The Subway

The Subway is one of the most sought after back country permits at Zion.  I studied the route both bottom up and top down prior to making an entry into the lottery system.  I was bummed that I didn't win the tickets at first but luckily Katie entered for the day after and won.  Zion only allows 80 people to be on that trail on any given day.

One of the MUST DO's in Zion. 

I made the decision that we needed to leave camp by 8 to finish the hike at an appropriate time.  The whole group joined us besides Baron, Claus, and Grant.  Grant volunteered that he would be able to drop us off and pick us up from the trailhead and we'd leave one car at the trailhead.  

The route we decided to take was the "bottom up" route.  I wasn't sure that everyone would be able to hand line the "top down" way safely and I also didn't want to spend another $60 to rent a dry suit.  

The "bottom up" route is the non-technical way of getting to The Subway.  We started on the Left Fork Trailhead at 8:30 and made our way down to the stream.  The views of the canyon we were utterly jaw dropping for the next 7-8 hours.  I made sure that we were following the route described in the write-ups and made sure everyone was safe and moving at a comfortable pace.  (Thanks Chris for sweeping for the entirety for the hike.) 

Once we hit the bottom of the canyon we made our way up stream.  At first it was boring, but then the features of the stream and rocks started to show.  About an hour or so up we hit a big boulder which looked like it could be climbed.  We toyed around with bouldering for a bit at two places; I'm sure there are way more.  The stream also started to look more interesting with small waterfalls.  We snapped pictures and moved on.  Then we started to hit more and more features along the stream.  At one of the first waterfalls ones we saw, red rock and water just streaming down making for some sick photo opportunities.  There were several more on the way to the subway.  Right before the subway there were two fifteen foot waterfalls streaming down more of that red rock.  We saw a couple of ducks as well.  Just above the falls there was a cut in the earth made by water eroding away at the stream bed.  When we finally reached the subway there was only a couple there.  I thought it would have been way more crowded.  

We walked passed the girl and the guy relaxing and enjoying the view.  The subway was just as amazing if not more amazing than the pictures we saw online.  Right after the subway feature we encountered some pools that were waist deep.  No one wanted to brave the pools except Chris and I.  The pools were really cold but I think a bit warmer than The Narrows.  Chris and I snapped a few pictures and video just passed the pools at a canyon like waterfall.  This was our turn around point.  

We spent maybe forty five minutes getting our fair share of pictures.  There were two big groups that also hiked bottom up and were just as excited as we were when they saw the subway feature.  We made it back out of the trail just after four to meet Grant at the trail head.  

That night we decided to eat out since it was our last night at Zion.  At first we wanted steak but the restaurant (Switchback Steakhouse) we went to was really pricey and the hostesses was really rude.  We decided to eat at another restaurant called Oscar's Cafe, they had some really tasty burgers.  After that we retired back to camp.  

Baron started a fire, he dubbed it the upside down fire.  It uses bigger pieces of wood on the bottom and smaller kindle type of wood at the top. This method of fire making made for hours of fire and warmth.  We stayed out later than usual since we could sleep in the next day.  Christine and Paige played the ukulele while other talked story.   

The next morning we still opted to wake up early and pack up and leave.  We said our goodbyes and started back on the road back home.  On the way back to LA we stopped to grab breakfast in St. George.  We tried a restaurant called The Egg and I.  (It was really good if you are ever are in the area.)  Katie also wanted to stop at the premium outlets in Las Vegas.  She picked up a few things and made our journey back to LA.  Unfortunately we hit that traffic going back into LA.  I guess people go to Vegas to gamble and drive back to LA over the weekend.

The trip to Zion was a huge success.  I really want to go back to the mainland to see what else it has to offer.  Big Sur, Yosemite, John Muir, Pacific Coast Trail, and Yellowstone are just a few that are on my list of to do's. Till then the outer island trips will have to do. 

Photos by Ryan, Paige, Chris, and Katie.

The start of the Left Fork Trail is just passed this sign. 

This sign makes it official, you can die!

This hill is all fine and dandy until you have to hike back up.  Everyone can attest to that. 

The group taking a break to strip some layers of clothes.  It was chilly in the morning but hiking with a lot of layers gets, sweaty. 

Most of the hike looked like this.  Stream crossing with really clear water. 

More stream crossing. 

Cairns marked the trail all the way to our destination. 

Really giant boulders dotted the trail, this was just one of them.  Christine decided to climb a little. 

Going up and over giant boulders was really fun too! 

The first eye popping feature. 

One of my most favorite pictures on the trip was taken by Chris.

This was funny, Katie tried to pull me up.  

The next eye popping feature.  Now it just comes one after the other, I was like a kid that didn't know what to do at Discovery Zone. 

The colors were just unreal.  No other place like it. 

And another one!

We eventually reached The Subway. 

The Subway was a really short feature but was so worth the 4-5 hours upstream. 

Right around the corner there were several cold pools that we didn't want to get wet in. 

Of course Chris and I decided to jump in and see what's a little further.  Check the video to see. 

One last group picture before we leave. 

That night we sat around late enjoying the camp fire under the stars. 

My three season tent got pushed to the limits on this trip with a frozen zipper.  Claus had a 4 season vintage North Face tent. 

Zion National Park The Subway from Ryan Chang on Vimeo.