For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated with canyons, steep, narrow slots cut into the Earth by rivers, creeks, and streams. The "narrows" of any canyon refers to the place where the canyon squeezes down to its most slender dimension, evoking dramatic light, serpentine form, and, in humans, a humbling sense of beauty and grandeur. Following the Virgin River north into Zion Canyon, 1500- to 3500-foot sandstone walls slowly encroach upon the river, reaching a distance of a mere 1/4-mile at the Temple of Sinawava. From here, the canyon walls squeeze down incredibly, and the river disappears into a deep, dark, mysterious slit in the mountainside, the world-famous and defining Zion "Narrows".

The Narrows hike follows the Virgin River through this dramatic canyon to reach the ultimate "narrows," a portion of the canyon known locally as "Wall Street." Wall Street is a 2-mile (3.2 km) section of slot canyon where the walls thin to 22 feet (7.2m) wide and 1,500 feet (455 m) high. No road or trail can take you to this awesome place; you must walk through the river to see it for yourself. To get there, you may hike the shorter Bottom-Up route, or the full 16-mile Thru-Hike.