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Angels Landing Trail

·
Hard
4.3miLength
1,827ftElevation gain
Out & back
Proceed cautiously on this 4.3-mile out-and-back trail near Springdale, Utah. Generally considered a highly challenging route, it should only be attempted by experienced adventurers. This is a very popular area for hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are March through November. You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs aren't allowed on this trail. • Fee Information: Zion National Park charges a fee to enter. For more information, please see https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/fees.htm • Access Information: Zion National Park requires a permit to hike the Angels Landing trail. For more information, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/angels-landing-hiking-permits.htm • Access Information: The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles during the shuttle season. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-canyon-shuttle-system.htm • Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program: Everyone who hikes Angels Landing needs to have a permit. Learn why you need a permit and how to get one. This requirement does not affect entering the park or riding the park shuttle (when it is running). The Angels Landing Trail is a technical route in Zion National Park with steep drop-offs and very narrow sections. The incredible views of Zion Canyon make this hike the most popular in Zion. You'll start by parking at The Grotto Trailhead or taking the West Rim Shuttle to The Grotto shuttle stop. You'll cross a bridge over the Virgin River onto the West Rim Trail. The first few miles of this route along the West Rim Trail are on a paved path. Most of the path is sunny, but Refrigerator Canyon offers shade and often a cool breeze. Eventually, you’ll come to Walter's Wiggles, a set of 21 switchbacks that take their name from Walter Ruesch, Zion National Park’s first superintendent. The section of the route follows a steep and narrow ridge from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing itself, a fantastic observation point 1500 feet above Zion Canyon. Anchored support chains are attached along some sections of the sheer cliff to assist your way up and down the carved steps. You are rewarded with an excellent view of the main canyon at the top. Heads up! It is a good idea to avoid standing near the edge at all times and avoid hiking this trail when it is wet, storming, or high winds are present. The route exposes hikers to steep drop-offs along cliff edges. You'll want to budget extra time for this route due to its technical sections. Although this is a popular hike all year round, the best time to hike this route is during the spring and fall. Summer afternoons can be dangerously hot, and winter weather conditions can cause the trail to be icy. The parking lot here fills up quickly so be sure to arrive early.
This text has been translated.
Fee required
Dogs not allowed
Partially paved
Scramble
Rocky
No shade
Hiking
Rivers
Views
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Trailgoers are saying
4.9
Stunning views and a thrilling experience are highlights. Challenges include steep climbs and narrow sections with drop-offs. Reviewers recommend starting early, staying hydrated, and wearing good shoes.
This summary is AI-generated from trail reviews and won’t always be perfect.
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Reviews

4.9
5
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1
Yesterday
Great views

Magical spot. Massively afraid of heights but so glad I did it. There are steep points but the chains and the footholds in the rocks were super helpful.

Yesterday
Good viewsBathrooms available

Bathrooms 2.5 miles up, tons and tons of people until the permit check. Chains are awesome and very unique to this hike. The view from the top is pretty epic. Be prepared for it to take 2-4 hours of travel time WITHIN the park to even get to the trailhead and another 2-4 hours to leave the park. No parking will be available in the park after sunrise, you've been warned

Conditions: Dusty, Pollen
YesterdayHiking

Angels landing plus emerald pools. Very light drizzle but the rocks were all dry. It was nice to have the clouds

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YesterdayHiking
Great conditionsGreat views

Was a tough hike but not as bad as i thought it would be. it was a nice cool cloudy day and i got an early start that definitely helped

Parking: Permit required
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YesterdayHiking
Great conditionsGreat views

Great experience. Get there early. Not as bad as it looks on social media (coming from someone who’s afraid of being on ledges). Just take your time

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YesterdayHiking

The climb and drop offs are not nearly as traumatic as people make them seem, I felt safe the whole time, just be careful and take your time. Definitely want shoes with good traction and I wouldn’t recommend without at least a little bit of hiking experience and/or athleticism. The view is absolutely stunning!

