Zion has lotteries for hiking permits to limit traffic on certain trails, including Angels Landing.
The National Park Service implemented the system years ago to control crowd sizes and minimize congestion on the dangerous chain portion of Angels Landing.
Not everyone who enters the lottery for an Angels Landing permit gets one, especially during the busy season, which stretches from April to October.
Plus, the application process takes some forethought (and a nonrefundable $6 application fee on top of the park-entrance fee). If you win, though, the permits are just $3 a person.
Our trip was in early June, but the lottery for permits between June 1 to August 31 was only open from April 1 through April 20.
When we applied, the system asked us to rank seven days and windows of time, so I recommend providing as many options as possible.
If you don’t want to miss out on Angels Landing during your trip to Zion, check the lottery dates and make sure you enter on time.
