We hiked Angels Landing, one of Zion National Park's most dangerous trails. Here are 12 things that surprised us about the adventure.

Zion has lotteries for hiking permits to limit traffic on certain trails, including Angels Landing.

The National Park Service implemented the system years ago to control crowd sizes and minimize congestion on the dangerous chain portion of Angels Landing.

Not everyone who enters the lottery for an Angels Landing permit gets one, especially during the busy season, which stretches from April to October.

Plus, the application process takes some forethought (and a nonrefundable $6 application fee on top of the park-entrance fee). If you win, though, the permits are just $3 a person.

Our trip was in early June, but the lottery for permits between June 1 to August 31 was only open from April 1 through April 20.

When we applied, the system asked us to rank seven days and windows of time, so I recommend providing as many options as possible.

If you don't want to miss out on Angels Landing during your trip to Zion, check the lottery dates and make sure you enter on time.

If you weren't lucky enough to get an Angels Landing permit in the seasonal lottery (or you're taking a last-minute trip to Zion), you can still enter the park's day-before lottery. 

But watch the clock — it closes at 3 p.m. each day.

If you plan on exploring the park the day before you hope to hike Angels Landing and are worried you won't have great cell service (spoiler alert: you probably won't), enter the day-before lottery prior to lacing up your hiking boots in the morning.

At 4 p.m., the National Park Service sends an email letting applicants know if they made the cut. Even if you do everything right, you still might not get a permit.

Even if you don't win the lottery, you can still hike a portion of Angels Landing up to Scout Lookout. The trail is 3.6 miles round-trip and offers amazing views of the canyon. 

The path up to Scout Lookout even includes some of the most iconic portions of the Angels Landing trail — like the 21 short, steep switchbacks known as Walter's Wiggles.

However, it excludes the thrilling chain scramble at the top.

There's plenty to do in Zion that doesn't require a special permit.

We spent a whole day knee-deep in the Virgin River exploring the Narrows, a popular hike through Zion Canyon's narrowest section.

Visitors can also check out the nearby Emerald Pools hike, which has three loops of various distances that lead to three different pools.

For most of the year, the National Park Service operates free shuttles along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, where you'll find most of the trailheads.

You aren't allowed to drive your personal vehicle into this portion of the park when the shuttle is operating. Instead, you park at the visitor center and take the shuttle to your destination.

The bus has nine stops along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, transporting visitors on a 45-minute route between the Zion Canyon Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava.

If you stay outside Zion in Springdale, you can avoid the park's less-than-ideal parking situation by hopping on the town bus, called the Springdale Shuttle, and transferring to the park shuttle when you reach the visitor center.

To get to Angels Landing on the Zion Canyon Shuttle, get off at The Grotto, which is about 20 to 30 minutes from the visitor center. 

Once you're at The Grotto, squeeze in a quick pit stop at the restrooms before crossing the main street to the trailhead.

Even with the lottery system, the trail gets busy. I'm talking Disney World-level busy.

To avoid running into a lot of people, get to the trailhead early. We set our alarms for 5 a.m., left our Airbnb 45 minutes later, and were on one of the first shuttles of the day at 6:15 a.m.

Even then, the shuttle was full, and almost every passenger was headed to Angels Landing.

If you climb the route later in the morning or in the early afternoon, it'll be packed (not to mention scorching hot for most of the year). 

Plus, you'll run into more traffic jams on the top portion of the climb since there's only one set of chains to go up and down the trail.

Right before we reached Walter's Wiggles, we hiked through a mostly flat and shaded stretch called Refrigerator Canyon.

Because it's located between two massive rock formations, it's a peaceful, cool (hence the "refrigerator" in its name) section of the trail that allowed us to rest before the hard part of the hike began.

The greenery, shade, and nearby river also make it the perfect habitat for the Mexican Spotted Owl. We didn't see any of them on our hike, but the National Park Service placed multiple signs encouraging hikers to be quiet on this stretch to avoid disturbing the birds.

Before our trip, I read dozens of horror stories about Walter's Wiggles — steep, zigzagging turns along the hike.

Although the switchbacks were challenging to navigate, they weren't as bad as I expected. I've encountered more grueling ones on my trips to Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rainier, and Guadalupe Mountain. 

Just pace yourself, take breaks as often as you need, and drink lots of water on your way up. Take it slow on the way down, too — your knees will thank you.

Also, consider bringing hiking poles to go up and down the switchbacks. You can pack them up when you reach the chains.

I've done my fair share of all-day hikes and have taken care of my "personal business" in some unique places. So I was surprised to find a restroom at Scout Lookout, which was 1.8 miles into our trip.

But bring your own hand sanitizer because these restrooms are primitive. 

The trail's chain section is what makes Angels Landing so iconic, but I expected it to be more challenging. 

As long as you take your time, wear decent hiking boots, and have moderate trail experience, you shouldn't have a problem. You can even skip the climbing gloves.

I was grateful that the ascent along the narrow ridge wasn't that physically demanding because it sure was mentally taxing. 

If you're at all afraid of heights, you might be taken aback by the super-narrow sections, which have 1,000-foot drops on either side. But the view at the top makes it so worth it. 

Just tightly grip the chain, take your time, and remember that beautiful views are steps away.

If you don't feel physically or mentally fit for this portion of the trail, turn around. Your safety is in your own hands, and people have died from falling off the edge.

Mountaintops are usually ideal spots to have a snack, take a selfie, and sit down. But on one of the world's most popular hikes in a crowded park, I figured there would only be room to stand.

Luckily, the last stretch of the hike is one long, wide ridge with views for days. There were plenty of spots beneath trees or on top of boulders where we could sit down out of everyone's way.

You won't get the typical solo mountaintop experience, but there's enough room to take off your pack, eat a sandwich, and snap some photos.

Be careful: The daring chipmunks at the top have no shame in begging for (or stealing) your food. Persuasive and persistent as they may be, don't feed them.

After soaking in the views for 20 minutes, we noticed the mountaintop was getting busier.

Although we were among the first to the summit, throngs of people weren't far behind us — and that meant there were traffic jams on the way back down the chains.

The next day, we spoke to a family who started their climb to Angels Landing in the afternoon. The same journey that took us 20 minutes took them over two hours because of the traffic.

Go as early as possible, but accept that you've chosen one of the world's most beautiful and popular hikes. You'll have to share those views (and chains) with everyone else.

This story was originally published on August 29, 2022, and most recently updated on July 17, 2025.