Zion Narrows & Canyoneering Permit Guide 2026

Lottery permit

Utah · No dogs in the backcountry

By Casey Rowan, Permit Ranger

Last updated

Zion's technical canyons - the Subway, Mystery, Orderville, Keyhole, Pine Creek, and the rest - and the top-down 16-mile Narrows through-hike all require a day-use wilderness permit, and there is nothing to book first-come online: every online permit is awarded by lottery on recreation.gov. A daily lottery covers every canyon two days ahead, and the Subway and Mystery Canyon also run quarterly seasonal advance lotteries. Permit Ranger tracks the application windows for the dates you want, with apply links, deadline reminders, and calendar events.

When permits are released

Lottery only - no first-come online sales. The daily lottery runs 12:00 midnight to 3:00 PM Mountain time two days before every trip date; the Subway and Mystery Canyon also run quarterly seasonal advance lotteries (apply the 1st-25th of the second month before each quarter).

Fees

  • Application: $6 per lottery application (non-refundable)
  • Per person: $10 per person if awarded (refundable)

How to get a Zion Narrows & Canyoneering permit

  1. Pick your canyon and trip date. All of Zion's quota'd technical canyons and the top-down Narrows in-a-day hike share the same daily lottery system, which runs year round.
  2. If your trip is the Left Fork (Subway) or Mystery Canyon, apply first in that canyon's seasonal advance lottery: applications run the 1st through the 25th of the second month before each quarter (November for January-March trips, February for April-June, May for July-September, August for October-December), with results emailed on the 27th. The seasonal lottery awards 75% of those canyons' spots; winners must claim their reservation by the 10th of the following month.
  3. For every other canyon, or if you miss the seasonal window, use the Canyoneering Daily Lottery: apply two days before your trip date, between 12:00 midnight and 3:00 PM Mountain time, ranking up to 4 canyons in one application. Results are emailed at 4:00 PM the same day.
  4. Each application costs $6 (non-refundable); winners pay $10 per person when the permit is issued.
  5. Claim your reservation and pick up the physical Wilderness permit at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Wilderness Desk the day before or the day of your trip. Groups are capped at 12 in Keyhole, Pine Creek, the Narrows, Orderville, and the Subway, and 6 everywhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Can Permit Ranger alert me when Zion canyoneering permits open up?

No, and neither can anyone else: these day-use permits have no first-come online availability to watch, so there are no cancellation or opening alerts. Every online permit is awarded by lottery. What Permit Ranger does instead is track the application windows for the trip dates you enter - the daily lottery's two-days-before application day and, for the Subway and Mystery Canyon, the quarterly seasonal lottery - with apply links and reminders before each window closes.

How does the daily lottery work?

Applications for each trip date are accepted two days before, from 12:00 midnight to 3:00 PM Mountain time. You can rank up to 4 canyons in one application, and results are emailed at 4:00 PM the same day. To canyoneer on a Saturday, for example, you apply during the day on Thursday.

Which canyons have a seasonal advance lottery?

Only two: the Left Fork of North Creek (Subway) and Mystery Canyon. Each runs a quarterly lottery on its own recreation.gov page - apply the 1st through the 25th of the second month before the quarter starts, with results on the 27th. Those lotteries award 75% of each canyon's spots; the remaining 25% go through the daily lottery.

Does the bottom-up Narrows hike need a permit?

No. Hiking the Narrows from the bottom up (from the Temple of Sinawava) requires no permit. Only the top-down 16-mile through-hike from Chamberlain's Ranch requires this day-use permit, and overnight Narrows trips use a separate overnight permit with its own calendar releases.

How much does it cost?

Each lottery application costs $6 and is non-refundable whether or not you win. If you are awarded a permit, you pay an additional $10 per person, which is refundable if you cancel before 5 PM on the day of your trip. Zion's park entrance fee is separate.

Are dogs allowed in Zion's canyons?

No. Pets are banned from the Zion Wilderness, including all technical canyons and the Narrows.

More permits in Utah

Permits awarded by lottery

Plan ahead

Sold-out dates reopen all the time from cancellations and quota drops. Permit Ranger checks recreation.gov around the clock and alerts you the moment your dates open. It never books for you.

Browse Zion Narrows & Canyoneering passes · Book on recreation.gov