The Subway

The hardest trail I've ever hiked. If you are looking to have fun, this is not it. If you are looking to have an experience of a lifetime, this will do.
Apr 16th, 2024

They messed up my order. I asked for it grilled and it was not :( in short, this Subways has a little something for everyone. 8/10
Feb 12th, 2024

My friend & I are experienced hikers w/some backpacking experience. We're in relatively good shape and have done Angels Landing, etc. The permit ranger quizzed us abt our gear & checked our knowledge of the area. She said the hike was strenuous & did give the impression it was a serious hike. However, this came across as a speech they give newbies - I have done several hikes labeled strenuous in NPS, so I did not think anything of it. She told us to "stay in the river the whole time" & that there was no trail, that the exit was easily missed "During the day" & not to build cairns/tie ribbons to help find our way back (like, "we want people to get lost, so don't help anyone). My issue is that this REALLY isn't a trail or hike. They're doing a disservice to visitors by calling it that. It is just semi-aimless 19th century exploration: bushwacking thru overgrown bushes & plants, splashing thru streams, going over boulders/under boulders, slipping/falling/getting beat up. Dude, we need a new level of hiking difficulty above strenuous. We're gonna call it GRUELING & at parts effing scary. We got a late start @11am. that's on us. Do NOTTTT start this trail at 11am EVER, you will not be back before dark. Start @8am or don't go! We got lost 3x just leaving the parking lot trying to follow what looked like "the path" & since it's not really a hike or a trail, it's just following footprints. The "path" we took went along the ridge with LOTS of random forks (again, no signage to continue straight or take the fork... using satellite maps to try to guess!). It's a 300' drop @ the end w/a SUPER steep grade. We both were wearing $$ tech boots w/good grip but slipped & fell as the gravel was loose. For the first half of the "hike," the path is very obscure. There is one, but it's more an animal trail. You can't see it unless you're on it. Again, a complete absence of signage. The only indication you're going in the right direction is footprints in the sand/dirt & the river. This went on for hours. Lots of technical scaling & route finding. All of the pictures you see of the subway hike are @ the end. Not fun at all. by the time we reached the Subway (absolutely beautiful, especially the red waterfalls, but not worth the grueling trek sorry), i was exhausted. We snapped a few iphone photos & turn right around to hurry back because the light was fading! I spent the whole day looking down @ my feet to make sure I didn't trip & was essentially carsick the whole return leg. We reached the bottom of the cliff, the turnoff to the trailhead, at dusk. Small little sign there but it wasn't the path we'd taken down?! I was so tired that I had to inch upwards & spent a lot of time hugging rocks, staring @ the curtain of darkness sweeping the opposite cliffs, contemplating the stupidity of my choices (& cursing the NPS folks who decided to open up backcountry, call it a "trail" & let people darwin themselves). It was an ordeal, but we made it. My muscles are jelly. I have bruises all over my body, and a black bruise the size of a minor Martian moon on my right buttcheek. My friend and I have thoroughly excoriated the trail and NPS negligence, etc. Zion is one of the few parks that WILL give you free reign to kill yourself w/ill-informed or stupid choices and bad judgement. I remember hiking Angels landing in December with sleet and ice and thinking to myself, they don't care if I die. I could literally die right now falling to my death because no signs said "must have crampons." I guess as a society we are so used to handrails and non-slip floors, caution tape, red curbs, flashing warning lights, etc. This is not a place like that. It is beautiful but it is deadly, and all the failsafes are off! Assume everything is perilous and for expert-level hikers of which most people are not.
Nov 10th, 2023

We chose the bottom-up route to avoid the canyoneering. We started and ended at the left fork trailhead. We did the hike in 6 hours with minimal breaks. Definitely bring layers, solid hiking shoes, and download a map! Alltrails app worked very well for this area. The trail isn't marked for the vast majority, but using GPS we didn't have any major issues following the trail. Definitely beautiful and worth doing if your hiking ability allows! Parking: Not a ton of parking but there is a free lot at the left fork trail head Restrooms: Two outhouse type restrooms at the trailhead (left fork)
Oct 15th, 2023

Much more scrambling than simple walking. Trail has many boulders to address. Trail out is not simple to follow Parking: Need a permit to hike and the permit must be displayed on your vehicle. There is a charge for the permit, not the parking
Oct 11th, 2023