Apply to hike Angels Landing in April and May
SPRINGDALE, Utah – Planning a visit to Zion National Park this spring? Starting today and until 11:59 p.m. MT on January 20, you can apply for a permit to hike at Angels Landing between April 1 and May 31. Learn how at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding.
“We expect many visitors will want to apply for a permit, so we took care to make our process accessible, flexible, and fair.” Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said. “Lotteries were the right fit for Angels Landing because they give certainty about application periods and flexibility so that people can fill out the application when it’s convenient for them.”
Need to know
- When you apply, you can choose up to seven preferences of different days and times or ranges of days and times to hike.
- This ranked choice list will be entered into the lottery so that you will have multiple chances to get a permit in every Seasonal Lottery.
- Everyone can enter the Seasonal Lottery once at any time from January 3 to 20.
- If you do not get a permit in the Seasonal Lottery, you can apply again in a different lottery the day before your planned hike. Learn about the other, Day-before Lottery at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding.
You can also apply by calling recreation.gov at (877) 444-6777 from 10 a.m. – 12 a.m. ET, every day except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
On January 25, recreation.gov will email the results from this lottery to every applicant. This means hikers with permits can start planning hikes to Angels Landing ahead of time. For example, hikers with permits to hike in May will have up to four months to plan trips.
Understanding Seasonal Lottery fees
| Fee | Applies to | Refunds | Pays for |
| $6 per application | Every group applying for a permitPick seven days and times or windows of times on every Seasonal Lottery application | No | Recreation.gov to manage applications, run the lottery, and send emails to every applicant |
| $3 per person if issued | Every person listed on the permit You pay $3 per person automatically when we issue a permit | Yes for seasonal lottery Request Seasonal Lottery Refunds at least two days before your planned hike on recreation.gov | Rangers to provide help on the trail and check permits |
If you plan to visit on or after June 1, you can apply to the appropriate Seasonal Lottery later in the year. The lottery schedule is posted at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding, and we will share news releases and social media updates when we open those permit lotteries.
About Zion’s Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program
On and after April 1, everyone hiking past Scout Lookout to Angels Landing needs to have a permit. This means you need a permit to hike on the half-mile section of trail with chains. Hikers do not need a permit to go to Scout Lookout.
This is a pilot program, and the National Park Service (NPS) will monitor and adjust it as needed. The pilot permit program reflects comments from nearly 1,000 members of the public, park neighbors and other stakeholders. It also reflects lessons the NPS learned by metering the number of hikers on the trail to Angel Landing in 2019 and 2021 and from distributing tickets to use the park shuttle system in response to COVID-19 in 2020.
Angels Landing is one of many places people enjoy hiking in Zion National Park. The park recorded about 2.8 million total visits in 2011 and nearly 4.5 million visits in 2019. As the number of people who visit Zion continues to rise, the NPS is preparing a plan designed to provide high-quality visitor experiences and sustainably manage park resources. The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program will inform that planning process. We plan to share an update on the plan and ask for your feedback about it in 2022. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Learn more about Zion’s Visitor Use Research and read a response to public comments about issuing permits at Angels Landing on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website (PEPC).
Recreation.gov is a gateway to explore America’s outdoor and cultural destinations. You can use recreation.gov to make reservations at 4,200 facilities and 113,000 individual sites across the country. Visit their website to learn how the permit lottery works.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
