Angels Landing is the most popular hike in Zion National Park. This hike, along with The Narrows, draws thousands of visitors per year, most of them during the summer months.
Why is Angels Landing so popular? This is a hike where it is more about the journey than the destination. Yes, the view from the top of Angels Landing is spectacular, but it’s the final climb along the narrow ridge that draws so many people here. With chain-assisted rock scrambling sections, stunning views, and vertigo-inducing heights, this really is a thrilling hike.
For adventure seekers, this is definitely a great hike to put on your bucket list. We have hiked a lot of places around the world, and this hike is one of our favorites.
But there are some things you should know in order to have the best experience.
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Angels Landing Hiking Stats
Distance: 5.4 miles out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 1500 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length of Time: 3 to 5 hours
When to go: Year round, although the best seasons are Spring and Fall.
Trailhead: The Grotto (stop #6 on the Zion Shuttle)
Angels Landing elevation profile
Please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, properly dispose of waste, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife.
How to Hike Angels Landing
You Will Need a Permit to Hike to Angels Landing
If you plan to hike Angels Landing, you must have a permit. Angels Landing has had record traffic in the past few years, creating long lines to get onto the chains. In response to this, the National Park Service now requires hikers to have a permit, in order to limit the number of people on the trail.
Permits are awarded by lottery, both seasonally and the day before your planned hike. It costs $6 to enter an application and if you are one of the lucky lottery winners, you will pay $3 per person.
For dates of the seasonal lotteries, how the day-before lottery works, and the link to enter the lottery, visit the National Park Service website.
First Shuttle of the Day
We were in Zion National Park the first week of May. Knowing about the legendary traffic on the trail, Tim and I decided to get an early start to the day.
The first shuttle of the day was at 7 am. At the advice of the park rangers, we lined up early, maybe a bit too early (yes…we were eager to get started!). At 6:30 am we were the first two people in line. By 7 am, just enough people arrived to completely fill the first shuttle. And almost all of us were heading to the same place…Angels Landing.
West Rim Trail
From The Grotto shuttle stop, we crossed the Virgin River to get to the trailhead. Almost immediately we could see the monolith of Angels Landing in front of us. Pretty soon, we’d be standing up there.
First part of the West Rim Trail | How to Hike Angels Landing
The first two miles of the hike is on the West Rim Trail. It is a steady, uphill climb on a wide, paved trail. After a steady, monotonous uphill slog, the trail enters Refrigerator Canyon, a cool, shady canyon. This is a good place to catch your breath and cool off, if you need to. This is the only shady part of the hike.
View looking back along the West Rim Trail | How to Hike Angels Landing
Walter’s Wiggles
Next up are Walter’s Wiggles, 21 switchbacks that get your thighs burning and your heart pumping. You know you are getting close to the top when you start climbing Walter’s Wiggles.
Walters Wiggles | How to Hike Angels Landing
Another view of Walters Wiggles
Scout Lookout
At the top of Walter’s Wiggles is Scout Lookout. From here, we had our first view of the trail along the ridge.
From Scout Lookout, it’s just 500 feet of climbing to go. Now the real fun begins.
Scout Lookout | How to Hike Angels Landing
The Final Climb to Angels Landing
Tim and I hike at a fast pace, so by this point only a handful of people were in front of us. For the most part, we had the trail to ourselves.
At first, the trail does not seem too dangerous. This is a good spot to practice using those chains before you get to the real drop offs.
The view of the final climb to Angels Landing | How to Hike Angels Landing
The middle section of the spine is where things really get interesting. There is a lot of exposure here. The trail narrows to just a few feet wide, with drop offs on either side. With the help of the chains, you have to scramble up and down sandstone steps and boulders. The Virgin River looks tiny down in the valley below, if you dare look down from here. This part of the trail is a blast, if you like this kind of thing.
The view looking straight down from the trail | How to Hike Angels Landing
Then, it’s one final climb to the top.
Tim and I made it to the top of Angels Landing in just under an hour. It was 8:30 am and we joined about ten other people at the peak. The view is magnificent, although this early in the morning, most of the valley is still in shadow. There are also a crazy number of chipmunks up here and they are not at all shy about trying to steal your food.
View from Angels Landing | How to Hike Angels Landing
This is the view of the narrow ridge that you hike, seen from Angels Landing.
Finishing the Hike
With it being so early in the day, the trail still only had light traffic as we made our descent. But we did have to stop and wait for some people climbing up. I can see how the trail can get clogged with traffic, as many sections are only wide enough for one-way traffic. Getting here early was a good move!
Two days later, Tim and I hiked the entire West Rim Trail. This hike starts at the north section of Zion National Park, 12 miles from Scouts Lookout. We reached Scout Lookout at 1 pm. Angels Landing looked much different midday, with crowds of people on the trail. I can only imagine what it would look like during the peak season summer months.
Should You Hike Angels Landing?
Do not underestimate this hike! There have been numerous deaths on the Angels Landing hike.
If you have a fear of heights, you should not do this hike. There are sections that are very narrow with 1000-foot drops on either side. This is not the place to confront your fears.
You must have a good level of physical fitness. You will be climbing (and then descending) 1500 feet. Most of this climb comes before the narrow spine of Angels Landing. If you are very fatigued by the time you get to this point, it only makes the hike more dangerous. Once you are on the spine, it is a very strenuous, sometimes technically challenging climb to the top. This is not to be underestimated. If you do not think you are fit enough or have enough experience rock scrambling, go no farther than Scouts Lookout.
Young children should not do this hike. Again, this hike is dangerous and not a place to bring young kids. In our opinion, the youngest age we would recommend is 12 years old, and only if they have lots of hiking experience. Yes, I do know kids that have successfully hiked Angels Landing at a younger age, but they had heaps of prior experience. Anyone attempting this hike needs prior experience hiking with chains and along exposed trails before hiking Angels Landing.
