Temple of Sinawava (Shuttle Stop 9)
Cyanobacteria advisory is active park-wide: NPS says do not submerge your head in or drink water from any river in Zion. The Narrows also closes entirely when the Virgin River exceeds 150 CFS or under a flash flood warning — check the USGS gauge the morning you go.
On parking: there isn't any here. Temple of Sinawava is shuttle stop 9, the last one, on a road closed to private vehicles March 7 – November 28, 2026. You park at the Visitor Center or Springdale and ride ~45 minutes each way.
The facts
- Trail served
- Riverside Walk (1 mi paved, mostly accessible) and The Narrows bottom-up from the Temple of Sinawava
- Cost / pass
- Park entrance $35/vehicle (America the Beautiful accepted). Shuttle free. No permit for bottom-up Narrows day hiking
- Lot size
- No public parking in shuttle season — it's a bus stop with restrooms. In winter, a modest paved turnaround lot that fills fast
- When it fills
- N/A in season. The real clock is the shuttle: the last-stop ride is ~45 minutes each way, and morning queues at the Visitor Center start before 8am in summer
- Overflow option
- Visitor Center lot (350+ spaces) or Springdale paid zones ($15–$25/day) — this is the parking decision, made 8 miles earlier
- Tow / citation risk
- Not applicable in season — the road is closed to you. In winter, use marked spaces only; NPS cites and tows illegally parked vehicles
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Road to the lot
- End of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive; shuttle only Mar 7–Nov 28, 2026, drivable Nov 29–Dec 25 and after Jan 2
- Busy season
- Late spring through early fall for wading. Spring runoff regularly pushes flows past the 150 CFS closure line
Getting there
Get directions →The parking question has already been answered
Temple of Sinawava is stop 9 — the end of the line — on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, and during shuttle season that road belongs to the buses. From March 7 through November 28, 2026 there is no version of this where you drive up and park at the Riverside Walk trailhead.
So the decision that matters happens at the South Entrance: Visitor Center lot (350+ free spaces, gone by early-to-mid morning per NPS) or Springdale's paid zones at $15–$25/day with a free town shuttle in. From the Visitor Center, the shuttle takes about 45 minutes to reach Temple of Sinawava, with buses every 5–10 minutes. Build 90 minutes of round-trip bus time into your day and don't be the person sprinting for the last departure — in the peak schedule the final bus leaves the Temple at 8:15pm.
The two things that close The Narrows
Flow. NPS closes The Narrows to all travel when the Virgin River runs over 150 cubic feet per second, and during flash flood warnings. Below 70 CFS is the comfortable range with knee-deep crossings; above 70 it's mid-thigh and genuinely hard work. The USGS gauge at Virgin River near Springdale updates continuously — check it the morning of, not the week before. Spring runoff blows past 150 routinely.
Cyanobacteria. Park biologists have found toxic cyanobacteria in the Virgin River, and the advisory is current: don't drink the water, don't filter it and drink it, and don't submerge your head. This does not close the hike — people wade The Narrows daily under it — but it does mean packing every drop of drinking water you'll need, which is heavier than most first-timers plan for.
Plan B
If the river's too high or the day's too short, the Riverside Walk is the answer that's already at the same stop: a paved, mostly accessible one-mile path along the Virgin River to where The Narrows begins. It's the best scenery-per-effort in Zion and it stays open when the canyon itself doesn't.
If you want to actually drive to this trailhead, that window is November 29 – December 25 and after January 2, when the Scenic Drive reopens to private vehicles. The parking at the Temple is a modest turnaround lot that fills quickly, and winter Narrows hiking requires a drysuit rental from Springdale — but you will have the place to yourself. And when the shuttle isn't running and the canyon has no legal parking left, NPS has been known to close the Scenic Drive entirely, so start early even in December.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you park for The Narrows in Zion?
During shuttle season (March 7–November 28, 2026) you can't park at the trailhead. Park at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center or in Springdale and ride the free shuttle to Temple of Sinawava, stop 9 — about a 45-minute ride from the Visitor Center.
When does The Narrows close?
NPS closes The Narrows to all travel when the Virgin River flow exceeds 150 cubic feet per second, and during flash flood warnings. Check the USGS gauge for the Virgin River near Springdale the morning you plan to hike.
Is there a cyanobacteria warning at Zion right now?
Yes. NPS advises visitors not to drink water from or submerge their heads in any river in Zion because of toxic cyanobacteria. The advisory does not close The Narrows, but you must carry all your drinking water — filtering river water is not safe against these toxins.
Do you need a permit for The Narrows?
Not for the bottom-up day hike from Temple of Sinawava, which is what most visitors do. The top-down through-hike from Chamberlain's Ranch is a separate wilderness permit.
How long does the shuttle take to Temple of Sinawava?
About 45 minutes each way from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, making a round trip roughly an hour and a half of bus time before you hike anything. Shuttles run every 5–10 minutes in the canyon.
Facts on this page last verified July 21, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.