Angels Landing
Mountain Peak · Springdale, Utah
A fin of Navajo sandstone standing 5,790 feet above Zion Canyon, reached by a 2.5-mile trail that climbs about 1,500 feet — up Walter's Wiggles, twenty-one switchbacks cut into the cliff in 1926 by the park's first superintendent, to Scout Lookout, and then along a half-mile ridge with sheer drops on both sides where chains are bolted into the rock. Since 2022 a permit has been required to go beyond Scout Lookout. Eighteen deaths have been confirmed at or near it as of 2025, the most of any trail in Utah.
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, The Grotto, Springdale, Utah, United States
⚠ A PERMIT IS REQUIRED TO GO BEYOND SCOUT LOOKOUT and has been since 2022 — allocated through a SEASONAL LOTTERY, applied for months in advance, and a DAY-BEFORE LOTTERY as a fallback, both on recreation.gov. Rangers check permits at Scout Lookout. THE CLIMB TO SCOUT LOOKOUT ITSELF NEEDS NO PERMIT and is a superb hike in its own right. ⚠ EIGHTEEN DEATHS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED AT OR NEAR THIS TRAIL AS OF 2025, the highest of any hike in Zion or in Utah — the final half-mile is a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides, secured by chains. ⚠ DO NOT ATTEMPT IT ON WET OR ICY ROCK; the route is sometimes closed in winter for exactly that. The trailhead is The Grotto, reached by the Zion shuttle, which operates from early spring to late autumn and replaces private cars on the canyon road in season. Start on the first shuttle: the climb is west-facing, unshaded and punishing in afternoon heat.