Article Overview: Angels Landing Hike, Hiking Angels Landing

The Angels Landing hike in Zion National Park pushes you to the edge, literally and figuratively, which is likely how you ended up here. Angels Landing is one of the most popular and invigorating hikes in the United States, often compared to Half Dome in Yosemite.

“Do you want to go to Zion?” I had recently moved to Las Vegas and explored Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead, and Valley of Fire. I didn’t die. Now, my friend beckoned me to Utah, saying things like, “It changes your life.”

It wasn’t until we passed the “Life Elevated” Utah sign that someone casually mentioned, “Oh, and we’re going to Angels Landing. You’ll be fine.” The five-mile hike up the mountain and 1,488-foot elevation gain seem reasonable enough, even for my intermediate (at best) skill set.

As it turns out, to tackle Angels Landing, I was going to have to face some demons. And the worst of the demons weren’t the hike itself.

Angels Landing Hike

Table of Contents: Angels Landing Hike

Things to Know Before Hiking Angels Landing
Where to Stay in Zion National Park
Basic Facts About the Angels Landing Hike
Is Hiking Angels Landing Worth It?
- Finding the Angels Landing Trail
- Navigating the Zion National Park Shuttle to Angels Landing
Angels Landing Permit System
How to Get an Angels Landing Permit
Hiking Angels Landing
Angels Landing FAQs
When is the Best Time to Hike Angels Landing?

Things to Know Before Hiking Angels Landing

Entrance Fees

$35 per vehicle or $20 per person without a car walking or biking into the park. It’s also $20 for motorcyclists or those arriving on a snowmobile. That does not cover the Angels Landing permit fee.

If you plan to visit more National Parks within the next 12 months, I suggest you go ahead and purchase the America the Beautiful Pass (which can be found at the entrance gates to most national parks). This pass gets you into all National Parks, Forests, Monuments, and more, including 2,000 sites for free after a one-time $80 fee. If you plan on visiting Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park in this region, the pass will pay for itself right off the bat.

Current US military members and their dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force, as well as Reserve and National Guard members are eligible for a free Military Annual Pass with all the same access. This pass is available at Zion National Park.

Thank you for your service and sacrifices.

Sunscreen

Use it. Lots of it. Especially this one, which is eco-friendly and provides high SPF coverage for the relentless heat and intense sunshine in Zion.

Insect Repellent

If you’re looking for a good insect repellent that plays nice with our good friend Earth, we recommend this one or this one if you’re a DEET person.

Guide Book

The Best Guide Book for Zion National Park is this one which we’ve marked up and highlighted quite a bit.

Maps

The Best Map: I like this map best for Zion National Park.

National Parks Checklist Map: This beautiful National Parks Checklist Map can be ordered to your house.

Framed National Parks Map: We’re a sucker for maps, this framed national parks map is the best.

Where to Stay in Zion National Park

Planning a trip to Zion but haven’t booked accommodations? Here’s our favorite hotel for Zion National Park.

Basic Facts About the Angels Landing Hike

How long is the Angels Landing Trail?

The Angels Landing Trail is 5.4 miles round trip in distance. The distance is not so much the challenge, though, but rather the elevation gain, which is nearly 1,500 feet.

How long does it take to hike Angels Landing?

You should plan for at least four hours to hike Angels Landing, mostly due to the traffic on the trail, which is severe, especially in the afternoon.

Is Hiking Angels Landing Worth It?

Honestly, I don’t think the Angel’s Landing hike is worth it. Not because of the height, difficulty, fear-mongering around the danger, or chains. The hike isn’t worth it because of the crowds. They are horrendous. The trail has been loved to death.

For much of the year, the Angels Landing trail is littered with the spring break type of crowd that values “the gram” and bagging that new profile selfie more than experiencing nature at its grandest.

While the National Park Service has done a great thing with the permit system (more on that below), it’s just not enough with this one.

