The Most Competitive US Hiking Permits: Angels Landing, Utah

Angels Landing quick facts:

• Distance: 5.4 miles round trip
• Elevation gain/loss: 1,488 feet
• Number of applications in 2023: Not available
• Success rate: 8-100 percent, depending on date
• Application window: Four times per year
• Apply here

Permits for Angels Landing are distributed through two systems: a seasonal lottery and a day-before lottery. The seasonal lottery does four draws a year. In 2025, you’ll want to apply between January 1 to 20 for spring dates, between April 1 to 20 for summer dates, between July 1 to 20 for fall dates, and between October 1 to 20 for winter dates. In your application, you can list up to seven date options and select one of three starting times: before 9 AM, between 9 AM and 12 PM, or after 12 PM.

If you’re unsuccessful in that lottery, you can try the online day-before lottery. You’ll need to enter by 4 PM local time the day before you want to hike, and will find out by late afternoon if you won a spot.

A maximum of 800 hikers per day are allowed to ascend the chains section of Angels Landing, ensuring a safer and less crowded experience. But the exact number of permits changes daily, based on factors like weather, sunrise and sunset, and park shuttle hours. The hike itself is 5.4 miles round trip, with a steep elevation gain of approximately 1,500 feet. Near the top, there are drop offs that run all the way to the Zion Canyon floor, so it may not be the best choice in the park for anyone with a fear of heights.

Photo: Filip Fuxa/Shutterstock

Without a permit, you can still do most of the Angels Landing hike. From the West Rim Trail, you can hike up to Scout Lookout, getting similar views without the need for a permit (as the Angels Landing permit is only for the final section of trail). Hiking to Scout Lookout is shorter, at around four miles round-trip, which may leave you extra time to do another nearby hike, such as the Emerald Pool Trails.

In the summer, no personal cars are allowed in Zion Canyon, so you’ll need to take the free Zion National Park Shuttle. Both Angels Landing and the Emerald Pool trails are stop #6 (The Grotto), which is just one stop away from Zion Lodge. So you could always swing by for a cold drink or decadent lunch once you finish hiking, too.

Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock

As Zion is one of the most popular parks in the US, the lodging options are almost endless. There’s only one developed campground in the park (Watchman Campground), but you can walk to the Zion Canyon Entrance from the town of Springdale. It has lots of hotels both in town and a little further out in the Utah desert. The area around Springdale and Zion also has pretty Airbnbs good for larger groups, plus dozens of desert cabins that offer access to both Zion and other nearby trails in southern Utah.