Angels Landing is a very popular, stunningly beautiful, borderline dangerous hike located inside Zion National Park. Zion ranks as one of the most gorgeous parks in the US, in my opinion. In addition to vistas of the entire valley, if you’re lucky, you’ll also have fantastic views of the condors residing nearby.
Angels Landing at Zion National Park
The Hike
The first section of the hike is not too bad (compared to the back half of the hike). It starts fairly moderately with a wide, well-maintained path. After some steep switchbacks, this section ends at Scout Lookout—a large area to rest which also has a restroom. From there, you can get a great view of the rest of the trail which ascends a narrow ridge to the top. This part of the trail, will get your adrenaline up. Sections of the hike involve scrambling up rocks using chains that are embedded into the rock face. Parts are also very narrow with a sheer cliff drop-off on one or both sides. This also means lengthy traffic jams as hikers have to pause and try to make room for descending hikers.
A view of Zion National Park
Near the end of the hike, we had the privilege of seeing numerous condors gliding over and around Angels Landing, which was spectacular. This plus the view of the expanse of Zion National Park made the hike definitely worth it.
5 Tips for the Hike (+ a bonus tip)
1) Don’t feel like you have to hike to the end.
Scout Lookout is a great ending point with beautiful views. Beyond that point, if you have issues with physical mobility or heights, this will be very challenging given the steepness and narrowness of the trail. That being said, one hiker we passed was doing the hike to specifically overcome his fear of heights, and had attempted it several times in the past (he made it all the way this time!).
2) Allow at least half a day to hike to the top, and time the hike so you’re off the ridge before sunset.
Although accidents are rare, they still happen, and you don’t want to make the descent from Angels Landing in the dark. Holding a flashlight is difficult for the sections where you really need two hands to scramble across safely. A bright headlamp is better, but still requires slow and careful negotiation of the trail. The trail can be packed with hikers, so leaving first thing in the morning is also a good idea. This will avoid the traffic jams on the trail as hikers try to make way for ascending or descending hikers on the narrow sections of the trail.
3) Bring plenty of water, especially in the summer.
Severe dehydration is not great when you’re trying to pay attention to where you’re placing each footstep and keeping your balance.
4) Bring snacks to take a long break and take in the unparalleled, gorgeous views when you finally reach the top.
5) Given the steepness of the hike, comfortable, broken-in hiking shoes with good traction are a good idea.
Your old pair of hiking shoes with worn-out tread…a little iffy for this trail, especially if there’s any moisture on the rocks.
Bonus Tip: On our hike, the condors nesting nearby decided to come out for a flyover of the hikers. Consider bringing a pair of (lightweight) binoculars to see the condors up close if they make an appearance.
Hope you find these tips to be useful in planning a trip to Zion National Park. Please click here to check out more images of national parks.