Angels Landing is one of the most iconic hikes in any national park in the country. It’s also one of the few where a permit is required year-round, every single day. The final half mile involves holding chains while navigating a narrow rock fin with drop-offs on both sides. It’s genuinely exposed, genuinely strenuous, and genuinely worth it.
Getting an Angels Landing permit isn’t as complicated as Half Dome or Whitney, but the lottery system has quirks that trip people up. I’ll take you through the seasonal lottery, the day-before lottery, and the strategies that improve your odds.
2026 Angels Landing Permit — Key Dates at a Glance
Spring Season (March 1 to May 31)
- Seasonal Lottery Opens: February 13, 2026
- Seasonal Lottery Closes: February 25, 2026
- Permits Issued: February 26, 2026
Summer Season (June 1 to August 31)
- Seasonal Lottery Opens: April 1, 2026
- Seasonal Lottery Closes: April 20, 2026
- Permits Issued: April 25, 2026
Fall Season (September 1 to November 30)
- Seasonal Lottery Opens: July 1, 2026
- Seasonal Lottery Closes: July 20, 2026
- Permits Issued: July 25, 2026
Winter Season (December 1 to February 28, 2027)
- Seasonal Lottery Opens: October 1, 2026
- Seasonal Lottery Closes: October 20, 2026
- Permits Issued: October 25, 2026
Day-Before Lottery (Year-Round)
- Opens: 12:01 AM Mountain Time
- Closes: 3:00 PM Mountain Time
- Permits Issued: 4:00 PM Mountain Time
Note: Spring and summer seasonal lotteries have already passed for 2026. Fall lottery opens July 1. Day-before lottery runs year-round and is available every day.
Why Do You Need a Permit to Hike Angels Landing?
Permits are required year-round for anyone hiking beyond Scout Lookout onto the Angels Landing chain section. This applies every day of the year regardless of season, crowd size, or conditions.
Zion National Park launched the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program in April 2022. Before that, the trail was genuinely dangerous on busy days—a slow-moving conga line of hikers on a trail that in some sections is less than three feet wide with thousand-foot drop-offs on both sides. The permit program reduced congestion, spread out start times, and by every measure made the hike safer and better. Rangers and hikers have both reported less crowding and congestion on the trail compared to pre-permit years.
If you’re only hiking to Scout Lookout, you don’t need a permit. Permits are needed for the section with chains beyond Scout Lookout leading to the summit. That’s the last half mile of the hike. Everything below Scout Lookout, including the West Rim Trail, Walter’s Wiggles, and the approach, is permit-free.
The Two Lottery Systems
The Seasonal Lottery
The seasonal lottery is your best shot at hiking Angels Landing on a specific date. It runs four times a year, covering spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. Each seasonal lottery covers a three-month block of hike dates.
How it works:
- Apply at Recreation.gov
- $6 non-refundable application fee per group
- Each application covers up to six people
- You can select up to seven preferred dates or date ranges in priority order
- You also select a preferred start time slot: Before 9 AM, 9 AM to 12 PM, or After 12 PM
- If selected, you pay $3 per person
Permits specify start time slots for hiking: Before 9 AM, 9 AM to 12 PM, or After 12 PM. Your group must begin the hike during your assigned window. Rangers often verify permits and start-time windows along the trail.
Results come out a few days after the lottery closes. Check your Recreation.gov account and email. If you win, your card is automatically charged $3 per person. No separate step to accept.
One rule that catches people: you can only submit one seasonal lottery application per group. Submit multiple applications and all of them get cancelled. The $6 fee is gone either way.
What most people don't know
Applying early in the seasonal lottery window doesn't improve your odds. All applications are pooled and drawn at random after the window closes. Someone who applies on the last day has the same odds as someone who applied on day one.
The Day-Before Lottery
The day-before lottery runs every single day of the year. If you want to hike Angels Landing tomorrow, apply today between 12:01 AM and 3:00 PM Mountain Time. Results come out at 4:00 PM.
This is the most flexible option for visiting Zion National Park without planning months ahead. It’s also your backup if you miss a seasonal lottery window or don’t win.
How it works:
- Apply at Recreation.gov the day before your desired hiking date
- Same $6 application fee, $3 per person if selected
- Window: 12:01 AM to 3:00 PM Mountain Time
- Results: 4:00 PM Mountain Time
- Permits are for the following day only
The day-before lottery has a meaningful quirk worth knowing: when a seasonal lottery permit gets cancelled, it rolls into the day-before lottery pool. This means the day-before lottery sometimes has better availability than you’d expect, especially for popular spring and fall dates.
