The Subway

In April 2011, we did a day hike to The Subway in Zion National Park, Utah. This dramatic slot canyon is named for its tunnel-like appearance. John was 58 and I was 56.

There are two ways to get there. The more challenging is the technical top-down route, which requires wetsuits and ropes and utilizes fixed anchors. While we could have done it, we decided not to. We had heard that early-season snowmelt had caused the level of the Left Fork of North Creek to rise so much that many of the anchors were underwater.

Something we didn’t know at the time was that three hikers had started the top-down route three days before, and they had not yet come out. Apparently, they reached a point where they couldn’t continue down, and the water in the creek had risen so high they were unable to go back up. They spent two nights huddled together on a ledge. Fortunately, they were able to hike out the same day we were there. But they came out much later, so we didn’t see them.

We chose to do the bottom-up route instead. But first, we needed to descend into the canyon.

In addition to the high water level in the creek, the water was quite cold so early in the season. In the summer, most hikers do this route in shorts and sandals. However, we were advised to rent some essential equipment: waist-high dry pants, neoprene booties, canyoneering boots and a stout hiking/wading staff.

I was anxious at the beginning, as our very first crossing involved crotch-deep water with a current strong enough to knock me down if I lost my footing even a little.

There is no official trail, as flash floods would just obliterate it, but there are portions of social trails and routes marked with cairns.

However, one must scramble up and down unstable slopes at intervals to bypass obstructions—landslides, rockfalls, large boulders, etc. All of this makes the hike time-consuming.

The increased volume of water provided us with an unexpected treat—a series of beautiful waterfalls below the entrance to The Subway. During the summer, this would be just a series of rock ledges. They were incredible!

We were happy to finally reach our goal. As we approached the entrance, it became obvious how this feature got its name.

We continued to follow the creek and entered The Subway. During the summer, we would have been walking on dry rock. Instead, we had to carefully pick our way on the slippery, wet rock. You can’t see them, but there are several deep pools lurking under the flowing water just waiting for us to fall in.

We got as high as we could. We eventually encountered a narrow part of the canyon, and the water flowing through it was too deep for us to negotiate.

So, we turned around and headed back down the canyon.

Once out of The Subway …

… we got our final look at the lovely waterfalls.

We made our way back down the creek. Due to snowmelt that day, we encountered even higher water levels on our way out. Fortunately, we both stayed upright. There was just enough daylight left to safely make our final creek crossing. We did the rest of the hike in the dark. It took us eleven hours, and we were chilly, hungry and tired when we finally reached our car. Even though we couldn’t get as high in the canyon as we wanted, we were delighted with the experience that we had.

All photos from this trip are on Flickr.