My fiancé and I recently drew a permit to hike Angels Landing at Zion National Park this upcoming Friday. I’ve never been hiking out west but have a fair amount of experience here on the east side of our country.  From what I understand, the permitting process out there became necessary because the trail was getting overcrowded and it’s very narrow in some areas. If my information is correct, I’ve also heard that at least one person has fallen to their death after getting knocked off a tight spot in the trail by another hiker who wasn’t paying attention.   I’m hoping that there’s some people here who have experience on this hike that might be able to share some helpful tips.  We are flying out there from Florida and this is the first time I’m going to be doing a hike where I didn’t drive to the destination. I usually bring more gear than necessary since I can just keep it in the truck and only use what’s needed, but since we are flying I’m hoping to have a drilled down list of what I need to take out there since space will be limited.

I believe the time on our permit is first thing in the morning.  I definitely want to hear from people with experience on this trail but my best guess is that a small day pack with plenty of water and snacks is probably going to be about all I need. For footwear I’m thinking I’d probably use my Altra Lone Peak 6.  Looking at the current weather out there it seems like it might be a little chilly in the morning and then warm up as mid day approaches. I’m thinking I’d wear a lightweight pair of hiking pants and then layer a moisture wicking shirt underneath a lightweight long sleeve button down hiking shirt. On the off chance we encounter any rain, I figure I’ll bring lightweight rain jacket such as my OR Helium.  I always carry a basic first aid kit, sunscreen, lip balm, etc.

So for those of you who hiked Angels Landing, does this look about right? I know this is just a day hike but I’ve heard a little bit about slick rock, steep inclines with very narrow spots in the trail, etc.  The only other question I had was whether or not this is a hike where you might want your trekking poles. Since we are flying, I’m really hoping to be able to get away without those, but if they are going to make a positive improvement to the experience that I’d deal with getting them out there.

Thanks in advance for any guidance and advice offered.  This is my first hike out west so this is going to be new terrain and landscape for me.

I've never been, but your post piqued my curiosity, and I found this.  Seems like a good primer, and I'd say you sound like you have a good plan.

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/hiking-angels-landing-zion-survival-guide/

My wife and teen sons did Angels.
My knee was legit giving out occasionally and no was was I risking that on the narrowest part.
I stayed at Boy Scout Landing.
I couldn't believe the old and uncoordinated people who could barely go past there who were going on to the Landing.
Some were literally requiring help just to pass Boy Scout Landing.
Zion was friggin' awesome.
Do the virgin river...rent the shoes.

Thank you for pulling that up!



I appreciate you sharing your experience- helpful stuff!  

Been almost 2 decades since I did Angel’s Landing.

We were on a week long trip in Canyon country (Buckskin Gulch, Bryce, Zion).

They have chains rigged up on the ‘Spine’/ridge to Angels Landing. Yes, it’s kind of narrow, but only if someone is stupid enough to try passing at the narrowest parts.

1) a Camelbak with some electrolyte drink is a good idea. Cera is my favorite. Drip Drop is also good. I would avoid carrying too much. Lip balm, sunblock. Maybe a light snack.

2) yes, we brought trekking poles. Our legs were already taxed from the canyoning we’d done prior to Angels Landing. For me, the ascent wasn’t too difficult (never really been overweight, and always maintained physical fitness), but the descent from Angels Landing was where the poles really helped.

The narrow spine isn’t the issue (unless you have acrophobia, in which case, I’d recommend skipping Angels Landing completely). Aside from being narrow, there’s not very much elevation change along the spine except for a couple of spots (and I left my collapsed poles strapped to the Camelbak Mule, while traversing the spine). It was the descent on the nice, wide path on tired legs (Walter’s Wiggles).

If you’ve ever walked up, then down a significant height on tired legs, you’ll know that the descent is more taxing. We all had the same poles (telescoping Kompressor, spring loaded), so we extended the poles longer for the descent. Definitely helped.

