Are you ready to experience the backcountry?

Join the specialists in multi-day Zion hiking tours!

Click for video of Sol’s Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern Utah.

Sol’s Redrock Backpacker explores spectacular hidden slot canyons, archaic Native American petroglyphs, and unique wildlife near Utah’s Zion National Park. Novice and experienced backpackers alike will be awe-struck by this Zion canyoneering experience, designed for fitness-loving adventurers seeking a Zion National Park tour away from the crowds and out of official park boundaries.

Experience for yourself why Sol Fitness Adventures is the only authorized company guiding Zion National Park backpacking trips. From conducting wildlife research trips to guiding backpackers, we’ve been exploring this canyon for over 10 years. Our Zion canyoneering guides will prepare, motivate, and assist you on a journey that will challenge your body, lift your spirits, and engage your senses in wilderness.

Trip Details

Sol Fitness Adventures 3.5 Day/4 Night Zion canyoneering trip operates during the months of June, July, and September. Trip cost includes an exciting Jeep trek across the red plateaus of the Colorado Plateau, delicious camp meals, and professional guide services. Book your own trip for private parties of 4 or more or sign up for an open enrollment trip in September to meet other fit, outdoorsy adventurers. Our basic trip requires guests to provide their own gear; however, we are exceptionally qualified to outfit you for the trip if you desire.

Sol’s Zion National Park tour is non-technical, so no ropes or special gear are required. Hikers travel the meandering path of the Virgin River as it carves its way through steep canyon walls up to 2,500 feet deep. Our Zion canyoneering guides assist you to set up camp, cook delicious meals, and safely experience the backcountry solitude of this pristine and unique canyon.

Our Zion National Park backpacking trips are strenuous and require hikers to be in good physical condition. Our personal training expertise allows us to create a workout plan to assist our guests to effectively prepare for the trip. The end result is an outdoor adventure that will challenge the body, uplift the spirit, and engage the senses in wilderness.

About Southwestern Utah Canyons

Archaic and Paiute Indian tribes inhabited “Roaring Water Canyon” long before modern day Zion canyoneering guides arrived. Backpackers on Sol’s Zion hiking tours will discover ancient petroglyphs, hidden cliff dwellings and an occasional unearthed pottery shard. History buffs will be drawn to the same canyon explored by American cartographer John Weseley Powell in the late 1800’s.

Located on the East Fork of the Virgin River, this slot canyon is every bit as spectacular as the hugely popular Zion Narrows. Nestled in the backcountry outside official park boundaries, the canyon offers the opportunity for quiet and undisturbed exploration – the true experience of being in the wild. A designated Wilderness Study Area, this canyon has no motorized vehicles, no campgrounds or maintained trails, and restricted recreational access. The canyon is a well-kept secret among local Zion canyoneering guides, who escape here seeking solitude and a brush with the wild.

2010 Trip Dates

Trip 1: Wednesday, September 1 – Sunday, September 5

Trip 2: Wednesday, September 8 – Sunday, September 12

Welcome to Utah’s canyon country!  You’ll be ready for one of our small group trips once you’ve taken the Zion National Park tour shuttle bus with all the tourists. Click here to reserve your private trip for parties of 4 or more during June, July, or September. Have questions? Email us at info@soladventure.com or call Sol Fitness Adventures at 805.722.4599 to book your non-technical Zion canyoneering adventure today.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Sol’s Zion National Park backpacking trips kick off with an evening gathering of fellow hikers and your Zion canyoneering guides. Our guides will review the itinerary, inspect gear, give safety instructions, and answer questions. Tonight, camp in one of three Zion Campgrounds or upgrade to formal lodging in quaint Springdale.

Day 2 – The Zion canyoneering adventure begins at the designated meeting site in Zion National Park. We leave park boundaries and drive through the longest continuous tunnel in the U.S., a 1930’s CCC project with giant galleries for viewing the park. We’ll hike 7-miles along the sandy banks of the Virgin River as it winds its way through giant monoliths, wide canyons and into steeper red rock canyons. We’ll explore narrow slot canyons carved by wind and water that undulate like red waves of an ancient sea.

Day 3 – Our Zion hiking tours continue through steep canyon walls streaked with desert varnish and lush hanging gardens loom hundreds of feet overhead. The terrain is more challenging, as the trail lies submerged in the rivers’ growing, spring-fed waters. Explore the tiny waterfalls of pristine side canyon Poverty Wash. After 5 miles of wading through the river’s rocky path, we’ll make camp and fall asleep to the sound of rushing water, hooting Spotted Owls, and chorusing Canyon Tree Frogs.

Day 4 – Zion canyoneering adventurers hike deeper into timeless sandstone walls and peer into the narrows of “Fat Man’s Misery.” Depending on recent weather conditions, travelers may navigate logjams, skirt a small waterfall, and dodge patches of quicksand. Hike the last 4 miles of river before making the steep, rocky ascent out of the canyon to our perch high on the canyon wall above. Tonight, sleep under one of the most spectacular views of the Milky Way galaxy in the western hemisphere.

Day 5 - The Zion National Park backpacking trip isn’t over yet! The grand finale is a strenuous 3-mile trek out of the canyon to desert buttes above. Those with fear of heights be warned – sections of this route are steep! Our Jeep escorts meet us with a fresh lunch and a tour of sand dunes and wildflowers. Keep your eyes peeled as you gaze miles out into open desert -you just might catch a glimpse of an elusive mountain lion or Bighorn sheep.

Sol’s Zion hiking tours will return to Springdale by early evening; however, travel time will vary depending on the group’s ability and terrain conditions. We suggest arranging travel and flights for the following day.

We recommend planning your departure carefully in case you need to leave a few days in advance to arrive on time. Please call us at 805.722.4599 or email info@soladventure.com if we may assist you in your planning.

Click here to reserve your spot and make a deposit.

Note on the Itinerary

Itineraries may change at any time depending on weather predictions and existing conditions. This Zion canyoneering trip explores a narrow slot canyon that was and continues to be shaped by the eroding forces of the Virgin River. We’ve selected times of year when rainfall is typically low; however the elements are out of our control. We will re-route and alter the itinerary as necessary to ensure your safety. Review the Registration and Cancellation Policy carefully before signing up for this trip.