive in person than in photos. They grow right out of bare vertical rock, 50 and 100 feet up, completely improbable. Most people walk past without stopping. Take a minute to look.

Where the Pavement Ends

The paved trail stops at 1.1 miles, right where the canyon floor fills with river. The Virgin River runs bank to bank across the full width of the canyon. There’s no dry path around it. Forward progress from here means getting your feet wet.

Looking ahead from the pavement’s end, the Narrows are visible. The canyon walls press in tight on both sides, and the river winds between them and disappears around a bend. You can see maybe a quarter mile into the Narrows before the walls cut off the view.

The water temperature at the Narrows entrance runs around 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit through most of the year, dropping closer to 50 in winter and early spring. Even in July, it’s cold. Most people who aren’t planning to do the Narrows hike stand at the pavement’s end, take photos of the gap in the walls, and turn around. That’s a completely reasonable choice. You’ve already seen the best parts.

If you want to wade in a short distance, go for it. The first 50 feet give you the experience of standing inside the Narrows with the walls looming above. Beyond that, the river rocks get slicker and the water gets deeper. Without a walking stick and water shoes, progress gets harder fast.

Who This Trail Is For

Everyone, genuinely. Riverside Walk is one of very few trails in Zion that a visitor with a wheelchair or stroller can experience from start to finish. The surface is maintained, the grade is gentle, and the width accommodates two people side by side the whole way.

That said, don’t think of it as a trail for people who can’t do the hard hikes. It’s worth doing for its own reasons. The canyon experience is different from any viewpoint hike. You’re inside the canyon, at river level, with the walls on both sides. No other Zion trail gives you this specific perspective for this little effort.

Families with young kids often do Riverside Walk as part of a Zion day trip, pairing it with a shuttle ride up the canyon and a stop at the Emerald Pools. Hikers finishing the top-down Narrows come out at this trailhead, so you’ll often see groups of soaked, stick-carrying hikers emerging from the river while you’re walking in. They look satisfied in a way that’s contagious.

First-time Zion visitors often find Riverside Walk more affecting than they expected. It’s easy to dismiss a flat paved trail as a warm-up. But the Temple of Sinawava amphitheater and the narrowing canyon walls tend to change that thinking quickly.

Practical Notes

The Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop is stop number nine at the far end of the canyon line. During peak season, the shuttle runs every 6 to 7 minutes from the Visitor Center. Expect a 30 to 45-minute shuttle ride each way during busy periods.

Bring water. The walk is easy but the canyon can be warm during summer afternoons, and there’s no water source on the trail. One liter per person is enough for the 2.2-mile round trip.

The trail is open year-round. In winter, the canyon air is cool and the crowds are thin. Ice on the paved surface is rare at this elevation but possible in January. Traction devices aren’t needed but check conditions if you’re visiting during a cold snap.

Flash flood risk affects the Narrows but not Riverside Walk itself. Still, if the park has issued a flash flood watch, don’t wade into the river at the end of the trail. The walk itself is safe, but the narrow canyon amplifies any flood coming down from the watershed.

Frequently Asked Questions