An ascent of 1400 feet with sheer drop-offs and narrow stone paths with a mere chain to hang onto, Angel’s landing is the perfect hike for all thrill seekers and avid hikers alike. Zion National Park is by far one of my favorites and a must see for all who like to get outdoors.

The hike

Ascending just over 1400 ft in 2.5 miles Angel’s Landing is not a hike for the weary; however, it is very manageable for those in moderate to good shape. Starting at the Grotto trailhead you walk for a short while along the river before starting to ascend the switchbacks. These grow more moderate as you go and eventually level off at a viewpoint where you can continue with the “dangerous” part of the Angel’s Landing.

At this area you can go on a couple other trails which have trailheads if you decide not to finish the riskier part of he hike. This is where my mom decided to go on another trail as I started up the narrow path along the spine of the mountain. The more strenuous part of the hike is about 1/2 mile long and ends with a spectacular end view and bragging rights to have conquered Angel’s Landing. I found the hardest aspect of the hike to be once the crowds increased as I was on my way down as some areas are too narrow to pass other hikers . I would start early in the morning to avoid as many crowds as you can.

Can you do it?

I by no means am the epitome of being in shape especially when I was planning this trip and hike. I was not long out of graduate school and found little time for myself as I was settling into my career. About a month before the trip I started to do incline training on the treadmill to get more in shape.. Regardless I still live in flat land Kansas and can only train to hike mountains so much. I found this hike to be the right amount of challenge for me at the time and did not feel so out of shape that I couldn’t do it.

Tips to conquering Angel’s Landing

• Good shoes. Make sure you wear decent hiking shoes with some good traction. This might be a no brainer but at the time I did not have a good pair of hiking boots and rather old running shoes. The problem with this was I had very little traction and on the more dangerous part of the hike there were areas that definitely became slick. There was sand overlying the slick rocks which made footing a little challenging at times.
• Stay hydrated. This might seem like a no brainer but remember this is a 5 mile out and back hike with decent ascension and you need to stay hydrated. Especially if you are hiking during peak summer season it can be quite hot out.
• Start early. I already mentioned it briefly before but an earlier start will be one of the best things you can do. Not only avoiding afternoon heat but avoiding the crowds can make this hike much more enjoyable and safe.
• For more on this trail or others at Zion and all over the U.S. I use All trails which has an associated app to research your hikes before you go.

Where to stay

When visiting Zion there aren’t a lot of hotel options reasonably priced near the park itself so booking ahead is paramount. I actually stayed about 30 minutes away in Hurricane and still in off season payed $140 for a low budget hotel room. There is camping at Zion as well but remember in peak season this books out a long time in advance.

Read about one of my other favorite hikes, Hanging Lake on my blog for a complete guide to this Colorado hike.