Angel’s Landing Hiking Guide
Interested in hiking Angel’s Landing? This post is the right post for you! Before our first trip to Zion, I couldn’t find much information about the nitty-gritty details and it gave me anxiety. Hopefully, this post will make things easier for you!
Full Trip: 4.4 Miles
To Scout’s Lookout: 3.9 Miles
Scout’s Lookout to Angels Landing: ½ Mile
Total Elevation Gain: 1,604 ft
Estimated Time: 2-5 hours
Permit System:
In April of 2022, the National Park Service began the permit lottery system for Angel’s Landing. We were among the first groups of people that needed to get a permit to hike, and it’s not too bad of a process. You’ll need to apply for the lottery months before you actually want to hike. For example, we wanted to hike the week of April 16-20th, and the lottery for hikes April 1-May 31st was open January 3rd through the 20th with the announcements made January 25th. It was $6 to apply for the permit and would have covered up to 6 people. The fee is non-refundable. When you apply for your permit you’ll have to choose up to 7 days and time windows and rank them from most favorable to least. We did not get our first pick and ended up getting a permit to hike on the day we had to check out of our campground and leave Zion. They now also have a “Day before” lottery where you can apply between 12:01 and 3:00 pm the day before you want to hike, they will announce who gets the permits at 4:00 pm. The system is flawed but it is better than having massive crowds while on your hike.
Getting to the trailhead:
The trailhead begins at bus stop #6, the Grotto. This is the same bus stop used for the Emerald Pools Hike as well as a few other shorter hikes. Most people take the bus from the visitor center directly to the trailhead. We met a few people who stayed at the Zion Lodge (bus stop #5) and walked to the trailhead.
What if you want to start your hike before the buses begin to run? We did not want to start our hike at the same time as a bunch of others would begin their hike, so we chose to do things the hard way. We rented bikes in Springdale the day before our hike was planned so we could ride in before the buses started for the day. We left our campsite at the Watchman Campground around 6:00 am when it was still dark out (mid April). It took us 30 minutes to bike to the Grotto bus stop. If you rented e-bikes this time would be significantly less, but road bikes are less expensive to rent. We locked our bikes right at the bus stop and left for the trail. A side note: there are nice bathrooms at the bus stop to use before you hit the trail.
The Trail
The Grotto to Scout’s Lookout: (No permit necessary)
This is where a majority of your time spent getting to Angel’s Landing will be. It is roughly 3.6 miles to Scout’s lookout, and it is a steep incline most of the way. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the lookout and we all but ran. I would more likely estimate that if you’re dealing with crowds, hiking in a group or just enjoy hiking at a leisurely pace that it could take up to two hours to reach Scout’s Lookout. The path crosses the river and takes a sharp right to follow the river for a few hundred yards until it turns up towards the hills near the river bend. The trail itself is mostly paved with a few sandy/dirt spots to traverse. The views are amazing the entire trail. Once you begin to get to higher elevations you’ll notice that the switchbacks have begun, these will be your best friend for fighting the steep incline. When you’re a bit past the half-way mark you’ll enter a canyon that is a quiet zone for the Mexican Spotted Owls. The park has a sign out that asks visitors to remain respectful of the owls and keep their voices and noises to a minimum while in the canyon. Then you’re on to your last set of (21) switchbacks known as Walter’s Wiggles. Scout’s Lookout is an open, flat area where a lot of people can hangout. There are outhouses at Scout’s Lookout but our run in with them was sub-par, even first thing in the morning. You have an amazing view from the lookout, including the top of Angel’s Landing.
Scout’s Lookout to Angel’s Landing: (Permit now required)
The hike from Scout’s Lookout to Angel’s Landing is roughly half a mile, and about another 500 feet of elevation gain. This is the most technical part of the entire hike, where you enter the chain area. There are not always chains to hang on to so you will always need to be watching your step. This section of the hike is not well suited for people that are afraid of heights or families with small children. We were the only ones up there at the time and I could not imagine trying to traverse the trail when it is fully packed. We saw some people using grippy gloves with the chains, which is a great idea for germs and the elements. Once you exit the chain area you come to a flat, wide-ish area that spans the top of Angel’s Landing. This pad area can get quite busy. The views are breathtaking and worth every high elevation step.
