Hiking the Riverside Walk in Zion National Park
Distance (One Way): 1.0 miles / 1.6 km
The Riverside Walk in Zion National Park is the gateway to The Narrows!
That said, the Riverside Walk on its own is a beautiful, easy, paved trail that begins at the very end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and winds its way up the Virgin River to the start of The Narrows. To those uninterested in hiking past the end of the pavement, the Riverside Walk is nothing more than a short standalone day hike, but to others, it is more or less an access trail.
In either case, the Riverside Walk is one of the most popular trails in Zion Canyon, which is true from the moment the first shuttle arrives in the morning until the last shuttle departs in the evening.
The crowds aside, I believe the Riverside Walk is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to enjoy Zion National Park, and it’s a fun way to access the Virgin River and see the beginning of The Narrows without venturing too far from the pavement at the end of the hike!
Is the Riverside Walk Open Year-Round?
Yes, but The Narrows are not!
Whether or not The Narrows are open is a subject I talk about in more detail in my separate article linked below, which I encourage you to read if venturing past the end of the pavement is something that you or others in your party are considering.
Read My Separate Post: The Narrows (Bottom-Up to Big Springs) (Coming Soon)
Riverside Walk Trailhead Parking
When the Zion Canyon Shuttle is operating, parking for any trail off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only possible with a valid parking pass. This is because the 6.2-mile (10.0 km) road up Zion Canyon has very small parking lots at each trailhead and simply cannot handle the number of vehicles that Zion National Park receives on a daily basis. Even those with reservations to stay at Zion Lodge are not permitted to drive past the lodge to park at any of the trailheads farther up the canyon.
That said, the vast majority of visitors will need to find parking outside of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and ride the free shuttle to Stop 9. The Zion Visitor Center and Zion Human History Museum are the best two spots to find parking inside the park.
During the busiest times of the year, the Zion Visitor Center parking lot typically fills completely by 7:30 a.m., with nearby parking spots filling shortly thereafter.
If you do have a valid Zion Canyon parking pass, parking for the Riverside Walk can be found where the road ends at the very end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the same parking lot that serves Temple of Sinawava. I have been given a valid Zion Canyon parking pass before, and I can tell you from experience that you don’t get one just because you want one. Parking passes for Zion Canyon Scenic Drive are handed out on a very limited, case-by-case basis, and frankly, it is not appropriate for me to disclose any more details.
Google Maps Directions: Riverside Walk Trailhead / Zion Visitor Center
Hiking Checklist - Zion
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Zion National Park.
Hiking the Riverside Walk Trail
The Riverside Walk begins on a flat, paved trail, which remains this way for the entire distance to the start of The Narrows.
That said, there are a few minor hills, but for the most part, the elevation changes are negligible, making the Riverside Walk a great kid-friendly and stroller-friendly hike in Zion National Park.
Since the canyon walls in the upper parts of Zion Canyon and The Narrows are so close together, there is actually quite a bit of shade on the Riverside Walk throughout much of the day.
However, as these photos hopefully show, there is very little shade on the Riverside Walk when the sun is directly overhead, which is why I recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt if you plan to hike past the end of the pavement and up into The Narrows.
I say this because even if you begin early, hiking past the end of the Riverside Walk often means spending quite a bit of time in the sun, typically more so than most visitors anticipate, as a hike up The Narrows is often a very slow day in the river!
In addition to a sun shirt, trekking poles can be one of the most important gear items visitors can bring for a hike past the end of the Riverside Walk.
Poles can often be rented from one of the outfitters in Springdale, but since so many hikes in Zion have a lot of elevation change, like Angels Landing, I recommend bringing your own to save money!
Other than these photos showing how beautiful the Riverside Walk truly is, I hope, more than anything, they show how easy the hike is, as it is truly one of the easiest adventures in Zion National Park, comparable only to the Pa'rus Trail near the Zion Visitor Center.
This is the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) mark, or the halfway point between the trailhead and the end of the Riverside Walk.
As the Riverside Walk approaches the end, I think it’s cool to pay attention to the walls of the canyon as they slowly close in, which is exactly why The Narrows are not open year-round—particularly during peak spring snowmelt.
This is the 0.75-mile (1.2-km) mark, meaning there are only 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to go!
End of the Riverside Walk
After exactly 1.0 mile (1.6 km), the Riverside Walk comes to an end, and The Narrows begin!
From here, most visitors typically take off their shoes and walk around in the Virgin River immediately following the end of the trail, but far fewer venture more than 0.25 miles (0.4 km) past the pavement.
Those who do, which is still a fair number of people, often hike to Mystery Falls and even as far as Wall Street, roughly 0.25 miles (0.4 km) and 2.0 miles (3.2 km) upstream, respectively.
The Narrows
Past the end of the Riverside Walk, there is no trail.
The Virgin River Narrows is a long, rugged, and remote river corridor that continues from this point, at the end of the Riverside Walk, to Chamberlain’s Ranch, about 15.8 miles (25.4 km) upstream.
That said, visitors can only legally hike as far as Big Springs without a permit, which is a common day-hiking destination for fit, experienced, and most of all, independent hikers!
You are responsible for your own safety if you decide to hike past the Riverside Walk, and I can speak from experience that a GPS signal is hard to come by deep in the canyon.
If you are interested in hiking to Big Springs, all the details, including where the deepest spots are located of the river are located, can be found in my separate article linked below.
Read My Separate Post: The Narrows (Bottom-Up to Big Springs) (Coming Soon)
