Angels Landing Trail Guide – Zion National Park

Angels Landing is one of the most epic day hikes a person can take in Zion National Park, or even the US in general! The sheer drop-offs, the chains, the switchbacks and the epic views that you experience over the 5.4 mile trail make for a unique experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life!

Angels Landing Trail Guide – Quick Info

TRAIL MILEAGE: Angels Landing is a 5.4 mile hike round trip. It’s an out and back trail.
TRAIL DIFFICULTY: This is rated as difficult. It’s often said this is not a trail for beginners, and I would absolutely agree. You cover a lot of elevation (just under 1,500 feet) in 2.7 miles, there are drop-offs that could be, and have been fatal, and the trail is very narrow at many points at the end of the hike.
PERMITS: Permits are now required to hike this trail, no matter the time or day. You can get these on Recreation.gov and there are seasonal lotteries and night-before permits you can get as well. You can find more details in the permits section of this post below.
SHUTTLE STOP: Zion Canyon is typically closed to private vehicles requiring you to take the free Zion Shuttle. To do the Angels Landing Trail, you’ll want to get off at the Grotto Stop (#6). From November 28th – December 22nd and January 2nd – late winter the shuttle won’t be running. (Check Zion National Park’s Website to see if the shuttle is running during “late winter”. During this time, you can drive in the canyon. Just know, parking is pretty limited.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PEE BEFORE YOU HIKE: But also, before you hop on the trail, take the time to use the restrooms down at the shuttle stop because it will be a bit before you get to use a toilet again. There are toilets at Scout Lookout, but they smell terrible… I’d use them as an emergency situation only if you can.
DON’T FEED ANIMALS: This includes the cute little chipmunks at the top of Angels Landing. I could not believe (one) how many people were feeding them still and (two) how many people have fed them based on their fearlessness! I had a chipmunk literally run up my boot!!! Help keep wildlife wild by giving them space and not giving them human food, which is likely harmful for these animals anyway.

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Angels Landing Trail History

Reportedly, a methodist minister named Frederick Fisher named the landmark itself over 100 years ago when he exclaimed, “Only angels could land there!” (He’s also credited with the names of many other formations in this park.) The Angels Landing trail was completed in 1926, so we’re coming up on 100 years of summiting this crazy, knifes-edge cliff. The 21 switchbacks that are so intense they’re actually known by their name, Walter’s Wiggles, were named for Zion’s first superintendent, Walter Ruesch. But seriously, can you name any other switchbacks? Didn’t think so. It took another 8 years, though, for the trail to look like it does today with the chains and railings. Can you believe this was a hiking trail before those were there?

My dad, Matt and I hiked Angels Landing during our visit in late 2021, so we had the lovely experience of hiking with seemingly hundreds of our newest, closest friends… and some foes on this fairly dangerous hike. Luckily for you, you’re reading this in the era of permits for Angels Landing. I’ve researched the permit system, though, to give you the most up-to-date information!

Our Angels Landing Trail Experience

Because the trail was a free-for-all when we went, my dad, Matt and I got up early, early and arrived at 6:45 before the first shuttle ran at 7. We were queued up with far more people than I had expected. It was pitch black out, but there were still enough people ahead of us that we barely made the third shuttle, meaning about 100 people were ahead of us in line, even getting there early! We got off at our shuttle stop about the time the sky started to lighten, which was perfect timing because as it rose over the cliffs surrounding us, it made for an exceptionally beautiful sunrise.

The most common and direct route to the top of Angels Landing, which is the trail we did, is via the West Rim Trail which you access via Shuttle Stop #6, The Grotto. After exiting the shuttle, cross the road to access the trailhead and hop on the West Rim Trail.

The trail starts off fairly easy, but don’t be fooled, it doesn’t take long until you start climbing uphill. At the one-mile point our lungs were definitely burning as we got to one of the first epic overlooks just before entering Refrigerator Canyon, which is just about the only place to find shade on this trail. This can be a nice respite in summer heat, but is also extra-chilly on those cooler days. Looking back out of this canyon back into Zion Canyon is one of my favorite views on the trail, don’t forget to stop and take a minute to soak it in.

