The Angels Landing Lottery, Explained

Since 2022, hiking the chained section of Angels Landing in Zion requires a permit issued by lottery. It is a day-use lottery separate from Zion wilderness permits: there is no availability to watch, but Permit Ranger now tracks Angels Landing as its own permit area, with lottery application windows, apply links, and closing reminders for the dates you want to hike.

How the Angels Landing lottery works

Permits are issued through seasonal lotteries on recreation.gov: you apply during a short window generally the 1st through the 20th of the month two months before each season, and rank up to seven day-and-time choices per application. A day-before lottery offers another chance, with applications open from 12:01 AM to 3:00 PM Mountain the day before your hike and results emailed by 4:00 PM.

Each application costs $6 (non-refundable) plus $3 per person charged if you win. Rangers check permits at the start of the chained section at Scout Lookout; hiking to Scout Lookout itself requires no permit.

How Permit Ranger helps

Lottery applications are not availability, so there is nothing to poll and no honest way to alert on openings. Instead, Permit Ranger tracks the Angels Landing lotteries themselves: save a trip with the day you want to hike and the dashboard shows the seasonal application window and your day-before application day, with apply links, calendar downloads, and reminders before each window closes. See the Angels Landing permit guide for the full details.

Permit Ranger also watches Zion's backcountry and wilderness permits on recreation.gov around the clock, including overnight itineraries like the Zion Narrows top-down and West Rim routes, where cancellations reopen regularly.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to hike to Scout Lookout?

No. The permit requirement starts at the chained section beyond Scout Lookout. You can hike to Scout Lookout without entering the lottery.

Does Permit Ranger alert on Angels Landing permits?

There are no availability alerts, because every permit is awarded by lottery - there is nothing to watch. Permit Ranger instead tracks the lottery application windows for the hike dates you enter and reminds you before each one closes.