The Subway Gear Checklist
The Subway permit covers two very different days in the Left Fork of North Creek. The top-down route is a technical canyoneering trip with short rappels and forced swims in cold water, and the bottom-up route is a long boulder-and-creek hike with no rope. The gear that matters is cold-water protection, dry bags, a rope kit for the top-down line, footwear that drains, and a good route description, since the people who wrote about it say route-finding is where days go wrong.
What shapes your gear on The Subway
- Top-down route
- 9.5 miles one way from the Wildcat Canyon Trailhead to the Left Fork Trailhead, about 2,400 feet of elevation change, and the park estimates 6 to 12 hours. It needs ropes, harnesses and cold water protection.
- Bottom-up route
- 9.0 miles round trip from the Left Fork Trailhead, about 1,300 feet of elevation change, with 6 to 10 hours as the park estimate. There is no trail, so you scramble over boulders and in and out of the creek all day.
- Rappels
- Canyoneering USA lists the longest rappel at 30 feet and says three short drops, the last of which must be rappelled. Another group measured the final drop at roughly 20 feet into water.
From Canyoneering USA and Live That Adventure
- Getting lost
- The park says hikers get lost in this area every year and that people frequently get lost on the top-down route. Both park pages point you to a written route description and a map.
From Zion National Park (NPS): Subway Top Down and Zion National Park (NPS): Left Fork (Subway) Bottom-Up
- Season and flow
- Canyoneering USA calls summer or fall the best window. During snowmelt in spring the canyon can flood, and ice on the red ledges near the bottom can call for crampons. It names a 7:30 am trailhead start as a way to finish the sunny approach before the heat.
From Canyoneering USA
- Shuttle
- The two trailheads are on opposite ends of the route, so a top-down day needs a car at each end, a shuttle service or a hitched ride. Permit holders arrange their own transport.
From Canyoneering USA and Reddit r/canyoneering: Zion Subway Top-down question
What the agency requires on The Subway
Cold water protection and canyoneering gear for the top-down route
For the top-down route the park requires ropes, harnesses, and wetsuits or drysuits, even on the hottest days. A group without the skills and equipment is told to make another plan.
A route description and a topographic map for the bottom-up route
On this off-trail route the park says a good written description plus a topo map is crucial. It adds that winter snow and ice may mean wearing a wet or dry suit.
What hikers carry on The Subway
A wetsuit with neoprene socks
Most writers treat it as the key item on the top-down line, because the swims are short but very cold and you wait around between drops. One backcountry blogger skipped hers on a warm 85 degree day and spent the canyon with chattering teeth.
People disagree in high summer. One Reddit commenter did it in August without a suit and was glad of the cool swims after the long hot approach. Another poster wrote in a September post title that they were very glad they had one.
From Backcountry Post, Canyoneering USA, Live That Adventure, Reddit r/canyoneering: In Zion, the Subway, top down route, is a wetsuit needed mid July? and Reddit r/canyoneering: Fun filled weekend in Zion! Subway via Das Boot on Saturday then Pinecreek, and Keyhole on Sunday
A real dry bag for everything that must stay dry
Several swims are chest deep, so one blogger says zip-top bags will not do. Another party said a puffed-up inflatable dry bag inside the pack helped a weak swimmer float.
From Backcountry Post, Live That Adventure and Canyoneering USA
A rope kit and a harness for the top-down line
A 60 foot rope with a rappel device was enough for one trip report, since the bolts were in place, and extra webbing was called nice to have. Canyoneering USA also lists helmets, webbing and rapid links.
From Backcountry Post and Canyoneering USA
Leather-palm gloves for the rappels
One canyoneering couple uses climbing gloves on the rope and says gardening or tactical gloves work if the palm and fingers are leather.
From Live That Adventure
Shoes that drain and grip wet rock
The creek walk back is long and wet, with slippery ledges below the Subway proper. One party wore approach shoes that drain well. A bottom-up guide says to bring shoes that can get wet and adds water shoes in summer.
