The Subway

This page describes the top‑down canyoneering route of the Subway. If you are looking for the non‑technical bottom‑up hiking route, be aware that the bottom‑up route serves as the exit for this top‑down descent. A permit is required, and your entry point must be listed as “Wildcat Canyon Trailhead.” The Subway is an extremely popular route through the Left Fork of North Creek. The “Subway” itself—the iconic tunnel‑shaped section that gives the route its name—is only a small portion of the full journey and can be reached either from this top‑down approach or from the non‑technical bottom‑up hike. Approaching from the top involves a long slickrock traverse requiring solid route‑finding, followed by a strenuous descent through the river gorge that includes extensive boulder hopping in the watercourse, informal use‑trails with multiple river crossings, and a steep, loose climb out of the canyon back to the plateau. The Subway is sometimes described as a relatively easy technical canyon—but that characterization only applies if you already have solid canyoneering experience. Compared to many other technical descents, it is on the easier side, but hikers or beginners should not interpret it as “easy.” This remains a true technical canyoneering route requiring ropes, rappelling skills, appropriate gear, and the competence to use that gear correctly. Because the rappels are bolted, the route can feel approachable, which unfortunately leads some groups to underestimate the risks. Most parties complete the route without issues—as long as nothing goes wrong. When something does, consequences tend to be serious. There have been numerous rescues, accidents, and fatalities in the Subway involving falls, rappel incidents, and other hazards. For this reason, even though the route may be considered “easy” relative to other canyons, it should never be underestimated. Descending routes such as Russell Gulch, Das Boot, or Upper Left Fork requires a separate permit. If doing any of these upper routes and exiting via the Subway, an additional permit for the Subway is required. Permits for Das Boot and the Subway are obtained through the standard reservation system, while permits for Russell Gulch and Upper Left Fork are issued at the Zion Backcountry Desk.

The top-down approach to the Subway includes about 3.5 miles of hiking on a mix of official, maintained trails and unmaintained paths. It also involves some steep downclimbing and a significant amount of sun exposure. Portions of the route cross open slickrock, while others pass through vegetated terrain. In these areas, where you choose to walk becomes important. Stay on the most obvious, well-worn path rather than wandering across untrampled surfaces or stepping on vegetation. Not only does this help preserve the environment and reduce damage, but keeping traffic confined to a single line makes the route easier for others to follow. Much of the route naturally follows shallow drainages where water flows during storms, which helps minimize vegetation impact. On sandstone, trails do not naturally wear in, so the only reliable trail markers are small stacks of rocks called cairns. Look for these, but do not add to them or remove them. Leave existing cairns as they are, and do not build your own. Unfortunately, when people build and leave behind rock stacks as artwork in places like this, they can mislead hikers and get people lost. These markers are functional waypoints, not decorations. NOTE: To make the approach easier to follow, the description below has been subdivided into sections based on the most prominent terrain features. From the Wildcat Canyon Trailhead: After leaving the maintained trail and stepping onto the unmaintained portion of the route, you’ll hike a short distance before reaching the first distinctive landmark: a white sandstone “shelf.” This shelf is a natural flat spot that cuts across a sloping section of sandstone. While the slope itself has a moderate angle, it steepens below the shelf to the east and is too steep to descend safely and comfortably. In practice, the most intuitive and safest line of travel is to walk along the shelf, which runs southeast, roughly paralleling the drop-off. Follow the shelf a few hundred yards or so until it ends at a point where the edge becomes noticeably less steep and the rock forms an easy, well-used downclimb. The descent spot is obvious, as you will see a well-worn path through the sandy soil at the base in the drainage below where other groups have traveled. Below the shelf, the terrain opens up into sandy soil and low vegetation. This is one of the more sensitive sections of the approach and errant footsteps cause most of the visible impact here. Stay in the most well-traveled path and avoid cutting across undisturbed patches of soil or plants. Cairns appear intermittently, and following the GPX track--downloaded from on this page--can be especially helpful if the path becomes less obvious. After traveling through the more vegetated white-sand and brown-dirt section, you’ll reach a small cliff band. At this point the route drops through a gully on the east that you'll downclimb. The downclimbing is pretty easy but the entire gully is well worn from years of use, with tree roots, loose rocks, and smooth patches of polished sandstone. Sit low or butt-scoot where needed, and use rocks or small trees for handholds. The downclimbing starts immediately, with a couple of short switchbacks at the top to get past the initial lip. After these brief switchbacks, the descent continues as a single, steady slope to the south that you downclimb, or slide, in one direction. At the base of the gully, the terrain opens into a wider drainage. Here the orange, pink, and red sandstone becomes more prominent, marking the beginning of the first slickrock bowl. After navigating the cliff and gully, you’ll enter the first slickrock bowl. Here the drainage opens up fairly wide, and you’ll walk downhill on slickrock and sand and through scattered ponderosa pine trees. At the bottom of the bowl, you’ll cross a small watercourse which is the beginning of Russell Gulch. You may or may