News Release

Zion National Park announces 2023 Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program Seasonal Lottery dates

A park ranger checks permits at Scout Lookout in Zion National Park in spring 2022.

NPS / Susan McPartland

News Release Date: December 16, 2022

Contact: Jonathan Shafer, 435-772-0145

SPRINGDALE, Utah – Zion National Park is providing four seasonal lotteries for hikers who want to visit Angels Landing in 2023. These lotteries build on the park’s successful launch of the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program in 2022.

“Issuing permits is something we did after substantial public input, and it has been effective,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent said. “In 2023, park rangers will continue recording data and enhancing the pilot program to maximize the number of people making the hike while minimizing crowding and congestion on this half-mile, perennially popular trail.”

Since the pilot program started on April 1, 2022, Zion issued nearly 200,000 permits to hikers. Hikers report the program is succeeding at reducing crowding and congestion on the last half mile of trail from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing. Learn more about the program on the park’s website.

Fast facts about the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program in 2022

• Zion issued nearly 200,000 permits to hikers in 2022.

• The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program accommodated about 80% of the use NPS recorded in studies conducted in 2019 and 2021.

• Zion rangers collected data that shows the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program helped spread hikers’ start times throughout the day.

• Rangers observed, and hikers reported, less crowding and congestion on the trail than in past years.

2023 Angels Landing Seasonal Lotteries
Find links to apply for a permit and learn about the trail at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding

Hike Dates	Lottery Opens 8 a.m. MT	Lottery Closes 11:59 p.m. MT	Permits Issued
March 1 to May 31	January 1	January 20	January 25
June 1 to August 31	April 1	April 20	April 25
September 1 to November 30	July 1	July 20	July 25
December 1 to February 29, 2024	October 1	October 20	October 25

Hikers can also apply the day before hikes to get a permit to visit Angels Landing. Learn more about the Day-before Lottery at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding

About the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program
This is a pilot program, and the National Park Service (NPS) is monitoring and adjusting it. The pilot permit program reflects comments from nearly 1,000 members of the public, park neighbors and other stakeholders. It also reflects lessons the NPS learned by metering the number of hikers on the trail to Angel Landing in 2019 and 2021 and from distributing tickets to use the park shuttle system in response to COVID-19 in 2020.  

Angels Landing is one of many places visitors enjoy hiking in Zion National Park. The park recorded about 2.8 million total visits in 2011 and more than 5 million in 2021. As the number of people who visit Zion continues to rise, the NPS is preparing a plan designed to provide high-quality visitor experiences and sustainably manage park resources. The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program will inform that planning process.

Learn more about Zion’s Visitor Use Research and read a response to public comments about issuing permits at Angels Landing on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website (PEPC).


Zion issues permits using recreation.gov. That website is a gateway to explore America’s outdoor and cultural destinations. You can use recreation.gov to make reservations at 4,200 facilities and 113,000 individual sites across the country. Visit their website to learn how the permit lottery works.