- Angels Landing lottery opens Friday for hikes between March 1 and May 31.
- Three more lotteries will occur for hikes through Feb. 2027.
- Permits cost $3 per person, with a $6 application fee.
SPRINGDALE, Washington County — Visitors will soon have an opportunity to secure a permit to visit one of the more cherished sites at Zion National Park.
The seasonal Angels Landing lottery will open on Friday and close on Feb. 25 for people seeking to summit the iconic peak between March 1 and May 31.
Three other lotteries will take place over the next year for other hiking dates, park officials added on Wednesday:
- April 1 through April 20: For hikes between June 1 and Aug. 31.
- July 1 through July 20: For hikes between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30.
- Oct. 1 through Oct. 20: For hikes between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28, 2027.
Permits, available through Recreation.gov, will be issued days before every seasonal lottery period begins in all four cases. There's a $6 nonrefundable application fee, and permits cost $3 per person for lottery winners. People have up to two days before their hike to cancel their permit and receive a refund of permit fees.
There's also a day-before lottery, where people can secure a permit the day before a hike. That has the same fees, but no refunds.
Zion National Park implemented a permit lottery system in 2022, a year after a record 5 million visits. It was created to improve safety along sections of the hike beyond Scout Lookout, including the chains section that helps people reach the top. Park officials believed it could enhance the hiking experience as well.
"Crowding and congestion that occurs up Angels Landing does impact how safe our visitors feel and the type of experiences they have," said Susan McPartland, visitor use manager at Zion National Park at the time.
Over 200,000 permits to summit Angels Landing have been issued every year since the program launched, as park visitation remains steady. The park fell just shy of 5 million visits last year and the year before that, remaining one of the most-visited national parks in the country.
The new schedule guarantees the Angels Landing permit program will remain in place through at least the first two months of 2027. Park officials plan to monitor conditions and the program for any adjustments, they added on Wednesday.