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YesterdayHiking

The most over-hyped, over fear mongered, scare tactic central, you're gonna die trail in the U.S. This trail is not scary AT ALL. It never gets as narrow as everyone says it does. Friendly reminder all of the videos you watch that make it seem so scary and you're gonna fall off and die are filmed on a 360° cam which makes hikes seem narrower. I hiked with 2 others with an insane fear of heights but convinced them to push through to the "narrow" part. When we got there they laughed and we all got really angry at how people fear monger and try to make this trail seem so dangerous. You would have to be a dumba$# to die on this trail. DO IT, IF YOU'RE READING THESE REVIEWS FOR VALIDATION OR TO SCARE YOURSELF OUT IF IT JUST DO IT, IT'S A HIKE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET, COOLEST HIKE IVE EVER DONE.

Conditions: Great!
Jun 1, 2025
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Bucket list for a reason - incredible trail! Starting early was key to beat the heat, knocking out Walter’s Wiggles still in the shade. The chains are awesome. There are lots of places where you can let other people pass safely. Very adventurous and the views were outstanding!

Jun 1, 2025
Great conditionsGreat views

Hiked Friday 05/30/25 starting just after 4pm and the conditions were excellent. Usually that would be the hottest part of the day, but we happened to hike during an overcast time, and by the time we made it to the top, the sun was shining. Not too many people at that time as well. We made it up and back down in time to catch the last shuttle down to the visitors center. Not half as scary as people make it out to be, and the views are remarkable! (If anything is going to kill you, it’ll be Walter’s wiggles)

Jun 1, 2025Hiking
Easy to parkGreat conditionsGreat views

An amazing hiking trail, start early like around 7:30am, less crowded, awesome view, by 9:30am start to get crowded and the weather got hot.

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May 31, 2025
Great conditionsGreat views

Gorgeous hike with amazing views. Not easy for sure. They definitely checked to see if I had a permit to hike it. Take you time, enjoy the views, and bring water.

Parking: Permit required
May 31, 2025Hiking
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Bring gloves for the chain. Arrive early to avoid direct sunlight. At least 2-3 liter water would help. I’m afraid of height but the road is broad enough for me.

Conditions: Dusty, No bugs, Wildflowers
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May 31, 2025Hiking
Great conditionsGreat views

Better in the morning to avoid the heat if possible! Strenuous uphill to start - about 2 miles of straight incline and 30 or so switchbacks. Difficult but worth it and rewarding! Need a permit for the actual angels landing- so fun!

Difficulty: Hard
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May 31, 2025Hiking
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Bucket list hike that every capable person should do. That being said, parking is a mess and its overcrowded. It also starts getting real hot after 10am. So for all of those reasons, its best to get there early (visitor center by 7am)

Conditions: Dry ground
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May 31, 2025Hiking
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

The Zion National Park lottery system really helps with numbers of hikers at Angel’s Landing. What a great day and hike.

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May 31, 2025
Bathrooms availableGreat views

Wouldn’t recommend hiking sticks, would get in the way.

May 31, 2025
Great views

Amazing hike! I got my permit after 12 PM and wasn’t allowed on the chains section until 12:45. All people were really nice and it wasn’t overcrowded. The views were absolutely incredible, and the hike to Angel’s Landing isn’t too difficult. As long as you don’t have a fear of heights, you’ll be fine. I watched so many YouTube videos before doing this hike and honestly it’s not as scary as it looks!

May 30, 2025
Bathrooms availableGreat views

We got a permit the day before ( second time both applying for one) we did the hike on Thursday this week. Got to the park for 630 and it already had a line up for the shuttle bus - some for Scouts Lookout / angels landing and a bunch for the narrows. We got off the shuttle to the trail head to start at 730. When we reached scouts Lookout there were quite a few people there and could see others had started the angels landing. You can start the hike up even if your permit says 9 am as we reached the permit check spot in 45/50 min. They checked our permits as we left. The views are amazing , we had a snack and the little critters were all over us. We didn't cross many people on the chains heading up but coming back down it got busier. So I highly recommend getting to the park and starting as early as you can. It took us 2hr 2min moving time ( we hike a lot) but 2hr 40 with stops and a snack / pic at the top. By the time we left the trail for the shuttle it was very hot in the sun.

