Virgin River Narrows Permits

 

 

Recreation.gov Links

• Narrows Overnight backpacking reservations can be made here

• Top-down in a day Advanced Reservations can be made here

• Top-down in a day Daily Lottery Applications can be made here

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Sixteen-mile trips through the Virgin River Narrows, from Chamberlain's Ranch to the Temple of Sinawava, can be done as a very long single-day hiking trip, or as a single overnight backpacking trip. Multi-night backpacking trips through the Virgin River Narrows are not permitted. While preparing for your trip, consider your interests, time, and the ability level of your group. Come up with backup plans in case your first and second choices are not available. The Virgin River Narrows may close at any time due to high water, flash flooding, or other factors.

*If 16 miles is too strenuous for your group, you may want to consider hiking the Narrows Bottom-Up route instead. No permit required for the bottom-up route.

Always have a backup plan in mind. Use the pages below to help plan your experience:

• Zion Wilderness Guide
• Narrows Safety
• Narrows Regulations
• Campsite Descriptions
• Wilderness Transportation *Permit holders must arrange their own transportation to the Chamberlain's Ranch Trailhead.

Day Trip or Overnight Trip?

Single Day Hiking Trip

• If you plan to complete all 16 miles of the Virgin River Narrows in a single day, then you will only need to obtain one Wilderness permit for your group, for the date of your trip.
• This Wilderness permit will allow your group to start at the Chamberlain's Ranch Trailhead, hike 16 miles through the Virgin River, and exit at the Temple of Sinawava on the same day.
• Although the route through the Virgin River is non-technical, permit reservations for the single day trip are listed under "Canyoneering Day Trips" in our online permit system.
• Online reservations can be made online at Recreation.gov on the Canyoneering Advanced Reservations page. Advanced Reservations are available for three-month windows.
• The Recreation.gov Canyoneering Daily Lottery is where you can apply for a lottery for a chance to obtain last-minute permits for the Narrows top-down day hike. The Daily Lottery runs every day, two days before your desired trip date.
• *If 16 miles is too strenuous for your group, you may want to consider hiking the Narrows Bottom-Up route instead. No permit required for the bottom-up route.

Overnight Backpacking Trip

• If you plan to complete all 16 miles of the Virgin River Narrows as an overnight backpacking trip, then you will only need to obtain one Wilderness permit for your campsite in the Narrows for the night of your trip. These reservations can be made at Recreation.gov.
• This Wilderness permit will allow your group to start at the Chamberlain's Ranch Trailhead, spend one night in a designated Narrows campsite, and then exit at the Temple of Sinawava the next day.

Before making a reservation, check to determine which campsites and/or dates are available.

Check Availabilty for: 16-Mile Virgin River Narrows Through Day Hiking Trip
or
Check Availabilty for: 16-Mile Virgin River Narrows Overnight Backpacking Trip

 

Daily Lottery: 2 days in advance

*The Daily Lottery is ONLY for the one-day through hiking trip, not for backpacking trips.
An online Daily Lottery is an option when the Advanced Reservations for the Narrows day top-down in a day trips are fully booked. Individuals can apply for the Daily Lottery to obtain any remaining reservations for one-day permits. The Daily Lottery is limited to one request per individual, with options to select up to four canyons. Applications can be submitted two days prior to a trip date, beginning at 12:00am MT. The online drawing is held at 3:00 pm MT, two days before the trip date. Applicants will then be sent a notification email with information about the status of their request at 4:00 pm MT. Any spaces not taken through the Daily Lottery will be available as Walk-in Permits the day before a trip date.

Apply for the Daily Lottery for: 16-Mile Virgin River Narrows Through-Hiking Day Trip

Walk-In Permits for Backpacking Trips: 1 day in advance

• Half of the backpacking campsites in the Zion Wilderness are available on a first come, first serve, walk-in basis.
• Download the Zion Wilderness Map or full Zion Wilderness Guide to view which campsites are available by online calendar reservation and which campsites are available on a first come, first serve, walk-in basis.
• Permits must be obtained in person at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk during normal Hours of Operation. Permits can be obtained the day before, or early morning the day of the trip.

Obtain Your Wilderness Permit

• Plan your trip itinerary to allow sufficient time to obtain your permit the day of, or the day before your trip during our Hours of Operation.
• Allow for at least 20 minutes to obtain a permit. Come prepared with all vehicle(s) information: make, model, and license plate(s).
• All Wilderness permits must be obtained in-person at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk.
• The individual listed as the reservation holder must be the one to obtain the permit, please plan accordingly.

Wilderness Permit Fee:

Day Use / Canyoneering Permit Fees

Lottery Application Fee or Advanced Reservation Fee: $6 lottery application / reservation fee (non-refundable)
Per Person Fee: $10 per person (refundable)
The reservation fee (in lieu of the lottery application fee) and per person fee are also charged for first-come, first-served permits that are issued in person.

Overnight Permit Fees

Permit Fee: $20 per permit (non-refundable)
Per Person Fee: $7 per person per night (refundable)
The same fees are charged for reservations as well as first-come, first-served permits that are issued in person.

Wilderness Permits are Non-Transferable

Traveling in the Zion Wilderness requires careful planning and preparation. Permit holders assume the responsibility of ensuring that their group is aware of the risks involved, is self-reliant, has developed a back-up plan, and will follow park regulations. Because these are such important aspects of trip planning and resource protection, permits for trips into the Zion Wilderness are non-transferable.

If you cannot participate in your trip, please cancel your reservation to provide opportunities for others. If other members of your group still wish to participate in a planned trip, you may coordinate with a new prospective permit holder for them to immediately reserve the available spaces or sites, as soon as your reservation has been cancelled.

You may cancel your reservation online by logging in to your recreation.gov account. As soon as your reservation is cancelled, those spaces or sites will immediately be available for someone else to obtain through the reservations page.

Plan your trip itinerary to allow sufficient time to obtain your permit the day of, or day before the trip during Zion Wilderness Desk Hours of Operation. The individual listed on reservation must be the one to obtain the permit, please plan accordingly.

 

Zion Express Membership

• Zion Express Membership allows visitors who regularly visit the park, and are familiar with the park resources, to obtain express access to create online reservations and convert them into Wilderness Permits from home.

• To become a member, applicants must watch three orientation films at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk. (Membership cannot be obtained in the Kolob Canyons.)

• After watching the films, applicants will sign a Zion Express Program Agreement form. Their express access will be linked to their recreation.gov account.

• There is no cost for enrollment. Membership is valid for three years from the date they signed up. Memberships may be cancelled if any regulations are violated.

 

Plan Your Visit to Zion National Park

 

Plan Your Trip into the Zion Narrows

 

Plan Your Trip into the Zion Wilderness