Angels Landing is a world famous hike located in Zion National Park, Utah. Trust me, on my hike alone, there was German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and other languages being spoken.

Angels Landing rises 1500' feet straight above the Virgin River and got its name from Frederick Fisher, who exclaimed in 1916 that "only angels could land there". The peak is in Zion National Park. Most of the year, this means that you must take a bus to the trailhead.

The trail to the peak is a construction marvel. At first it is a normal trail following the Virgin River. There are cottonwoods, grassy meadows, and gorgeous views of Angels Landing and surrounding peaks. Eventually the trail winds it way to a rock wall. The trail is paved in this section and you can tell a lot of effort went into making this section hikeable, as they cut away rock, built up the switchbacks with stone, etc... This section is steep and was in the full afternoon sun, so when I reached Refrigerator Canyon, the shade and coolness was much needed.

Refrigerator Canyon is a section of trail in a canyon between Cathedral Mountain and Angels Landing. It is a narrow canyon and provides lots of shade! It is also not as steep, so use this section to cool and rest in. I was impressed with the canyon scenery in this section.

At the end of Refrigerator Canyon, I reached Walter's Wiggles. Walter's Wiggles is a section of 21-tight switchbacks. This section was mostly in the shade for my afternoon ascent, but with temperatures in the 90's, I was getting warm.

At the top of Walter's Wiggles, the trail reaches Scout Lookout. Here the trail splits, with the right fork heading to Angels Landing. There were a lot of people here, some just resting and watching, some contemplating going up to Angels Landing, and some heading up the West Rim trail.

I offered to assist a few people to the top, but they couldn't be convinced. Just after the lookout a sign warns that 6 people have died on the route since 2004. That certainly wakes you up a bit. Almost immediately the chains installed by trail crews are present. In addition to the chains, you can tell that the trail crews cut steps into the sandstone. While steep, the artificial improvements make it pretty easy to get up the mountain. I tried staying off the chains, but they were very nice to keep you on route if nothing else. While there are sections with drops of over a 1000' on each side, you have plenty to grab to prevent you from heading down. I never felt "scared" and if you take your time and stay on route, the climbing is easy class 3.

I ended up behind a young couple from France for this steep section. They didn't know a lot of English, but the little they did know and the body language was enough for us to communicate.


The top was incredible. The peak drops vertically to the river below on 3 sides. There are incredible views up Zion Canyon in both directions. The views from this perch are surely in my top 5 or so from any peak! Plus it was a beautiful day, with puffy clouds and no haze.

The hike down wasn't too bad. The steep section went smoothly. I drank a lot of water on top, and with less sun, I was feeling a lot more refreshed. At the end of the hike, I was glad to freshen up with fresh water at the Grotto Picnic Area. I then jumped on the tour bus and got a ride back to my car. What a fun hike!

I took I-15 north. Then exit 16. I followed signs to Zion Park.

Take the shuttle bus to the Grotto Picnic area (the stop just after Zion Lodge). From the picnic area, cross the Virgin River on a bridge and turn right. Follow the trail to Scout Lookout. The lookout is more of a saddle, turn right at the saddle and follow the 1/2 mile Angels Landing Trail.