If you’re in good shape, you probably wouldn’t need poles at all.

The one overweight person in our group, wisely chose to skip Angels Landing.

Poles will almost always help.  Just make sure they have rubber covering the spikes.  And, have a plan to stuff or stash them before the trail forks out to the fin.

It's a Class 2 walk, but inattention can have grave consequences.  Water, sunscreen, rain jacket, real light med kit and I'd want an elastic ankle wrap in there.  And a headlamp.

There's lots more trail along the rim after you come back to the main wall.

A lot of it is paved.  That really threw me for a loop when topping out on top of Moonlight to find what is basically a golf cart path at the top of the rib.  At least, that's my recollection from years ago.  It was getting dark, so maybe it wasn't paved, but if it wasn't, it was indistinguishable from pavement.  And, not knowing about the Wiggles until hitting them on the downhill run, in fading light, I was not expecting that, and was moving way too fast when I was surprised by the first switchback.

It's a spectacular hike in one of the most stunning canyons in the world.  You're going to love it.

And congrats on the permit.

BTW, I’m also a huge fan of shoes with Stealth rubber (originally under 5.10, now sold to Adidas).

Not just for climbing shoes; they have various approach/tennis shoe options.

Incredible grip on rock, even wet rock (in case it rains).

ZNP is one of my favorite places on Earth.  Angel's Landing has become a complete mess.  The number of people who think they can do it, but then just dangerously get in your way, is crazy.  Lots of amazing things to see in Zion.  You're okay if you don't do it.

You will do fine. You’ve already put more thought into it than 95% of the people who do it.

Also, it is definitely worth doing the narrows if you’re able to. I don’t know what the water is like this time of year, and it’s weather dependent:

The Narrows


To do the narrows you want a hard soled shoe that drains water well because you’re walking in water for a couple of hours. They rent shoes but it’s pretty expensive. You could probably get away with a pair of cheap canvas tennis shoes from Walmart. We did it in Teva’s, which was OK but not the best.  You don’t need trekking poles for angels landing, although they are awfully nice on the narrows as you’re walking in water on slippery rock.

Rent the shoes

For the narrows, yes.

Water is frigid. Shoes are insulated, and provide ankle protection.

The Angel's Landing hike is absolutely worth it.  I've never done it, but it looks like a hike over unrivaled position.  

With the new permitting system, hopefully it is less crowded and more enjoyable, albeit at the expense of a regimented system in an environment where we'd prefer to do without.

I've never heard of anyone being pushed off by or in part by another party.

Most contemporary deaths are inaccurately attributed to be falls from the Angel's Landing trail - and this is problematic two fold: it didn't happen there and is worthless, negative worth, for RCA; and it belies the dangers of the rest of the canyon and canyon trails.

The trail is, however, inherently dangerous.  Signs need not be posted.

The problem with Angels Landing is that it is easy enough that too many people will attempt it, should the chains ever be removed.  Half Dome, Yosemite; Angels Landing, Zion; Cables Route, RMNP; and I'm sure I've missed some others - these are cabled routes on NP backcountry lands.  The Park Service did eventually remove the cables from the RMNP namesake, ostensibly because of the undue lightning risks it presented - and I think this put more pressure on the Keyhole Route - because without the cables, it becomes a technical, roped climb - it's steep enough that hikers don't even think about it, and the Park Service doesn't have to worry about it.  Not so with Angels Landing.

Thanks for all of the great input, everyone.  It’s much appreciated.  Looking forward to this new experience!

Lately, the weather out here is cool in the mornings mid-30s to low 40s, but warming up most days into the 70s.  Since you’re an early morning hike, wear layers.  And have fun!  (I live about 15 miles from the east entrance of Zion.

Thanks for the local info!

great area - clothing sounds good in my opinion - my son has done Angels Landing (he was a ranked rock climber in high school)  - I am too chicken shit

if you want an outfitter - we have used Zion Adventure Company - https://www.zionadventures.com - especially for the narrows and climbing routes...

