Angels Landing is a must-do in Zion National Park. Yet, permits are difficult to get, with only 39% of lottery applicants being successful in 2023. Here is how to increase your chances of getting one.
There are two lotteries for Angels Landing: the advance lottery and the daily lottery. There is no limit to how many times you can enter either lottery, but it will cost you $6 per try.
There is one advance lottery by season. You must enter the lottery two to five months before your hiking date.
If you can’t get a permit through the advance lottery, you still have the option to enter the last-minute daily lottery. It’s held the day before your hike between midnight and 3 PM MT.
The advance lotteries release permits three months at a time. Because people pick earlier dates, the odds of winning the advance lottery are much better for later dates. For example, the summer lottery has only a 31% success rate for dates in June but an 87% success rate for dates in August!
The pattern is different for the daily lottery. Here, the odds of winning the lottery are better when the weather is worse: during the hot months of July and August or the cold (possibly snowy) months of January or February.
Mid-week offers the best odds of success. The advance and daily lotteries have the lowest odds of success on Saturdays.
You can enter the daily lottery as many times as you want during the season.
A permit is needed to hike between Scout Lookout and Angels Landing (the 1/2 mile section with chains). Therefore, you can hike to Scout Lookout and then tag along with a group with an extra spot on their permit.
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The data used in this article uses historical reservation data provided by Recreation.gov’s Recreation Information Database.
Because Recreation.gov’s historical reservation data ends on September 30, 2023, October to December success rates show 2022 reservation data while January to September success rates show 2023 reservation data.