With that being said, if you’re up for it and can look past all of that, then go for it. But I want to be transparent that this guide is coming from someone who loathes the crowds and, as such, has some serious beef with this hike.

On that note, I love that Zion National Park gives you plenty of options, no matter what your skill level is. Hikes are listed as easy, moderate, or strenuous. Hiking Angels Landing is a bucket list item for most hikers, and for some, itching that scratch is absolutely worth it.

Take the time to find the right hike for you, whether it’s Angels Landing or another one (here’s a list of our favorite hikes in Zion). Test your limits but don’t push them. When you’re ready for Angels Landing, she’ll be waiting for you.

Always check Park Alerts before you head to Zion National Park to see if any closures or safety risks impact your hike. Worried about the weather? Use this to help plan your trip.

Finding the Angels Landing Trail

There are a lot of “This isn’t so bad” moments when venturing toward Angels Landing. Getting to the starting point isn’t so hard as long as you know the rules of Zion.

Navigating the Zion National Park Shuttle to Angels Landing

Parking fills up quickly at Zion, especially on weekends, holidays, or one of the Free Entrance Days for all national parks. Shuttles are free, and no reservation is required. The wait between shuttles is anywhere from seven to 15 minutes, but no longer than that. Each shuttle fits around 70 people. Tell the driver which stops you want as you board.

The Springdale Line shuttle offers stops at nine hotels in town and takes you to the park entrance. I strongly recommend you use this option as you’ve got enough to worry about without adding “find a parking spot” to the list. Paid parking is available in Springdale, where you can leave your car if you aren’t staying in town. You just need to get to one of the shuttle-stop hotels.

Exit the Springdale line shuttle at Zion Canyon Village and go through the pedestrian entrance to get the park shuttle.

The Zion Canyon shuttle is the one you need to get to the Angels Landing trail. It runs daily from March through November and opens again in late December for the holiday season. Shuttle routes run on a regular schedule that can change each season and each year to meet the current park demands. You will get off at stop #6 for “The Grotto.”

Extra Zion Shuttle Tips

If a shuttle is full, it will not make any stops until there is room, even if people are waiting at the shuttle stop. For Angels Landing hikers, after the hike, hop on the shuttle as it heads north. THE SHUTTLE DOES NOT STOP AT STOP #6/THE GROTTO ON THE WAY DOWN!

Will you be too excited to listen to the shuttle narration on your way to Angels Landing? Listen to it here.

Don’t risk waiting for the last shuttle of the day. If it’s full, you’ll have an unplanned five-mile hike ahead of you in the dark. Park Rangers won’t drive you. You can hike less than a mile to Zion Lodge and see if there’s a paid service to pick you up.

You will need a permit to get to Angels Landing, and you’ll have to get that ahead of time. Don’t enter the park without a copy of your permit.

Angels Landing Permit System

The first time I hiked Angel’s Landing, Zion didn’t have a permit system. Of course, the park only saw 2.5 million visitors, and it’s now at five million and growing each year.

As intimidating as Angels Landing could be, it also drew hikers and climbers from all over the world. Lines at the final stretch of the trail were akin to lines at Mt. Everest and just as dangerous. For safety and hiker experience, the park decided to do a permit system that went into effect in 2022.

“When we did have higher levels of crowding and congestion, people were so focused on making their way up the trail that they didn’t have those moments just to stop, enjoy the scenery, take it all in and really see the amazingness that makes this hike one of the reasons people seek it out so much.”
– Susan McPartland, Zion National Park Visitor Use Manager

crowds at angels landing hike — Crowds Await the Chains on the Angels Landing Hike (NPS/Lizz Eberhardt)

How to Get an Angels Landing Permit

You have two opportunities to get an Angels Landing Permit—through the seasonal lottery for those who plan in advance and the day-before lottery for last-minute trips. All times posted about lottery deadlines will be in the Mountain Time Zone.

