Zion Photography Guide: The Subway, the Narrows and Beyond

My first trip to Zion was in 2002 or 2003. The more I visit, the further I get from the main locations. There is so much more to Zion than the icons. It just takes some exploring to find it.

This Zion photography guide is more my perspective than a list of viewpoints. It covers the two hikes behind some of my prints, what to do when it snows, and how I work out a small scene over several visits. The practical details you need are here too: permits, the shuttle, what to wear in the river, and which film to carry. Prints from those trips are in my Zion National Park photography prints.

I photograph Zion on 4x5 large format film. Most, if not all, of the images in this post were made with my Tachihara or my Arca-Swiss.

Planning a Zion Photography Trip

Getting There

• From Las Vegas: about 170 miles (about 3 hours)
• From Salt Lake City: about 300 miles (4.5 to 5 hours)
• From St. George, Utah: about 50 miles (under an hour)

The main entrance is at Springdale, on the south side of the park. The east entrance is on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

Park Fees and Hours (2026)

• Private vehicle: $35, good for 1 to 7 days
• Zion annual pass: $70, for US citizens and residents
• Non-US residents 16 and over: an additional $100 per person, unless entering with a qualifying annual pass
• Hours: open 24 hours

Fees and rules change, so check the park's website before you go.

The Zion Shuttle and Early Starts

The shuttle decides when you can start. It runs daily from March through November and again over the late-December holidays. While it's in season you can't drive your own vehicle on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, and that includes the hours before the first shuttle and after the last one.

This fall the first shuttle leaves the Visitor Center at 7:00 am. The last one out of Temple of Sinawava is 7:15 pm through October 24 and 6:15 pm through November 28. Don't wait for the last one. If it's full or you miss it, you may be walking back.

When the shuttle isn't running, usually December through February, you can drive the canyon. The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway stays open to private vehicles all year. Check the current shuttle schedule when you plan your trip, because the dates change.

Best Time for Zion Photography

Fall. Most of my Zion prints are from fall. The color here doesn't cover whole hillsides. It's a stand of bigtooth maple or a cottonwood by the river, turning in October while the rock around it stays the same. Maple Glow and Heart of Maples both came from that short window.

Winter. Zion doesn't get a lot of snow, so when it's possible, it's worth the trip. The snow against the orange canyon walls makes everything stand out. It usually doesn't last long either, so you need to get there early and be ready. Zion Snowstorm and Snow Covered Tree are what you get for making that drive.

Spring and summer. Plan around the water. Snowmelt can close the Narrows for weeks. In 2024 the river ran above the closure level from April 11 to May 19. Summer brings heat and flash flood risk, so check the forecast before entering any canyon.

Photographing The Subway in Zion

The hike to the Subway is tough, especially when you add the weight of 4x5 camera gear. To get there for the best light, you start before dawn and hike down a steep canyon. Then you drop into the river and spend a few miles scrambling over boulders or walking in the water.

The last half mile is where all the best locations are: Archangel Falls, The Crack, and finally the Subway itself.

Golden Glow and The Crack were made on the same day, The Crack on Provia. That's what a full day in that last half mile can give you.

Save something for the end. The hike back up the steep canyon wall, when you're already exhausted, is the toughest part of the day.

My Subway trail guide from the Left Fork Trailhead walks through the route in detail.

Subway Permits and Route Facts

• Permit: a wilderness permit is always required. Apply through the seasonal lottery up to four months ahead or the daily lottery two days before your trip.
• Pickup: in person at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk. Allow at least 20 minutes.
• From the bottom: about 9 miles round trip from the Left Fork Trailhead. The park rates it very strenuous and it requires route finding.
• From the top: about 9.5 miles one way, with rappelling, 60 feet of rope and cold swims. This is a technical canyoneering route.
• Day use only: no overnight camping on either route.

Get the current details from the park's Subway page.

Photographing The Narrows in Zion

The Narrows is an amazing hike. Plan on a full day, and start as early as you can so you reach the better areas before the best light hits. Before dawn is possible when you can drive the canyon. During shuttle season, be on the first shuttle.

It's an out and back, so I normally go in as far as I can. Some years you run into sections where the water is chest deep and would go over my dry pants. That's usually where I stop and turn around.

What to Wear in the Narrows

The right gear makes this hike much more pleasant. Dry pants with neoprene socks, or waders, keep you warm and dry enough to stay comfortable all day.

Bring a good pair of trekking poles. The rocks on the bottom are slick and the water pushes you around, especially in the deeper sections. The poles help with both.

Narrows Permits and Closures

• From the bottom: no permit needed as far as Big Spring, a strenuous ten-mile round trip. A one-mile paved walk from Temple of Sinawava (Shuttle Stop 9) takes you to the river.
• From the top: the 16-mile through-hike from Chamberlain's Ranch requires a wilderness permit.
• Water level: closed to all travel above 150 CFS. Between 70 and 150 CFS, expect thigh-deep crossings and chest-deep pools.
• Flash floods: closed during a Flash Flood Warning and for at least two hours after it's lifted. Check the forecast before you go in.

The park also lists cyanobacteria exposure as a risk, so read the park's Narrows page before your trip.

Film and Long Exposures in Zion's Canyons

The Narrows can be quite dark even in the middle of the day. The walls are high, the opening is narrow, and not a lot of light makes it through. Exposures can easily run into minutes, not seconds, so a stable tripod is an absolute must.

Picking the right film matters just as much. Ektar is quite often my go-to for the Narrows and the Subway because of its dynamic range, though the reciprocity makes those long exposures even longer.

I've shot Velvia there with success, but some areas have more dynamic range than Velvia can handle comfortably. It can be done with Velvia or Provia. You just have less room for mistakes.

Most of what makes these canyons glow is reflected light. Zion Canyon Glow is a good example, on Velvia 50. I go deeper into it in my post on bounce light.

Finding Your Own Zion Photography Locations

Life's Path and Yucca and Pine Trees are small scenes I found while scouting away from the more popular locations. Finding a scene like that means so much more to me than reshooting the places everyone already knows about.

You have to find the scene, then work out the best light for the subject. That usually takes a few visits to narrow down before I even set up the 4x5.

I won't tell you where these are. You can find them if you look, and that's part of it.

The Famous Zion Viewpoints

The main locations are still here, and they're easy to find. Towers of the Virgin Sunrise is my own take on one of them. The first sun on the peaks left the valley floor in deep shadow, and that contrast is why I chose Ektar. Here's what you need to know about the others:

• The Watchman: a sunset location. The Canyon Junction bridge used to be the popular spot, but shooting from it is no longer allowed. The Pa'rus Trail runs along the river nearby and has other views of it.
• Court of the Patriarchs: a short walk from Shuttle Stop 4.
• Canyon Overlook: a short trail, about a mile round trip, off the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. No shuttle needed.
• Angels Landing: everyone going past Scout Lookout needs a permit, through the seasonal or day-before lottery. You can hike to Scout Lookout without one.
• Observation Point: rockfall cut the trail from Zion Canyon. You can only reach it from the east, and the East Mesa route needs high clearance or 4-wheel drive on dirt roads.
• Emerald Pools: water, plants and red rock, with the most flow in spring.

Everything I've printed from the park is in my gallery of Zion National Park photography prints, with more from the state in my gallery of Utah landscape photography prints. If you're adding another desert park to the trip, my Death Valley guide covers how I work there.