From here came Walter’s Wiggles. These switchbacks are brutal: 21 of them steeply take you up 250 feet in elevation. While it may seem like these will never end, they’re just that final push to get up to Scout Lookout.

Scout Lookout is a nice flat spot on the West Rim Trail. This is where you’ll find some toilets, a stellar view and a handful of people who are trying to decide whether or not to try to tackle the chains, drop-offs and wonder that is the Angels Landing Trail. This is actually the only section of trail that is actually “Angels Landing Trail”. It’s half a mile to the famous overlook and then a half-mile back down the way you came.

The Angels Landing Trail is undoubtably daunting. We were lucky to be among the first 30-50 people of the day taking on the chains. So, going up was so easy. If you have the ability to go one-way without having the stress of others ram-rodding their way down. I’m not sure how it’s going with a limited number of people going up and down this section throughout the day, but, as one of our fellow-hikers said, it’s like a life or death corporate team building exercise.

When we arrived at the top, the view was truly jaw-dropping. It’s certainly a big payoff for your effort. But I do have to say, I had a hard time being willing to sit and enjoy the view. I was getting a bit anxious because all I could think about was how the trail was getting busier and busier and we were going to have to do the chains section with loads of people coming up. We’d heard that there were up to 2-hour waits at Scouts Landing at a time! It was just so wild!

The etiquette is, people come up or down in natural groups. Here’s the deal, there’s only so much room at the top. So, let people come down to make room for those coming up. Don’t power through chain sections, just be patient. There will be breaks. When we would start coming down, we let people waiting to come up how many people were in the natural little pack we made coming down – I think we had seven at a time. Then the people after us would wait to come down until a group came up. And you just do this over and over taking turns and truly, just being patient. We only had one person be a bit of a jackass about it, and ironically it was an older lady who was telling her other older lady friend, “Just push through and you’ll get your way to the top.” I ended up telling her to do what she wants, but I was not going to let go of the chain. If she wanted to bully herself up past other people who had waited and were waiting patiently, she could go around me. She turned back and waited until at least our group went down. I have no idea how the rest of her hike went, but she was a pistol.

Once you get back to Scout Landing, it was smooth sailing simply going back the way we came. We stopped and took photos of the beautiful sites, a bit more carefree not rushing to the top. I’m honestly very eager to get back there someday to hike this trail with a fraction of the people we did that day.

More Info About the Angels Landing Permit System

ALL DAY EVERYDAY: The first thing you need to know about permits is you have to have one no matter the time of day you hike or what season you hike. You can be fined up to $5k for not having a permit on this trail.
ONLY ON ANGELS LANDING TRAIL: Like I mentioned above, the Angels Landing Trail actually starts at Scout Landing. So, you can get all the way to Scout Landing without one.
PERMITS ARE ON A LOTTERY SYSTEM: It’s not first-come, first-serve when it comes to tickets. You can apply for the lottery for up to 6 people. There’s a seasonal lottery and a daily lottery.
PERMITS ARE A $6 PER PERSON APPLICATION FEE: These fees are non-refundable (whether or not you’re chosen, if the weather is bad, if your trip is canceled, etc.) and go toward maintaining these permit-systems.
THESE PERMITS REQUIRE YOUR NAME + ID: You can’t pass your permit on to others or sell them. You can submit an “alternative” for a seasonal permit application.
YOU CAN ONLY SUBMIT ONE APPLICATION AT A TIME: If you submit more than one, all will be canceled and you will not receive a refund for those permit fees.

These are some of the highlight details about the permits. For even more detailed information, check on Recreation.gov, for all the info.

Hiking Gear We Love and Think You Might Too!

This hike is an unforgettable one that finds its way on most hikers’ bucket lists. If you love the outdoors, rugged beauty, adventure and aren’t afraid of an element of danger, you should add it yours as well! This trail is one of the many reasons that Utah is my favorite state!

Where to Stay Near Zion National Park

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