FRAUD ALERT: Lottery permits are only available through Recreation.gov. No other website is allowed to sell them.

Seasonal Lottery for Angels Landing

For 2023, seasonal permits are offered starting on a specific date for a three-month time period. The window opens two months before the beginning of the hike window and runs for 20 days.

WATCH: If a video helps you understand the process more, here’s this from the Zion National Park rangers.

As an example, the seasonal lottery for Angels Landing hikes between March 1 and May 31 opened on January 1 and closed on January 20. Permits were issued on January 25.

If you want to summit between September and November, you’ll need to fill out the seasonal lottery application between July 1 and July 20. You will be notified on July 25 if you were granted access and what your date/time is for the trip.

Lottery start times are 8:00 am on the first of the month and 11:59 pm on the 20th of the month. You do not get an edge for filling it out first. The lottery is done by random drawing.

The same goes for October 1 – October 20 being the window for December through February 29 summits. Permits will be issued on October 25.

Since the system is being evaluated each year, there is not a 2024 schedule out as of this publication. Check here for updates.

Day-Before Lottery for Angels Landing

Every step of the process for the day before lottery is the same, but the time frames are different. The lottery opens each day at 12:01 am and closes at 3:00 pm. Again, six people can be on one permit. You will find out at 4:00 pm if you were issued a permit for the next day.

Angels Landing Lottery Fast Facts

Each application can be for a group of six people.
You can set an Alternate Permit Holder if you’d like, and that person can also apply for their own lottery entry.
Choose between a hike before 9 am, 9 am – 12 pm, or after 12 pm.
Seasonal lotteries allow you to enter up to seven date choices in order of preference.
You will enter your credit card information when you register for the lottery, as each application for the lottery costs $6.
An additional $3 will be charged for each person on the registration after you are approved.
Hikers must have proof of a permit at the Angels Landing checkpoint, which can be paper or digital versions.

Hiking Angels Landing

I’ll preface this section by reiterating the fact that the crowds at the beginning of the hike will be fairly large and will only seem to intensify as you go along. This is due to the trail narrowing as you go, which squeezes you closer to your fellow hikers.

You’ll get a morbid reminder of what you’re getting yourself into once you exit the shuttle. As you walk across the pedestrian bridge, a sign tells you how many people have died on the trail. Was I going to Angels Landing or the Highway to Hell?

As we hiked along on this May day, I couldn’t tell if the heat was coming from the desert floor or if my anxiety was preparing my heart for an attack. Since I tend to fill uncomfortable space with humor, I joked, “I guess if you die going to Angels Landing you will automatically go to heaven?”

angels landing hike — Angels Landing Hike Chains (NPS/Brian Whitehead)

Angels Landing via the West Rim Trail

This is the start of your ascent. You’ll be lured into a false sense of safety by a short walk along the Virgin River before you hit the first switchback.

“Oh, I love switchbacks!” I joked. Little did I know that love would soon be tested. It wasn’t until this moment that I knew a fear of heights could happen at the bottom of a canyon. My group looked straight up at a sheer rock face.

“Look how beautiful she is!” one friend said, almost as if his thoughts turned into words on their own. I wrestled with my backpack during this welcome break, still oblivious to the intensity of this climb. It was then that the shock wave hit.

“Wait, we’re going UP THERE?” I stuttered.

TRUTH MOMENT: I bring this up for all the others who might be hesitant to take this trail. You can back out anytime. Nobody forces you to summit. Don’t let people pressure you, either. I had great friends who told me anytime I was not down for this anymore to let them know, and we’d arrange a meeting point.

Angels Landing Trail (Shutterstock/Stephen Moehle)

Refrigerator Canyon

The bulk of the Angels Landing climb is here, on 4.2 miles of trail that goes through the last shaded area of Refrigerator Canyon.

Shhhh! Refrigerator Canyon is a “Quiet Zone,” so you don’t disturb the Mexican Spotted Owl that nests here.

