USA Orderville Canyon

About a mile and a half from the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop or a half mile from where you first get your feet wet at the end of the Riverside Walk, Orderville Canyonr comes into view on your right. Orderville isn’t as well known as its more famous cousin but is also very beautiful. Day hikers doing the bottom-up hike of the Narrows are only permitted to hike up the Narrows as far as a spot called Big Springs which is about five miles from the Temple of Sinawava parking area. It would be a shame to hike the Narrows and not take a short detour up Orderville for a quarter mile or so. The beautiful canyon is well worth the brief detour. This photo was taken from just inside the mouth of Orderville Canyon about 30 yards (27 meters) from the Zion Narrows, looking towards the confluence with the narrows.

Patience. The Zion Narrows is an extremely popular destination from about 9 AM to 4 PM (in the summer) so getting a shot without people requires patience. Be ready when the opportunity arises. This hike is mostly in the river, so appropriate footwear and trekking poles are important and can be rented from numerous outfitters in Springdale, Utah at the southern entrance to Zion N.P. I’ve seen many people begin their hike in flip flops, only to turn around 100 yards/meters from the drop-in. Walking on the submerged wet I gslippery rocks can be tricky and falling in the water is common, so protect your gear.

Springdale, Utah is the gateway to Zion NP. Except for a few weeks in the winter, you must park (primarily) at the visitor centre and ride the free shuttle to the last shuttle stop at the Temple of Sinawava, where the hike up the narrows to Orderville Canyon begins. Unfortunately, Zion NP is very busy almost year-round, so the VERY large parking lot at the visitor centre is frequently full by 8 AM.