Angels Landing

Angels Landing is a narrow sandstone fin in the middle of Zion Canyon, and the hike to its summit is the one walk in Zion National Park rationed by lottery. The last half mile follows a chain along the top of the fin. Since 1 April 2022 that half mile has needed a permit from a lottery, and Zion issues more than 200,000 of them a year.

Our Angels Landing guide covers the permit, the hike, the shuttle to the trailhead and what to do without a permit. Every figure is from the Park Service's own pages and Recreation.gov, checked on 26 October 2026.

Who needs an Angels Landing permit?

An Angels Landing permit is needed by everyone who hikes the chained section from Scout Lookout to the summit, 24 hours a day and every day of the year. Nobody needs one to walk to Scout Lookout, to hike the West Rim Trail beyond it, or to ride the shuttle.

The permit is sold online only, through Recreation.gov: no office in the park sells one, and none is issued for the same day. It is valid for one day and one start time at the Grotto. Hiking the chains without a permit can bring a fine of up to $5,000, six months in jail, or both.

Guided groups need permits too, and park staff lead no tours of Angels Landing. None of the official pages we read mentions a US phone number or a US address. They ask for an application paid by card and a photo ID that matches the name on it.

How do the Angels Landing lotteries work in 2026?

The Angels Landing lotteries are the only source of permits. Each application costs a non-refundable $6 and covers up to six people, including the applicant. A permit that is drawn costs $3 per person, charged automatically to the same card. The park entrance fee is separate.

The seasonal lottery takes up to seven ranked choices of day and start time, a season ahead. Its windows open at 8 a.m. and close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.

The day-before lottery opens at 12:01 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. Mountain Time on the day before the hike, and permits are issued at 4 p.m. Any time inside the window gives the same odds. The Park Service measured average odds of about 50 percent in its first two years, from 8 percent on a Memorial Day weekend to 100 percent on some weekdays.

Spring and autumn permits come with three start slots at the Grotto: before 9 a.m., from 9 a.m. to noon, and after noon. Summer has two, before and after 9 a.m., and a winter permit covers the whole day. A permit can be cut to fewer people but never moved to another date, and bad weather is not grounds for a refund.

How is an Angels Landing permit checked?

An Angels Landing permit is checked by rangers at the Grotto, at Scout Lookout or anywhere on the trail, at any hour. The confirmation email is the permit itself. Download or print it before the trip, because phone signal at the checkpoint is unreliable; Zion Lodge has free Wi-Fi for it.

The permit holder, or the alternate named on the application, must be there with a photo ID, and the whole group must reach the checkpoint together. The name on the application has to match the ID.

How long is the hike from the Grotto to the summit?

The hike from the Grotto to the summit of Angels Landing is 5.4 miles round trip with 1,488 feet of climb, by the Park Service's permit page. Most hikers take about four hours, and the park advises allowing at least half a day.

The route starts at the Grotto, shuttle stop 6, and crosses the road and a bridge onto the West Rim Trail. Switchbacks climb to Refrigerator Canyon, which is flatter and cooler, and then Walter's Wiggles, a set of 21 switchbacks on a trail listed in the National Register of Historic Places, ends at Scout Lookout.

Scout Lookout lies about 2.25 miles from the Grotto with a 1,000-foot climb by the Park Service's permit page, and 1.9 miles with 1,187 feet of gain by its trail-assessment page. The two pages measure the same trail differently, so plan on the longer figure.

From Scout Lookout the chained section runs half a mile to the summit. The fin is less than 3 feet wide in many places, carries two-way traffic, and drops as much as 1,000 feet on each side. A single metal chain is anchored along parts of it, and in winter the chain is cold enough that gloves help.

The only drinking water on the route is at the Grotto, so carry it all: the Park Service suggests a gallon a person for a full day. The Grotto has flush toilets and Scout Lookout has limited ones, with none beyond. Pets and drones are banned.

How do you reach the Grotto trailhead?

The Grotto trailhead is reached by the free Zion Canyon shuttle for most of the year, because private cars cannot drive the Scenic Drive while it runs. The first bus leaves the visitor centre at 7 a.m., and the ride to the Grotto has to fit before the start slot on the permit.

During the weeks without a shuttle, hikers drive to the Grotto and park on the pavement. Parking there is not guaranteed, and the park may close the road when it fills. Be back at the Grotto well before the last bus: rangers give no rides, and the walk out to the visitor centre is several miles.

When is Angels Landing too dangerous to climb?

Angels Landing is too dangerous to climb when storm clouds are near, when the rock is wet or icy, or when the hike would end in the dark. The Park Service gives those conditions as reasons to turn back at Scout Lookout. It says most accidents on the chains happen in wet conditions, and that most of the fatal accidents since 1930 happened on that section.

The Park Service publishes no count of deaths on Angels Landing. The most recent it has reported was on 17 April 2026, when a 68-year-old hiker fell from the chained section.

Each season brings its own risk. From May to September, heat and the lack of shade have led to many rescues on the route, and summer days in the canyon regularly pass 100°F. The monsoon runs from July to September, and thunderstorms come more often in the afternoon. In winter some stretches never see the sun and hold ice, so traction devices are highly recommended.

No minimum age is set, but Recreation.gov calls the hike unsuitable for young children or anyone afraid of heights. A permit is permission, not a safety clearance: the park can close the trail at any time.

Which walks need no Angels Landing permit?

The walk to Scout Lookout needs no Angels Landing permit, and it covers most of the distance and the climb. The Park Service calls it a reasonable stopping point and suggests splitting a group there. The West Rim Trail also continues beyond Scout Lookout without a permit, with views back over the fin.

• Observation Point: reached only from the east since rockfall cut the East Rim Trail from Zion Canyon. From the East Mesa trailhead it is 6.8 miles round trip with 300 feet of climb, but the trailhead sits at the end of high-clearance or four-wheel-drive dirt roads, often impassable after rain or snow.
• Canyon Overlook: 1 mile round trip and 163 feet of climb, near the east end of the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, with very little parking. A rockfall closed part of the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway from 30 September to 9 October 2026, and the tunnel has overnight closures from 26 to 30 October.

What does a day on Angels Landing cost a visitor from abroad?

A day on Angels Landing costs two adults from abroad in one car $247 if their application is drawn. The park entrance is $35 per car for seven days, and Zion is one of the eleven parks that add $100 per person aged 16 or over for visitors who do not live in the United States. That makes $235 for the car and two adults, plus $6 for the application and $3 each for the permit.

The $250 non-resident America the Beautiful pass covers the car fee and the $100 surcharge at Zion and every other national park for a year. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors has the full arithmetic. For a bed near the trailhead, see where to stay near Zion.