You leave the refrigerator and head right into the oven before giant rock steps greet you less than a mile into your comfort zone. This is where the first fear of heights gets tested, but I will say that the trail also eases you into what’s ahead.

At certain points, you have high canyon walls that make it less vertigo-inducing, but there’s still a pretty leg-breaking drop looking down. My adrenaline was pumping, but I opted for the “Don’t look down, look around” motto.

Walters Wiggles

Then we arrived at Walter’s Wiggles. The 21 steep switchbacks made me fall more in love with switchbacks. If Walter Ruesch, the park’s first superintendent, hadn’t come up with this genius idea, I wouldn’t have been skilled enough to go further.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that 250 feet isn’t that tough because the steep climb of these stubby steps was exhausting. I was just thrilled I wasn’t the first person to call for our group to slow down.

I know the wiggles were named for the wiggly way the trail goes, but I thought it was appropriate since I kept wiggling to soak up the sweat dripping down my back.

Once you’ve wiggled your way out (but not out of the crowds), you’re on a high-perched trail with steep drops, but you’re close to…

Angels Landing Trail to Scout Lookout

We arrived at the sandstone slab, and I breathlessly said, “They’ve got bathrooms up here??? How cool!”

The restrooms were anything but cool. Stuck in the tightening crowds with little room to maneuver, the foulest of odors wafted my way. I can only imagine the poor souls who have been desperate enough to brave these abused facilities.

Perhaps this is how the landing got its name – from the people whose souls have never really returned from these houses of necessary evil.

They had to get creative with making the toilets functional and sanitary, and the waste water is regularly helicoptered out. If you *really* have to go or don’t have an issue with primitive toilets, go for it. I opted to hold it. A decision I almost immediately regretted as I looked up at the start to Angels Landing.

PERMIT CHECK: This is the last place you can be on the trail without a permit. All permits will be checked as you approach the entrance to the “Chain Trail.”

The Chain Trail

The chain section to the apex of the Angels Landing hike is about a half-mile long. Strategically placed chains give you something to grab onto as you make the final ascent. If ever there was a place to find religion, this is it. Scrambling is required, and some spots are extremely narrow.

You’ll want gloves for the chain, whether it’s to stop sweaty hands from slipping along or to avoid touching a hot, metal chain.

Oh, and there will be a line to access the slippery, sweaty chain, so be prepared.

HIKING ETIQUETTE: The right of way always goes to hikers going up. When you are heading down, let the people going up pass by.

The Summit & Views from the Top of Angels Landing

At the top, you have a chain-free and unbridled view (with absolutely no fence or barrier).

Frederick Vining Fisher once said about this striking cliff, “Only an angel could land there.” An angel… and us.

In all honesty, I don’t think enough attention is given to the hike DOWN Angels Landing. You suddenly have to look down and are all too aware of the heights you’ve climbed to get here.

Angels Landing FAQs

Is Angels Landing Dangerous?

Yes. Potential dangers greet you every step of the way hiking Angels Landing. It’s also part of the risk that fuels the reward. As I like to say, there are two types of danger—natural and stupid.

Natural hazards include high winds, winter weather, extreme heat, rockslides, and flash flooding—they all can spell dangers on the trail. In the summer of 2022, the chain section was closed due to an anchor rock issue. Refrigerator Canyon was closed, cutting off trail access because of major storm damage.

Human error can range from dehydration to inexperience to downright dangerous behavior. One person in 2016 decided to jump off a rock and broke her leg to the extent of being “deformed and angulated.” Another hiker nearly passed out on the fin of Angels Landing, but as it turns out, she hadn’t slept in almost 24 hours.

Have People Fallen Off Angels Landing?

Yes. I will not go into gory details, but falls have happened along the Angels Landing trail and the trails leading up to it.

How long is the Angels Landing Trail?

