Loading...

๐ŸŽ† 50% off 4th of July sale on Supporter Accounts โ€” now through July 6! Learn More.

Grand Wash to The Narrows

Directions
Map
Pictures
Send to App
Distance:
2.4 Miles / 3.9 km
Type:
Out-and-Back
Difficulty:
Easy
Time to Hike:
1 hour, ~12 minutes
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Capitol Reef National Park
Town:
Fruita, Utah
Directions:
38.278065, -111.19224
Added:
September 28, 2023
Updated:
October 05, 2023
Copy Trail Link Hiking this trail? Send a friend or family member a link to this trail guide for your own safety. Hike at your own risk (disclaimer)
Loading...
Loading...
212'

Total Change
255'

Ascent
258'

Descent

Download the Trail Route for Offline Use

Supporters get exclusive access to download trail routes to the MyHikes app for offline use. Stay prepared on your adventure, even without an internet connection! Become a Supporter today to unlock this feature and hike with confidence.

Send to App

Grand Wash to The Narrows

Grand Wash to The Narrows at Capitol Reef National Park near Fruita, Utah is an easy 2.4-mile out-and-back hike that leads to The Narrows - steep and narrow canyon cliffs that soar hundreds of feet into the air. The hike also includes rock carvings, optional scrambles, and interesting tunnels and rock formations that were carved out by water over millennia.

Trails
This hike follows one named trail: Grand Wash Trail.

Hike Description
This hike begins along UT-24 at the main trailhead for the Grand Wash. Hikers will head into the dry creek bed (dry wash) to begin their hike, but as of September 2023, the start is a bit confusing. Hikers will walk down the very steep, but short, embankment just beyond the trailhead sign. This embankment is full of human-placed rocks that are built-up to keep the trail from washing away during flash floods, but it's also held back with a metal grate material that's a bit broken. Watch your step and don't let the rusty metal cut you on the hike in.

Once in Grand Wash, the hike is easy and straight forward - follow the dry creek bed upstream to reach The Narrows (or further if you wish), however, there are some points-of-interest along the way that you might want to check out on your way.

Steep Canyon Cliffs - Mile 0.3
Around mile 0.3, the steep canyon cliffs of Grand Wash start to really come into view. If hiking with a partner, this starts photo opportunities where you can snap a shot with your friend, spouse, or partner for scale - as it's virtually impossible to tell how tall these massive cliff walls really are without some frame of reference.

Optional Scramble - Mile 0.43
Around mile 0.43, hikers may spot a neat-looking rock scramble that leads into a dead-end cave, located on the south side of the trail. This ~10-foot rock scramble is pretty fun stop along the Grand Wash to try out your hand at some very-light rock climbing.

Optional Tunnel Exploration - mile 0.55
Around mile 0.55, located on the north side of the trail, is a deep tunnel that juts approximately 30-feet into the canyon's cliff side. If you're looking for another strange stop along the Grand Wash, be on the lookout for this funky dead-end tunnel.

Towering Cliffs - Mile 0.6
At mile 0.6, after the 5th large bend in the trail, Grand Wash's cliff walls will become even more steep and grand, with plenty of water markings that permeate through and stain the rock walls.

Rock Carvings - Mile 0.7
At mile 0.7, located on the eastern cliff wall, are a ton of rock carvings that hikers and visitors have left-behind over the years. Please do not add your own! Take photos or try to find the oldest carving you can for some additional fun in the Grand Wash.

The Narrows - Mile 1
Around mile 1, hikers will reach The Narrows. The beginning of The Narrows is defined by the very-close and tight space between the massive cliff walls of Grand Wash. These cliffs go from being a several-hundred feet apart to less than 100-feet in some places. With towering cliff walls, The Narrows is a sight-to-see, but only during clear weather. This GPS track leads hikers down into The Narrows of Grand Wash for just a short while, approximately 0.2-miles before turning back at the 2nd tight curve in Grand Wash. Within The Narrows are more funky rock formations like holes carved out by water over millennia.

Hiking Out - Mile 1.2 to 2.4
Again, this guide and GPS data ends just 0.2-miles into The Narrows of Grand Wash; however, it brings hikers to one of the most spectacular parts of Grand Wash before heading out. The hike out is obviously just as easy as the hike in. If you started the hike in the morning, however, the sun will beat down on you for the last ~0.5-miles of hiking as you make your way out of Grand Wash's wide canyon.

Parking
Hikers will find a medium-sized parking turnout at the coordinates provided. There's extra parking along the road and on the north side of Grand Wash if the southern lots are full.

Pets
Dogs are not allowed on this trail.

