(From the Bottom Up)
Last December, my friend and I decided to hike the Subway in Zion National Park, Utah during the summer. Even though both of us are avid hikers, and originally from Utah, we had never done the Subway and weren't quite sure what to expect. The process of applying for permits, figuring out which direction to hike the thing, what to wear, and where the hike was - was all EXTREMELY confusing. There are a million mixed messages out there, and once I had gone and actually done the hike, I decided to add my voice to the cacophony of others out there, in the hopes that my experience might be of some use. So here it is: the Truth about the Subway (from the bottom up.)
First - some quick stats about myself and my hiking group. There were four of us, and we were all in decent to good shape. One of our group had done the hike from the top down previously (top down is the "hard" way). I am an archaeologist, and am fairly well-acquainted with being in the wilderness and away from people and help for a day or so at a time. We had a guidebook with a topo map (purchased at Zion, but available at REI), compass, and knew when and how to stop and make visual surrounding checks so we knew approximately where we were. We went on June 16, and the temperature was in the high 80s to mid 90s at midday. But in the canyon and in the water, it was still chilly.
Where is the Subway?
The Subway is technically in Zion National Park, but will not be found on the park map that you receive upon entering the park. To access the hike (from the bottom up), you drive approximately fifteen minutes west of ZNP to the town of Virgin, and turn north (right) onto Kolob Terrace Road. This road winds through some private land, BLM land (this is where we camped - FREE!), and eventually leads you over a high spine and into the backcountry of ZNP. There are several trailheads with parking lots and facilities; use the one indicated on your permit. Yes, you NEED a permit to hike the Subway, no matter which way you do it. I'll talk about that later.
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| Check ou the BLM's website - it is FREE to camp on BLM land, so find some! |
What is the Subway?
We've all seen the pictures - the stunning towering red cliffs, waterfalls, and pools. In fact, here are a few for you now. :) Aren't I nice?
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| View facing northeast, from the top of the mesa. |
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| This way to the Subway! |
HOWEVER, the "Subway" is a small rock formation at the end of the bottom up hike, and in the middle of the top down. If you're thinking there will be glorious miles of slot canyoneering on the hike (like I did), you're wrong. Sorry. But don't let that deter you! The entire canyon is stunning, gorgeous, and well worth the time in and out.
What are these permits?
The Subway is a backcountry hike not patrolled by rangers, so it is accessible by permit only. You can apply online for a permit at NPS.gov. It costs a few dollars to apply. You can apply three months in advance of the dates you want to go, and you get to pick three dates. That way, if you don't get your first choice, you might get your second or third. I applied, and got rejected because they were full. We were afraid that we wouldn't get to hike it, but someone mentioned that we could to the information center at ZNP the day before and ask if they had any cancellations. As it turned out, a Boy Scout group had had several people drop out, and they had enough slots left for us to have a permit. I'm told that this is a fairly regular occurrence. So if you get shut down on the online lottery, don't despair! Come to Zion equipped for the hike anyway, and see if you can get in last minute.
How hard of a hike is it?
Good question. I had been fearing a crazy-strenuous hike that would leave me exhausted by mid-day, no matter how in shape I was. It's honestly not as bad as that. I watched several youtube videos of the hike, looked at the NPS's website for information about the Subway, and talked to some people at REI. The NPS will try to frighten you into thinking it's more dangerous than it really is - but that is their job, trying to keep people safe and from doing stupid things. If you're in reasonably good shape, have a good pair of shoes on, plenty of food and several liters of water, there isn't anything to be terribly afraid of. BE SURE to have more water in your vehicle (something chilled in a cooler, say) for when you get out. You'll want some more water, and you'll drink more of it if you have some that hasn't been steeping in your backpack for eight hours.
I won't give specific mileage, but from the trailhead, you hike downslope through some pinion juniper woods until you come out on top of the canyon, on a cliff. It's gorgeous! From there, it is a VERY steep and somewhat precipitous climb down on a trail. Be prepared to scramble around a bit, sit on your bottom and scoot, and hop from rock to rock. Once you reach the base, you will be in the mouth of a fairly wide canyon, right off the Virgin River. From this point on, the trail is more of a pathway than anything else, and there are a few paths to choose. All of them, though, lead upriver, east, which is the way you want to be traveling. The path crosses the river a LOT, and you can go from getting your feet wet to walking upslope through beach sand to hopping and climbing over boulders within a minute or so. The river is very inviting in the summer, but lots of advice I got said to refrain as much as possible from hiking IN the river on the way in. Why? It slows you down, more wear on your body, and the temperature difference could do odd things to you. I waded a bit when I wasn't brave enough to leap across certain boulders, and it was definitely annoying to come onto the shore, get my shoes covered in sand, and then lose my footing on the next boulder obstacle.
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| Lots of river crossings that involve hopping from rock to rock. |
You hike upstream and the canyon narrows. My party left at around 8:30 in the morning, and got within a 1/4 mile of the Subway formation before we stopped for lunch around noon. There are some slippery falls and things that you get to hike up; just be careful and they are lots of fun.
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| The only way up the red waterfall? Right over the top. ;) |
The Subway itself marks the end of the bottom-up trail. It is the midway point of the top down trail, which I honestly know nothing about. :) In June when I was there, there was a decent amount of water from spring run-off, and it was cold. There are several smaller pools that like to HIDE in the Subway, so be sure to watch your footing. I got so excited that I stopped watching where I was walking and found myself up to my shoulders in ice cold water. It was fun and I wasn't hurt, but be sure to watch your step.
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| The entrance to the Subway |
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| The interior of the Subway - where the pools HIDE |
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| A bit deep for me - but you can see the higher waterline from earlier! |
In the Subway, I left my pack on the driest ground I could find and jumped in to wade through about a hundred feet or so of "slot canyon" style formation, to end in the Shower Room, which is a rock alcove with a cascade of water pouring into it. Cold, refreshing, and a total blast!
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| The Shoer Room |
This is also the turnaround point (obviously, since you can't get any further). You might run into people here who are doing the top-down hike. They will repel into the slot canyon via their rope and harness (yes, they ARE necessary) and you will be able to see that they hiked towards the canyon from the east.
You get out the same way you got in - in a general westerly direction. Make sure that you have a good idea of what the cliff that you came down from that morning looks like! If you wind up on the other side of the river at your exit point, you will miss the tiny plaque that points you up the slope. The upslope was, for me, the worst part of the hike. I don't do uphills all the well, and straight uphill scrambling after nearly nine miles of clambering over boulders, swimming, and wading is a bit much on me, haha! But, make it up, and you're just a short walk away through the woods to the trailhead. And yes - remember there IS a bathroom there! :) It was about 4:30 when we finally made it back to the vehicles.
How should I dress?
This is an excellent question. I wore some gym shorts and a light t-shirt that I could swim and get wet in, and that would dry quickly. They worked really well, and I just made sure I applied plenty of sunscreen to my pasty Scandinavian self. I also made sure I had on a hat to keep the sun off my head. The bigger question here? What SHOES do I wear? I own four pairs of hiking boots/shoes/sandals, and I will tell you that, for me, none of them were the proper shoe. I wore a pair of Keen hiking sandals, thinking - hey, water hiking - and was miserable the moment we left the Subway to come out. I had three enormous blisters on my left foot. Another person in my party wore some Chaco hiking sandals, and he was fine. However, he hikes in and wears them day in and out, so apparently that worked for him. The other two people in my party took the advice of an REI person, and it seemed to work the best: wear a pair of running shoes or trail runners that you don't mind getting soaked, and some socks. The shoes will give you plenty of stability to hike and boulder, and will protect your feet from rocks while you swim and wade. Bring extra pairs of socks!! After you have left the Subway, and are fairly sure you're going to stay mostly on dry land on the way out, change your socks. Make sure to let your feet dry out before putting them and your shoes back on to reduce the chance of chafing and blisters. And if you get wet again, a third pair of dry socks will be your best friend ever, especially when you get to that final uphill climb.
I wore my trusty CamelBak, and everything inside was in doubled up ziploc bags. This meant that even though my pack got wet sometimes (and could potentially have been easily soaked), my food, camera, and first aid kit where dry. I have a 2.5 liter water bladder, which I had filled, and a Nalgene bottle as well. I had enough water to keep me hydrated, and I made it out with some to spare. DON'T skimp on the water. The heat, exercise, and climate (if you're not used to high deserts) will really dehydrate you, and you're a long way from help at that point.
It is a pack it in, pack it out kind of place, which means you need to think ahead as far as bathroom privileges go. It isn't honestly all that hard, you just need to have thought it through ahead of time. :)
So that's it! That's the mysterious Subway unravelled for you. Have fun and be safe!
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| Lunch |