The Angels Landing Trail is 5.4 miles round trip in distance. The distance is not so much the challenge, though, but rather the elevation gain, which is nearly 1,500 feet.

How long does it take to hike Angels Landing?

You should plan for at least four hours to hike Angels Landing, mostly due to the traffic on the trail, which is severe, especially in the afternoon.

When is the Best Time to Hike Angels Landing?

Spring could still have snow and ice on the trail, but late spring could beat the summer crowds if the trail is safe. Summer and fall offer the most beautiful views, but watch out for the heat of summer.

With temperatures regularly topping 100°(F), you can become dehydrated or suffer heat stroke quickly. For my American the Beautiful Pass money? Fall is the most stunning season here.

How Much Water Should I Bring for Angels Landing?

You should have at least a gallon of water per person, and a packet of electrolytes will help replenish what you lose in sweat.

Zion keeps an updated list of potable water locations, but there aren’t any along the trail to Angels Landing. Do not drink water found in rivers and streams in the park without knowing how to do proper filtration. Natural water supplies can have cyanotoxins that can make you sick or even be fatal if consumed or splashed into the eyes or open wounds.

Angels Landing Zion National park — Angels Landing from the Virgin River

Angels Landing vs Half Dome – A Comparison

I find it interesting that hikers and climbers ascend for fun and thrills, but the most research topics between Half Dome in Yosemite National Park and Angels Landing are, “Which is scarier?” or “Which is more deadly?” I would wonder which one will feed my soul.

Nonetheless, here’s a side-by-side comparison.

Details	Angels Landing	Half Dome
Length	5 Miles (approx.)	15 miles (approx.)
Starting Elevation	4,000 feet	2,127 feet
Peak Elevation	5,790 feet	8,800 feet
Round Trip Hike Time	4 – 5 hours	10 – 12 hours

Half Dome is longer and higher with more of an incline. You’re nearly walking up the sheer face of a rock almost a mile above the ground. You will find many wide walkways and ledges, though there are plenty of nail-biters along the way.

Angels Landing will test the outer limits of your comfort with heights. In places, the walkway is a fraction of a sidewalk with sheer drops down on both sides.

They each have had more than a dozen deaths, hundreds of accidents and many rescues.

Where is Zion National Park?

“Zion,” as everyone calls it, is in Southern Utah, about 40 miles off I-15 and about an hour from St. George, Utah. At the time I visited (2004), it wasn’t on the radar as much as it is now. Plus, you have Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks nearby.

In fact, St. George has doubled in population over the past two decades, bringing more people to this barren stretch of road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Springdale, Utah, is just one mile south of Zion. Once you leave I-15, you’ll travel Utah Route 9, where the Pine Valley Mountains in your rearview mirror blend and then melt away with the colorful collusion of three deserts — the Colorado Plateau, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert.

Do not go to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center. That’s on the other side of the 229-square-mile park.

ZION NATIONAL PARK PLEDGE: Before you go, take the pledge to be light-footed and good-hearted when you visit.

What Makes Zion So Special?

The geology of Zion is the true magic of this mystical place. It truly looks like God himself carefully crafts each hued layer, being careful to blend natural processes with grandiosity.

The formation of Zion started 240 million years ago as sedimentary layers filled a flat (FLAT!) basin. Water loaded with minerals seeped through the sand, gravel, and mud, codifying the layers, which were then subject to uplift, erosion, and volcanic activity.

Add to that 12,000 years of human influences feeding off the Virgin River that flows through the desert, and you have a story that is for the ages.

Falling in Love with Zion National Park

Zion is easy to fall in love with — it makes your heart flutter, keeps surprising you, and is resilient “for better or for worse.” In fact, you can even get married at Zion National Park if you want after filling out a few forms. Unfortunately, Angels Landing isn’t one of the locations offered.

Hallmark even fell in love with Zion, releasing “Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance” in May 2023.