If you are traveling with kids, it is safe for them to hike to Scout Lookout. They can wait here with an adult if someone in your group wants to hike up to Angels Landing.
If you really want to know what to expect, watch the video Tim filmed on the narrow section of the trail.
Video of the Angels Landing Hike | How to Hike Angels Landing
How to Have the Best Experience
Don’t Forget to Apply for a Permit
Due to huge crowds on the trail, it is mandatory to have a permit to hike Angels Landing. This can be done in advance of your trip to Zion National Park or the day before you plan to hike Angels Landing. Apply for the lottery on recreation.gov.
Our #2 Tip: Hike more of the West Rim Trail
If you have the time and energy, from Scouts Lookout you can continue on the West Rim Trail. The scenery is spectacular and very few people venture out this way.
LEARN MORE: How to Day Hike the West Rim Trail
What to Bring on the Hike
Hiking Shoes. No flip flops, no crocs, no Converse sneakers. You need hiking shoes or boots for this hike.
Water. Bring plenty of water, especially if you will be hiking midday or during the warmer months.
Sunscreen. There is very little shade on the trail.
Hiking poles (optional). Hiking poles take about 30% of the weight off of your legs as you descend, easing knee pain and other symptoms. I use Black Diamond Distance Z poles and love them. They easily collapse down to fit in your luggage and hiking backpack, plus they are extremely lightweight. The poles come in several sizes, so make sure you pick the right length based on your height.
If you are new to hiking or are curious about what you should bring on a hike, check out our Hiking Gear Guide. Find out what we carry in our day packs and what we wear on the trails.
Do you have any questions about how to hike Angels Landing? If you hiked to Angels Landing and want to share your experience, comment below!
More Information about Zion
ZION NATIONAL PARK: Check out our Zion National Park Travel Guide for important travel planning tips, sample itineraries, advice on when to go, where to stay, and more.
ZION NARROWS: There are two ways to hike the Narrows: top-down or bottom up. Journey down the Zion Narrows in photos and learn how to hike the Narrows top-down.
ZION ITINERARY: Learn how to plan your perfect Zion itinerary, whether you have a day or a week.
UTAH’S MIGHTY 5: Utah’s Mighty 5 is a collection of five national parks in Utah. Learn more about the parks and how to plan your visit in our Guide to Utah’s Mighty 5.
UTAH ITINERARY: In our Utah National Parks Road Trip Guide, we cover multiple ways to road trip through the national parks in Utah.
UNITED STATES: We have TONS of information about places to visit in the United States in our USA Travel Guide. In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries.
Read all of our articles about Utah in our Utah Travel Guide.
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Comments 74
Beautiful pictures. Thank you for the warning about the fear of heights. I get skittish on a 15 foot ladder. I couldn’t imagine doing that hike, after seeing the extreme drop offs. I don’t mind the heights if I’m not on the actual ledge. The south rim of the Grand Canyon didn’t bother me at all.
I did this with my 2.4 yo son in my back carrier and I had no problems. After reading this blog we thought it was going to be a lot worse, but it was so much fun and our son loved it. I do have to admit we are experienced hikers and many people freaked out when they saw me passing by them. But if you know what you are doing and have good shoes, there is nothing to worry about it. It took us 1 hour and 13 minute to summit. And then we stayed up there for around 30 min. And it probably took us around 50-60 min to come down. You do have to wait for the traffic jams coming both ways and definitely need to be patience with those who are taking their time so everyone can enjoyed this beautiful hike.
Author
Thank you for writing in with your experience. That’s awesome that you did it with your son! Cheers, Julie
Proud o’ ya!
There is no shame in stopping at Scout’s Lookout if the trail is crowded or you begin to question the number of young children on the trail! My daughter (17, first time) and I (60, second time) went up Angels Landing in 2019, took the first shuttle, but wound up turning around just past the narrowest part of the ridge–it was too congested and several inexperienced hikers were essentially “camped out” with 7 to 10 year olds on the final vertical 500 feet–there are few places to “squeeze” past them to continue to the summit . The use of permits and hiking fees is a godsend to me. From the pictures and video on this page, it seems that the Park Service has installed more chains and signage since 2019, perhaps as a result of overcrowding on the trail. As for me, I’ll do Angel’s Landing the next time I’m in Zion, but in this case, discretion was the better part of valor.
I am planning on going back to Zion in two weeks and I would love to try Angel’s Landing this time. Do the chains cover the entire spine?
Author
No, the chains are only in the narrowest sections of the spine. There are a few wider areas where no chains are necessary. Have a great hike! Cheers, Julie
There are sections without chains where I thought there should have been chains. Some places I got on my hands and knees and crawled to feel safer. I had a moderate fear of heights then. Now my fear of heights is worse, such that I won’t try Angels’ Landing again.
I can’t remember but take water and snacks, go as early as possible especially if the temperature is hot. Best time to go is fall or spring. Don’t get too close to the edge at the top. Have fun and be careful.
Is there any other parking besides at the Visitor Center that puts you closer to trail head? If so, does a shuttle run through there?
Author
The closest place you can park is at the visitor center and then ride the shuttle, unless you stay at the Zion Lodge. If you stay at the Lodge, you can drive and park here and then you will be much closer to the Angels Landing Trailhead. Cheers, Julie
I was in the park last October. The first day we had shuttle tickets (given to us by folks we met in Moab). We parked in the parking lot and rode the shuttle up to hike “The Narrows”. The second day, after seeing how it all worked, we parked along the road where parking was allowed. We had brought our bikes so we then rode to the Grotto and did the Angels Landing hike. If you have a bike I recommend this plan. You save a lot of time not waiting in lines.