Warnings
Flash flooding: This trail follows a dry wash (dry creek bed) and thus flash flooding is a common occurrence from July through September. Flash flooding happens after heavy rainfall but just a 1/2 inch of rainfall can cause flash floods here. Always pay attention to local weather before heading out, especially upstream from where you plan on hiking, to avoid any/all flash flooding. Check with the local ranger station or park station to understand more about current flash flood conditions before venturing into this type of terrain. 

Sun exposure: This trail has very little shade during mid-day as the sun beats down directly on the trail. Bring plenty of water (1-gallon per person per day) and sun protection if planning to hike during mid-day sun, otherwise it's smart to plan to hike in the early morning or evening. If hiking this trail during the morning or evening, you'll receive plenty of shade from the massive canyon walls with some exceptions.

Rattlesnakes: Rattlesnakes call this area home and could be found out on the trail during warm/hot months. If found, please give these snakes plenty of space.

Rockfalls: This trail passes under very large cliffs that sometimes have rockfall activity. There's no warning and nothing anyone can do about rockfalls, but just be mindful.
Explore 20 trails near Fruita, UT
  1. Parking

    38.278065, -111.19224
  2. Main Trailhead

    38.278224, -111.192491
  3. Optional scramble (for fun)

    38.277352, -111.198303
    Optional scramble (for fun)
  4. Optional tunnel exploration in Grand Wash

    38.277081, -111.200203
    Optional tunnel exploration in Grand Wash
  5. Rock carvings in Grand Wash

    38.274975, -111.199711
    Rock carvings in Grand Wash
  6. The Narrows of Grand Wash

    38.273517, -111.203231
    The Narrows of Grand Wash
  7. Hiking out of Grand Wash with towering cliffs

    38.273833, -111.201753
    Hiking out of Grand Wash with towering cliffs
No community routes found. To add your own hike as a Community Route for this Trail guide, leave a Trip Report with an attached GPX file.

Hazards

Snakes
Rockfalls / Ledges / or Scrambles

Seasons

All

Trip Reports

Trail Guide By:
Admin user profile picture
2.4 miles / 3.9 km
2.4 miles / 3.9 km
September 27, 2023
Hiking
Preview of the MyHikes mobile app interface

Track, Log, and Explore Hikes with the MyHikes App

Shop Landscape Prints
Shop our landscape prints from Capitol Reef National Park

Weather Forecast

In Fruita, UT

Explore Hiking Trails

You May Also Like

Colorado's Million Dollar Highway - Plan a day's drive adventure along the iconic Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Explore the best short trails, roadside stops, waterfalls, vistas, ghost towns, and hot springs within a ~6 hour road trip.
Explore

Colorado's Million Dollar Highway

Plan a day's drive adventure along the iconic Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Explore the best short trails, roadside stops, waterfalls, vistas, ghost towns, and hot springs within a ~6 hour road trip.

Read
Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road - Discover the breathtaking beauty of Glacier National Park along the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road. From stunning roadside stops to picturesque waterfalls and vistas, this engineering marvel offers endless opportunities for exploration.
Explore

Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road

Discover the breathtaking beauty of Glacier National Park along the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road. From stunning roadside stops to picturesque waterfalls and vistas, this engineering marvel offers endless opportunities for exploration.

Read
New York's Best Waterfalls - Whether you're planning a day hike, roadside stop, or a leisurely short walk, this guide provides hikers, travelers, and locals alike with 63 different locations to over 100 scenic waterfalls to help plan your next adventure!
Explore

New York's Best Waterfalls

Whether you're planning a day hike, roadside stop, or a leisurely short walk, this guide provides hikers, travelers, and locals alike with 63 different locations to over 100 scenic waterfalls to help plan your next adventure!

Read

Before you boogie...

Find our trail guides useful? Consider becoming a Supporter to unlock perks!

MyHikes is an indie platform that makes exploring public trails easier for everyone. The platform has no investors, no ads, and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller. Dave has personally mapped and written over 1,800 trail guides on MyHikes for the public to explore. MyHikes has helped millions outdoor enthusiasts plan their next adventure.

But it takes a lot of time ๐Ÿ•ฆ, money ๐Ÿ’ฐ, work, and espresso shots โ˜• to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality (accurate) information... along with software engineering (coding) the platform like building new features, website and mobile app development (iOS and Android), site maintainance . and much much more.

Supporters unlock website and mobile app perks with an annual one-time payment of $25 (you renew) ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice. Otherwise, you can support us by telling your friends about MyHikes - both quick and free ๐ŸŽ‰

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder