Zion National Park is full of some beautiful scenery. It also has some of the most spectacular hiking trails in the world. Two were on my unofficial bucket list: Angels Landing and The Subway. Angels Landing is a “show up and hike” trail, whereas The Subway requires a back-country permit that requires application via lottery. So naturally, I did Angels Landing first, hiking the trail with some young men and youth leaders from church.
The Trail
The trail to the lookout begins at the Grotto Trailhead, accessible via the park shuttle. You cross the Virgin River and ascend up the west side of the canyon via a paved trail. The trail gets steeper through Refrigerator Canyon, and then goes up the switchbacks of Walter’s Wiggles. The “easy part” of the trail ends at Scout’s Lookout, which provides beautiful views of both Angels Landing and the canyon below. From here, you climb about 500 additional up the razor’s edge up to the Landing itself. Hang onto the chains, because the dropoff is several thousand feet on either side! Eventually you reach the lookout area, which provides a 360-degree panorama of Zions National park.
You go back down the same way you climbed. The full loop is about five miles in total.
Angels Landing Photos
Here’s a gallery of my best photos from the hike.
Setting off from the Grotto Trailhead. You can see Angels Landing in the distance. That's where we're headed!
Across the river, the trail begins. Angels Landing looms over us like a sentinel.
That's Angels Landing on the left. The canyon winds around it.
As we get higher, you can see the trailhead down below. The road is so small already, you can't even see it.
A view up the trail to where it thrusts into Refrigerator Canyon. It's called that because the narrow channel stays cool all year round.
The top of this phase of the trail. The Virgin River winds down in the distance.
You can see how narrow Refrigerator Canyon gets, almost immediately.
The sides of the canyon go almost straight up. And guess what? It's cool here even in July!
A view of some stragglers from above.
Deeper into the canyon. It's shadowy and cool.
This is almost where the switchbacks begin.
Walter's Wiggles. You go back and forth and back and forth. If you're not in shape, this'll kick your butt.
Walter's Wiggles breaks out onto a flattish area that leads to Scout's Lookout. You can see how narrow Refrigerator Canyon is from here.
A first view of the canyon floor from Scouts Lookout. There's a road down there, somewhere.
The trail heads up the sheer side of sandstone cliffs. The drop-off is 5,000 feet or so.
That's where we're headed, up to the top of that promontory.
Don't fall down! It's a long way to the bottom. They've lost a few tourists down that drop-off.
Even up here, plants somehow find a way to flourish.
A view back down the trail to Scouts Lookout. You can see how narrow it is.
The trail goes up a knife's edge to the Landing.
The top is a bit slanted, but comfortable. There's plenty of space to stretch out, and views for miles in all directions.
Here's a panorama that captures much of the vista from the top of Angels Landing.
That's the Virgin River down there, and the road that winds through the park.
Another vantage point of the floor of the canyon. You can just see the shuttle buses.
Taking a selfie with the south end of the canyon in the background.
It really is majestic. The park, not me.
You can see for miles from up here. It's totally worth the hike.
I snapped this portrait of Angels Landing during the hike back to the trailhead. Yes, we were up on the very top of that red-rock spire.
