Zion National Park · Utah
Technical canyoneering through a tube-shaped slot canyon, one of Zion's most spectacular and photogenic routes.
Get an alert when The Subway opens on your dates.
After the draw, your alert keeps catching cancellations.
Source: recreation.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on The Subway were gone within 5 minutes.
3,873 ft of descent · 4% average grade
Wildcat Canyon Trailhead
Top-down start point on Kolob Terrace Road. Elevation 6,600 ft.
As of September 2026, The Subway in Zion National Park, Utah requires a permit issued via lottery. The Subway is a high-demand permit, rating 8/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled The Subway permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The The Subway lottery opens Quarterly: February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1 and closes The 25th of the opening month, with results announced Two days after the lottery closes. The The Subway route covers 9.5 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain, rated strenuous.
Permits get cancelled daily. Peak cancellation times are 24-48 hours before the trip date.
Get notified when cancellations happen. Pro and $19 single-permit alerts are checked about every minute, 24/7; free accounts are checked hourly.
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Verify your email and add payment info ahead of time.
Submit your application between Quarterly: February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1 and The 25th of the opening month. Apply for multiple dates to increase your odds.
Results are announced Two days after the lottery closes. Check your email and your Recreation.gov account.
More on The Subway: Live availability activityWhen The Subway permits open upThe Subway lottery datesDo I need a The Subway permit?Estimate your lottery oddsBoost your odds with a pool
The Subway permit fee: $6 application + $10/person.
Descend through a natural subway tunnel carved in stone, where the canyon walls curve overhead like a sculpture gallery.
The Subway is a famous slot canyon in the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park, named for its tubular shape where the walls curve inward at both floor and ceiling. There are two ways to experience it: a technical top-down canyoneering route (9.5 miles) requiring rappelling skills, or a non-technical bottom-up hike (8 miles round-trip) that visits the formation without requiring technical skills.
Both routes require a Wilderness Permit. The quarterly lottery hands out the first round, and unclaimed and cancelled reservations go back on the Recreation.gov calendar, which is what a cancellation alert checks. Commercial guiding is prohibited: all groups must be self-reliant.
From Wildcat Canyon Trailhead, the top-down route descends Russell Gulch through slickrock terrain before dropping into the Left Fork of North Creek. The first rappels are short (30 feet at most) but commit you to the canyon.
The route follows the narrowing drainage, wading through pools that grow progressively deeper. Keyhole Falls requires either a rappel or a jump into deep water. Then the canyon walls begin to curve overhead, and you enter the Subway proper, the famous tubular section where the rock forms an almost complete tunnel.
The emerald pools here are jaw-dropping, and the North Pole, a massive log wedged vertically in the slot, marks the heart of the formation. Below, the Cascades offer one last obstacle before the canyon opens and you hike out to the Left Fork Trailhead.
The Subway is one of Zion's most iconic features, a tubular slot canyon where the walls curve inward at both the floor and ceiling, creating a tunnel-like space. It has appeared in countless photographs and represents the pinnacle of sandstone erosion art. The top-down route is considered one of the finest introductory canyoneering routes in the Southwest.
The first rappel commits you to the canyon. As you descend, the walls close in and the light changes: filtered, ethereal, green with reflected water. Then the canyon opens into the Subway itself: a tube of rock where walls curve over your head and the emerald pools at your feet reflect a cathedral of stone. You're standing in a space that seems designed by an artist, not carved by water.
Best for: Top-down: Experienced canyoneers with rappelling skills. Bottom-up: Strong hikers comfortable with river travel and scrambling.
Recommended experience: Top-down requires canyoneering experience and rope skills. Bottom-up requires hiking experience and comfort with river wading.
Not recommended for: Top-down route is not for beginners. Both routes unsuitable for those uncomfortable in water.
Trailhead information
6,973 ft elevation
Starting point for the technical top-down canyoneering route.
Small dirt pullout on Kolob Terrace Road. Limited spaces.
From Virgin, drive north on Kolob Terrace Road approximately 15 miles. Road may be closed in winter.
Virgin (15 miles) has a small store. Full services in Springdale (25 miles).
Trailhead information
5,000 ft elevation
Primary trailhead for the non-technical bottom-up route or exit point for top-down route.
Larger parking area with vault toilet. Requires shuttle or two-car setup for top-down route.
From Virgin, drive north on Kolob Terrace Road approximately 8 miles.
Virgin (8 miles) or Springdale (20 miles).
Summer (June-September) offers the warmest water temperatures but also highest flash flood risk. Spring and fall are ideal with moderate temperatures. Winter is possible but requires full wetsuits.
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
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The Subway's tubular section is sheltered from direct sunlight. Midday offers the best light penetration into the slot.
Late morning to early afternoon provides the best light in the Subway section itself. Emerald pools photograph best with soft, reflected light.
Every trip through the Left Fork is on a daily permit quota, so the canyon is never crowded. Start early for the best light and fewest people.
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for The Subway.
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for The Subway · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Three ways, all on Recreation.gov permit 4251917. Unclaimed and cancelled reservations go on the calendar at 10am Mountain Time on the 15th of the month after results, which is what a cancellation alert catches. The Seasonal Lottery opens February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 and closes on the 25th, each covering the next calendar quarter of hike dates. And the separate Canyoneering Daily Lottery runs two days before your hike date.
No. Recreation.gov 4251917 says the park "does not distinguish between top-down and bottom-up hikers for purposes of the quota," and both variations are booked from the same page. You choose your direction when you plan, not when you apply.
Twelve. NPS puts the Left Fork of North Creek in the same group as Keyhole, Pine Creek, the Narrows and Orderville: "Maximum group size in Keyhole, Pine Creek, the Narrows, Orderville, and the Left Fork (Subway) is 12 people." Splitting a bigger party into two groups on the same day is not allowed.
A $6 application or reservation fee that is never refunded, plus $10 per person that is refundable if you cancel before 5pm on the day of the trip. Zion's entrance fee is separate.
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An 8-mile round-trip route that visits the Subway formation without technical canyoneering. Same permit, no rappelling required.
Same spectacular destination without the technical skills. Still strenuous with river wading and boulder scrambling.
A beautiful slot canyon that enters The Narrows, requiring wading but no technical skills.
Easier permit access and no canyoneering experience required. Narrower and more intimate than The Subway.
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Two ways to land it
We check The Subway for cancellations 24/7 and alert you when a spot opens so you can book before it's gone.
Set a free cancellation alertApply with a crew. Each person multiplies your combined odds. We coordinate invites, deadlines, and outcomes.
See plans to start a poolMost crews do both: get alerts for cancellations, and pool for the lottery.
Lottery concierge
Missed the draw or skipped it? Set an alert and we tell you the moment a The Subway cancellation opens. We remind you about the lottery dates too.
Better odds with a crew
The Subway permits are drawn by lottery. Every friend who applies adds another entry, so a crew gets more shots at the same permit than any one of you alone.
One of you runs the pool (Pro or a $19 alert). Everyone else joins free.
Auto win-detection tells you the moment your The Subway application wins, so you never have to check Recreation.gov. It reads the result email you forward us, so it takes a one-time setup in your inbox (about two minutes, and we walk you through it). Auto win-detection is on Pro or a $19 permit alert.
Turn on auto win-detectionOpens the official lottery. You submit your entry. We never automate or store your Recreation.gov login.
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