We just got back from this trip last night. Did the hike on Friday morning. I really appreciate all the input and advice given here.

Our permit for the hike was for Friday and we had to be on the trail before 9 AM. We took one of the first shuttles from the visitor center to stop number six just after 7 AM.  Looking back at the timestamps on my photographs, it was 7:50 AM when we were at the trail head after hitting the restrooms one last time at stop six. Did pretty well on the hike going up, of course stopping often along the way to take pictures, and made it to the chained section of Angel’s Landing just before 9 AM.  They did have a Ranger posted up there checking permits and IDs.

We began the ascent on the chained section of Angel’s Landing only to find that despite the permitting process, there was still a fair amount of people trying to go up at the same time. This included a few people who by their physical appearance probably had no business being up there. We made it about a third of the way up to a section that is pitched rather steeply to the right, reminiscent of being on a steep house roof, and I just got a bad vibe. There was one middle-aged lady up there who was kind of freaking out and loudly proclaiming the fact that vertigo had set in, and that combined with the fact that there were only a few chains at the peak of the pitch, I made a decision to not go any further.  I can deal with my own reservations and face my fears, but it is very apparent that someone else and their problems could have grave consequences for you so it was just time to turn around. We ended up turning around, slightly disappointed but also happy that we still got to be there.

We continued the morning hiking the West Rim section of the trail before beginning our decent. We were able to get back to the Zion brewery outside the park gate by 1 PM to enjoy a celebratory beer. I am still in awe of the natural beauty of that place and definitely want to go back and hit some of the other trails.  This is definitely way up there on the list of experiences I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of.

Attached File

Sorry to hear you cut the hike short.   This will sound callous, but you simply leapfrog past people like that.

And this is going to sound worse.  An injury is one thing, but for someone to really be in the way, and holding people up due to their misjudgments and inability - that needs to be shamed.  I'm not even sorry to say that.  The faster that person goes online to bitch about her awful experience and that she wasn't coddled by strangers passing her by, the better.  It will make others think twice.  And rightfully/hopefully so.

The government WILL NOT take any part in discriminating by ability of those heading up there.  They don't do it for technical climbing routes, they aren't going to do it for the Angels Landing hike.  Correction comes from the usage community.

If the park user is presenting a danger to others, or greatly endangering their own minor children, the rangers will step in at that point.

As one whose fallen out of numerous aircraft in the military and not really keen on heights, Angel's Landing scared the piss out of me (just not literally!).

We took our son during his high school spring break (camped there and it a few other sights). This was before the new reservation system and the same thing happened to my wife. My son and I were ahead of her and some lady who shouldn't have been on the trail was getting stuck and my wife just couldn't get around her. She decided to bail before she either fell or through somebody else off the trail.

We went as early as possible when we did it and it was okay, but as we started to head down, it was picking up. It's not the potential vertigo that's the problem, it's the number of idiots who are too stupid to understand the conditions.

My wife wants to go back again, but that won't be for a couple years with our schedules.

Not sure if Hidden Canyon is still closed, but that was my favorite hike. It was too cold to do the Narrows hike, so that's on our list for the next visit.

Biggest disappointment is that Zion almost seems like a Disney theme park. Pretty sure that's from the populations they get, but it still kind of sucks.

ROCK6

Glad to see you post an update, saw this story on the news this morning and hoped it wasn’t an ARFCOMer

Hiker dies at Scout Lookout

That’s terrible news. Thoughts and prayers out to the family of the fallen hiker.

Probably around 15 years ago, my teenage son hiked Angel's Landing and took a 2-minute video (a little bouncy). At some sections the trail is narrow. He absolutely loved it.

Turn off volume if you don't want to hear his added music.

Views looking down:
15 seconds to 29 seconds
45 seconds to 50 seconds
1:22 to 1:50
2:10 to 2:17