Walking the Narrows

The Virgin River is shallower than the photos suggest and colder. The walk is not the river — the walk is the river. There is no parallel trail. There is only the sound of moving water against your shins and the periodic full silence when you step into a pool that swallows your knees.

Gear that mattered

• Canyoneering shoes + neoprene socks. Rented from Springdale; non-negotiable.
• A walking stick. Not optional. The river bottom is rounded boulders.
• Dry bag. Camera, phone, snacks, second pair of socks.

When to go

We went in shoulder season — late March — and the water was high and bracing but doable. In summer the crowds are heavy and flash-flood risk goes up fast. Check the forecast obsessively. The rangers don’t joke about this.

The light

Two hours in, the slot narrows to maybe ten metres wide. The walls are a layered orange that the eye keeps wanting to photograph. The camera lies about it every time. Just stand there. It’s better.