not even notice the crossing it, depending on conditions. After crossing Russell Gulch, continue uphill on the far side of the bowl. You’ll immediately see that the route climbs back up across red sandstone as you work your way toward the saddle that separates the first slickrock bowl from the second. The saddle between the first and second slickrock bowls features a pair of prominent rock domes that make natural spots for a quick rest or to regroup. These domes are colloquially known as Resting Rocks. The Subway route can be a very long day, so taking a brief break here is fine—but don’t linger too long. There’s still a demanding journey ahead, and it’s important not to burn too much time resting early in the day. From Resting Rocks, the views are very picturesque as you peer into the second sandstone bowl and beyond. This bowl is even wider and more scenic than the first. If you look south, you can see a promontory in the distance. This is generally the spot you’ll be aiming for. You will not hike directly to the top of the promontory, but you will travel to and around it before dropping into the drainage below. Taking note of this feature from Resting Rocks can help you identify your line of travel. From Resting Rocks, the route drops into the second slickrock bowl. This bowl is even more wide open and sun-exposed than the first. It isn’t steep, but over the long, low-angled walk down the slope you may begin to feel your thighs starting to burn a bit. There should be several rock cairns to follow, although the shape of the bowl naturally pushes you in the correct direction as you descend. At the bottom of the bowl, you’ll cross another small watercourse that you may or may not even notice. Beyond this point, the terrain doesn’t climb steeply uphill the way the first bowl does. Instead, it undulates gently up and down and moves through more vegetated terrain as the route continues toward the prominent point visible from Resting Rocks. The line of travel will also bend from southeast to due south as it approaches that feature. To your right (west), the Russell Gulch drainage now becomes much deeper and more obvious and prominent. Russel Gulch is the side drainage running generally parallel to you. As you get close to the promontory, the route skirts around its west side and ends at an overlook. From this vantage, you’ll be able to see into both Russell Gulch and the Left Fork of North Creek. From here, the route drops dramatically down into Russell Gulch via a steep downclimb, The downclimb is very well worn, with plenty of tree roots, loose rocks, and smoothed sandstone. It isn’t particularly exposed or difficult, but you do need to exercise some care. The biggest hazard is the potential for people to kick rocks or debris onto others below, especially if the group is bunched up. Spread out and descend carefully. The downclimb places you in the bottom of Russell Gulch (a side canyon to the Left Fork of North Creek), in an area where you’ll often encounter a pool of water whose size and depth vary by season. Sometimes it’s full enough that you’ll need to walk through water; other times it’s much shallower. From this point, it’s only a few hundred yards to the junction with the Left Fork, where you officially enter the Subway route and begin the technical portion of the canyon. Most groups pause here to regroup after the downclimb. Some use this spot for a quick snack or an extended break to change into wetsuits and gear up for the technical section; others prefer to continue farther downstream and wait until the first obstacle or deeper water before suiting up. Either approach is fine—just try to avoid doing both. If half the group gears up or takes a long break here while the other half plans to wait, you’ll end up with two extended stops: one at Russell Gulch and another a short distance down canyon when the rest of the group finally needs to suit up. This eats up far more time than people expect and can make the day significantly longer. To stay efficient—without rushing—communicate a plan at the top of the downclimb so everyone knows whether the group is gearing up here or waiting until later.

Once in the Left Fork of North Creek drainage follow the river down stream. From here there won't be any trails as you are now in the river gorge and the watercourse. This is where the technical portion of the route begins. As you make your way down canyon you will encounter some small up climbs, down climbs, and a few rappels on your way to the Subway proper. Once in sight of the Subway proper section there will be a waterfall and a final rappel off of two bolts on the RDC (Right Down Canyon) side. In the past there was a log at the top off the waterfall that could be crossed; however that log has been gone for over a decade now. While it is possible to jump the gap over the waterfall, it is not advised to do so. People jumping this gap have had close calls and landed with bad footing. If you find beta that says you do not need to rappel or that you can cross on the log then that beta is outdated and no longer applicable. The Subway Top-Down Route is a technical canyoneering route so expect there to be up to four possible rappels (depending on skill level and water level) but at least one mandatory rappel. All rappels are easy by canyoneering standards; however, by novice or beginner standards they are nothing to take lightly. Even the smallest rappel in the Subway has claimed a life. Don't underestimate the technicality of the Subway. The anchors, bolts, webbing, etc. that exist in the canyon were not installed by, nor are they maintained by, the national park service. Some beta sources falsely claim otherwise. The bolts were installed--with express authorization form the park service--by experience canyoneers long ago and it is canyoneers who maintain them. The webbing is changed out by canyoneers descending the route. Handlines, if left in place, are done so by canyoneers. There is no one who is actively managing and maintaining this infrastructure. As a canyoneer descending the route you many need to contribute to replacement and maintenance of anchors, webbing, etc.

