Expect III+ whitewater in a class V setting...it can become epic quickly and rescue is not a guarantee. Your group should be comfortable class IV paddlers and you shoudn't have any issues with the rapids.
Timing is a challenge with the narrows. The north fork runs early, so expect to scrape and drag your boats for at least 5 hours. Also plan on arriving early the day before you plan to put in, so you can go to the ranger station and get a permit. You won't be starting off on the right foot if you try and get the permit the morning of launch, as it takes about an hour and a bit to get from the headquarters all the way to the ranch. Camping in the park is crowded that time of year as well, so plan a reservation in advance too.
We hit peak flow day in 2009 (around April 23) and it was about 18 cfs on the north fork. We put in at 8am. Once we finally made it to deep creek confluence (I think it was 3pm) the flow went to 450 ish? The rangers didn't allow camping in the narrows (due to high water...uh, we are in boats?) which made for a really long day. 18 cfs would have sucked even more with a loaded boat, but I guess it would be better for taking your time and enjoying it in there longer.
The waterfall portage is a piece of cake, you'll almost be scraping to the lip so getting out in time isn't a problem. Running it is straight forward as well...plugged it and didn't hit anything.
As for the real rapids below the confluence, just heads up read and run III+, with one portage around a log jam as the book says, also easy to see ahead of time. The best rapid is at the end of the narrows and gets really good on down the satan's staircase stretch.
Good luck, make sure your group is solid as there have been too many issues there these past 2 springs and we want to keep it open to paddling...PLEASE GO TO THE NPS SURVEY ON ZION/VIRGIN RIVER AND FILL IT OUT!
Timing is a challenge with the narrows. The north fork runs early, so expect to scrape and drag your boats for at least 5 hours. Also plan on arriving early the day before you plan to put in, so you can go to the ranger station and get a permit. You won't be starting off on the right foot if you try and get the permit the morning of launch, as it takes about an hour and a bit to get from the headquarters all the way to the ranch. Camping in the park is crowded that time of year as well, so plan a reservation in advance too.
We hit peak flow day in 2009 (around April 23) and it was about 18 cfs on the north fork. We put in at 8am. Once we finally made it to deep creek confluence (I think it was 3pm) the flow went to 450 ish? The rangers didn't allow camping in the narrows (due to high water...uh, we are in boats?) which made for a really long day. 18 cfs would have sucked even more with a loaded boat, but I guess it would be better for taking your time and enjoying it in there longer.
The waterfall portage is a piece of cake, you'll almost be scraping to the lip so getting out in time isn't a problem. Running it is straight forward as well...plugged it and didn't hit anything.
As for the real rapids below the confluence, just heads up read and run III+, with one portage around a log jam as the book says, also easy to see ahead of time. The best rapid is at the end of the narrows and gets really good on down the satan's staircase stretch.
Good luck, make sure your group is solid as there have been too many issues there these past 2 springs and we want to keep it open to paddling...PLEASE GO TO THE NPS SURVEY ON ZION/VIRGIN RIVER AND FILL IT OUT!