What most people don't know
Demand is generally highest on weekends and holidays. Most visitors report better luck on midweek day-before attempts. If you have flexibility, a Tuesday or Wednesday gives you a better shot than a Saturday.
How to Actually Improve Your Odds
The seasonal lottery is a fair process. Timing your application doesn’t matter, only applying within the window does. Here’s what actually moves the needle.
Choose shoulder season over peak season. April, May, September, and October balance good weather with lower competition. Summer weekends in June, July, and August are the hardest to win. The trail is also significantly more pleasant in spring and fall: cooler temperatures, better light for photos, and fewer hikers on the approach.
Pick off-peak dates within your preferred season. Even within summer, a Tuesday in late June has better odds than a Saturday in July. The park shuttle system fills up on weekends and the main section of Zion National Park gets crowded well before you hit the trailhead.
Apply for multiple dates. The seasonal lottery lets you rank up to seven dates or date ranges. Use all seven. Each additional preferred date is another way the system can say yes.
Use both lottery systems. Enter the seasonal lottery for your ideal dates, then use the day-before lottery as backup for any days you’re going to be in the park regardless. You can win a seasonal permit and still enter day-before lotteries for additional hike days.
Keep your group size realistic. The lottery needs available quota space for your entire group on a given date. A smaller group generally has more date combinations available to it than a large one.
What You Need on the Trail
You must show a photo ID and your permit on the trail. Rangers check permits at Scout Lookout before the chain section.
What to bring to the checkpoint:
- Your permit (printed or on your phone; save it before you go, there’s no cell service on trail)
- Photo ID matching the name on the permit
- Everyone in your group must start together at the Grotto Trailhead
A few rules worth knowing:
- Permits are non-transferable. The permit holder must be present.
- You cannot obtain a permit at any office in Zion National Park. Online only.
- Permits are valid for single-day use only, starting from the Grotto Trailhead
- Hiking without a permit can result in a fine. Don’t risk it.
Fees and Cancellation Policy
Fees:
- $6 non-refundable application fee per group (covers up to 6 people)
- $3 per person recreation fee if selected
- Zion National Park entrance fee required unless you have a federal recreation pass
Cancellation policy:
- Seasonal lottery permits can be cancelled up to two days before your hike for a full refund of the $3 per person recreation fee
- Cancelled seasonal permits roll into the day-before lottery. They don’t disappear.
- Day-before lottery permits cannot be cancelled. All fees are non-refundable.
- You cannot change the permit holder, group size upward, or date after the permit is issued
What the Hike Actually Is
5.4 miles round trip. 1,488 feet of elevation gain. The trail starts at the Grotto Trailhead in Zion Canyon and follows the West Rim Trail before climbing Walter’s Wiggles, a series of 21 steep switchbacks cut into the rock, to reach Scout Lookout.
From Scout Lookout, the last half mile to the summit is where your permit gets you. The trail narrows to a few feet wide in places, with chains anchored into the rock to help hikers navigate the steepest and most exposed sections. The drop-offs on both sides are real. It’s not a place to be casual.
The views from the top are complete: Zion Canyon below you, the Virgin River, the Great White Throne. It’s one of the best panoramic views in any national park.
Start early if you can. The Before 9 AM start slot is worth picking in the seasonal lottery. The light is better for photography, the trail is less crowded even with the permit system in place, and you beat the heat in summer months. The park shuttle runs early and the Grotto stop is easy to reach from the main visitor area.
Gear You Actually Need
- Sturdy footwear: the chain section involves steep rock scrambling. Trail runners at minimum, hiking boots preferred.
- Gloves: optional but useful on the chains, especially in cold weather
- Water: at least 2 liters, more in summer. The approach is sun-exposed and warmer than it looks.
- Layers: Zion Canyon can be cold in the morning even in summer, and the summit gets wind
- Your permit saved offline: no cell service on trail, don’t count on loading it at Scout Lookout
Alerts for Angels Landing
Day-before lottery results come out at 4:00 PM every day. WildernessBeta sends alerts when seasonal lottery windows open for each season. Sign up below so you don’t miss an application window.
All permit information verified against the NPS Zion National Park Angels Landing permit page and Recreation.gov. Last verified June 2026.