From the end of the technical section it is about 3.5 miles back to the Left Fork Trailhead. This exit includes roughly 2.2 miles of hiking in the river, followed by about a mile or so of trail-like travel with a few remaining river crossings, a steep uphill climb, and a final stretch across the plateau. Just below the Subway—with the iconic tunnel is still in view—is an ideal place to rest, refuel, and rehydrate before you begin the exit hike. This is also a great place to remove harnesses, wetsuits, and other technical gear and stow them in your backpack since they will not be needed during the exit. Once you leave this the resting spot the character of the canyon changes quickly. The canyon begins to open up more. The walls further apart are less vertical. The first few hundred yards feature two distinct sections of wide, gently-sloped sections of redrock slabs. The rock is carver with fissures and shallow water channels. These slabs can be extremely slippery--even when dry. There are some shallow, sculpted and stepped falls on which a bit of playful sliding is possible, but caution is warranted as you can get banged up sliding down. Beyond the res slabs, the terrain shifts into sustained boulder-hopping. From this point forward, expect about 2.2 miles of travel in the main watercourse. This includes frequent boulder-hopping, occasional downclimbs, and consistently uneven footing. Some hikers find this stretch enjoyable; others find it exhausting. Informal social trails appear along the banks from time to time, but staying in the creek is almost always the most efficient option. These side trails are intermittent, fragile, and discouraged by the park due to vegetation damage and erosion. Many hikers assume they offer easier passage, but searching for them often takes more time and energy than simply committing to the boulders directly ahead. As you continue downstream, the canyon opens enough that a more continuous—though still unmaintained—informal trail develops on the north side of the canyon. This path becomes easier to follow and provides a break from the constant rock-hopping. It generally continues for about a mile until you reach the point where the route leaves the watercourse and begins the steep climb out. At the point where you leave the watercourse, the route turns sharply uphill and steeply climbs a series of loose, rocky switchbacks to the plateau. Over the years this hill climb has earned a reputation for being a grueling, exhausting slog. That reputation gave rise to its tongue-in-cheek nickname, “Little Girl’s Misery,” a playful riff on “Fat Man’s Misery,” a canyoneering route south of the park. While the climb can be challenging, its difficulty is often overstated. Much of the struggle comes from timing: it arrives exactly when most people are at peak fatigue after hours of cold water, uneven footing, and technical travel. Legs are tired, energy is low, and motivation tends to dip. It also feels tougher for those who aren’t used to steep climb-outs or who may not be as fit as they hoped at the start of the day. That combination is a big part of why the hill developed its reputation. At a steady pace with a few short breaks, most hikers get up it without trouble, even if it takes real effort at the end of a long day. A bit of mental preparation makes all the difference. At the base of the climb there is sometimes a small sign marking the turn, but it isn’t reliable. Flash floods wash it out regularly, and even when it’s present it’s remarkably easy to walk right past without realizing it. This junction is one of the most commonly missed points on the entire route. Missing the turn is not a small mistake. If you continue downstream instead of climbing out, the canyon stretches on for miles before possible exit points. Plenty of groups have made this error—some because they never saw the sign, some because they didn’t recognize the faint trail on the right, and others because they reached the junction late in the day and were hiking out in the dark. It’s a good reminder that canyoneering often takes longer than expected. Always carry reliable, waterproof headlamps and be fully prepared to complete the exit in the dark if necessary. After topping out from the switchbacks, the character of the hike shifts and becomes easier. The final walk follows a well-worn trail across open scrub oak terrain, trending gently uphill and then flattening out as it approaches the Left Fork Trailhead. Although this section is far less strenuous than the climb below, tired legs and accumulated mileage can still make it feel longer than it is. Expect roughly half a mile of straightforward walking before reaching the parking lot and your exit vehicle.