From Live That Adventure and Epic Trip Adventures
A puffy layer for the waiting and the wind
Standing at rappel stations after a swim is where people get cold. One couple packed a puffy jacket even though the day was warm, and said the wind chill at the Subway itself left them freezing.
Lunch, snacks and water for a long day
Canyoneering USA says the canyon pools are spring fed and can be filtered, but most people carry enough for the whole trip. A bottom-up guide asks for enough water for 5 to 7 hours of effort.
From Canyoneering USA, Live That Adventure and Epic Trip Adventures
A walking stick on the bottom-up route
The creek bed is rocky underwater, so one guide uses a stick for balance there.
From Epic Trip Adventures
A printed route description plus a map
Posters on a climbing forum warn that the cairns are easy to miss. Backcountry blogger Red Rock Rangers calls the route into the canyon not totally obvious and says to bring a good map.
From Mountain Project forum, Backcountry Post and Zion National Park (NPS): Subway Top Down
12 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on The Subway
Leaving the wetsuit at home on a mild forecast
A warm forecast was the reason one blogger skipped neoprene. She wrote that she would have enjoyed the day more without shivering.
From Backcountry Post
Anything that cannot get wet and is not in a dry bag
Swims and wet rappels soak a loose pack. One Reddit poster who was checked for permits mid-canyon noted that the papers were safe because they were in a dry bag.
From Reddit r/canyoneering: Fun filled weekend in Zion! Subway via Das Boot on Saturday then Pinecreek, and Keyhole on Sunday and Backcountry Post
A rope-less plan on the top-down route
A forum reply says that if you cannot rig anchors and deal with a stuck rope, the Subway is not the canyon for a first try. Another reply says the drops are short, bolted and easy at low flow.
The two replies disagree on how hard it is, and both agree the flow decides.
Gear questions for The Subway
Do you need a wetsuit for The Subway?
For the top-down route the park lists cold water protection as required even in the warmest weather. Canyoneering USA says you can skip it only in high summer. For the bottom-up route, the park only suggests wet or dry suits when snow and ice are around.
From Zion National Park (NPS): Subway Top Down, Zion National Park (NPS): Left Fork (Subway) Bottom-Up and Canyoneering USA
What rope do you need for The Subway?
One trip report carried a harness, a 60 foot rope and a rappel device because the rappels were already bolted. Canyoneering USA names a longest rappel of 30 feet, and also lists helmets, webbing and rapid links.
From Backcountry Post and Canyoneering USA
Do you need a dry bag for The Subway?
Yes on the top-down route. The swims are deep enough that two separate sources tell you to pack everything that matters in a proper dry bag.
From Backcountry Post and Live That Adventure
How long does The Subway take?
The park gives 6 to 12 hours for the top-down route and 6 to 10 hours for the bottom-up route. A forum reply says that a group of new canyoneers should start early because the day can fill the daylight.
From Zion National Park (NPS): Subway Top Down, Zion National Park (NPS): Left Fork (Subway) Bottom-Up and Mountain Project forum
Sources
- Subway Top Down · Zion National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Left Fork (Subway) Bottom-Up · Zion National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Canyoneering The Subway from the Top, Zion National Park · Canyoneering USA · Blog
- How to hike the Subway in Zion top-down canyoneering route · Live That Adventure, Dustin and Vy · Blog
- The Subway · Backcountry Post, Red Rock Rangers · Trip report
- The Subway - Zion National Park, Need some advice · Mountain Project forum · Forum thread
- Hiking The Subway (bottom-up guide) · Epic Trip Adventures · Blog
- In Zion, the Subway, top down route, is a wetsuit needed mid July? · Reddit r/canyoneering, u/benderGOAT · Reddit thread
- Fun filled weekend in Zion! Subway via Das Boot on Saturday then Pinecreek, and Keyhole on Sunday · Reddit r/canyoneering, u/ImsorryChamp · Reddit thread
- Zion Subway Top-down question · Reddit r/canyoneering, u/Kolob_Hikes · Reddit thread