May 30, 2025
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

First, I’m scared of heights, but I did it! Second, the time on the permit is the time at The Grotto. So we had timed our hike to arrive at Angels Landing around our permit time, only to find out we couldn’t enter until 9:45 at Scouts Lookout. Somehow we missed that. NBD, we only had to wait 10 minutes. Took us an hour and a half to do the Angels Landing section. It was crowded and hot. On our way down to the shuttle, temps were in the high 90s at noon.

May 30, 2025
Easy to parkNot crowdedGreat conditionsGreat views

Absolutely incredible experience! Great for rock climbers!

May 30, 2025
Easy to parkNot crowdedGreat conditionsGreat views

Exceptional! Not a very long hike, but quite technical in places, we had almost no one on the trail on both the way up and the way down, and what incredible views!!! A must-do if you're in Zion, provided you're in good physical condition.

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May 30, 2025Hiking
Bathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

The crew at the top of Angel’s Landing. Started at 7:15 and not too crowded but quite crowded on the way down. Great climb!!

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Not crowdedBathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Awesome! Half Dome.. check! Angel's Landing.. check! What are crazy hike. Thank god for the permit system or this and half dome would have been tattoo busy and most likely unsafe. Thank you NPS and Zion for an awesome hike with my family! 5 STARS FOR SURE!

Difficulty: Strenuous
May 29, 2025
Not crowdedGreat conditionsGreat views

This is a psychologically challenging hike, but very achievable. A nice thrill if you’re an adrenaline junkie. Unbelievable views. Go in with a good attitude and channel your inner mountain goat.

May 29, 2025Hiking
Great views

Awesome challenge! Second time up to the landing. First time since the permit requirements. I did it in 2021. And now, 4 years later it was a little harder than I remembered. . But still a lot of fun.

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May 29, 2025
Great views

Weather is pretty hot today so the first half quarter of the trail was a bit tough but you’ll reach shade not long after starting. The half leading up to the summit and after is a lot cooler in temp and views.

May 29, 2025Hiking
Not crowdedBathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Conditions were excellent. We got on the 6am bus and were on the trail by 6:30. The approach was a bit more strenuous than I expected, but by the time we reached Walter's Wiggles we were in good shape. We made the summit in 2.5hrs. Uphill traffic was still light so the descent was easy. Once back at Scout Lookout our permits were checked and the ranger suggeated a side hike up the West Rim Trail to a white domed summit with great canyon views. On the way down the sun was getting high and uphill hikers were feeling it. We got really lucky with a premium 9am permit. One of the most unique hikes I've done. Just awesome!

Difficulty: Hard
May 29, 2025Walking
Easy to parkNot crowdedBathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Coolest trail I’ve ever done. Start as early as possible, we started at 6:30am and hit crowds on the way back. Overall lovely hike.

Parking: Permit required
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May 29, 2025Hiking
Easy to parkNot crowdedGreat conditions

I got a permit rented a bike at 3:00 a.m. from e-bike Zion bicycled into the park and climbed it and only saw two people. One other person was at the top before I got there. Perfect conditions do it in the morning. Do not hike this during the day. It's going to put some stress on you. Plus all the people on the trail makes it horrible on the way down. Do it in the morning

Difficulty: Hard
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May 28, 2025Hiking
Not crowdedGreat conditionsGreat views

As beautiful as 4 years ago! Hiked from 6-8 pm and only 4 other groups on the trail with the whole crest to ourselves! (+ no permit checking on a Wednesday night)

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Frequently asked questions

What are some of the facilities available for Angels Landing Trail?

In 1997 the shuttle system was established to eliminate traffic and parking problems & protect vegetation. If you arrive early enough there is parking near the entrance to the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive on both sides of the bridge. Updated seasonal shuttle information can be found at the links below: http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/shuttle-system.htm http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/hours.htm

What is the expected weather this week for Angels Landing Trail?

Expected weather for Angels Landing Trail for the next 5 days is:
  • Tue, June 3 - 80 degrees/thundershowers
  • Wed, June 4 - 67 degrees/thundershowers
  • Thu, June 5 - 70 degrees/clear
  • Fri, June 6 - 73 degrees/clear
  • Sat, June 7 - 82 degrees/clear
Last updated on June 3, 2025 at 12:45 am GMT