“The successful permit system at Zion preserves the visitor experience on this awe-inspiring trail and crucially protects visitor safety." -- NPCA's Cassidy Jones
Springdale, Utah – Today, the National Park Service announced Spring 2026 lottery dates for the popular Angels Landing Trail in Zion. Since 2022, the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program has successfully reduced crowding and congestion at one of Zion National Park’s most popular destinations - a half-mile trail that leads from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing. Parts of the trail are less than three feet wide with sheer cliffs on either side and precipitous drop offs of 1,000 feet to the valley floor.
In 2024, Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said “the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program helps us maximize the number of people who make the hike and minimize crowding and congestion on the route. We know this from what visitors are telling us, and from what rangers have observed since 2022.” (Zion National Park marks two years of the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service).
Consistently one of the most visited parks in the National Park System, Zion National Park’s visitation nearly doubled since 2010, peaking at five million in 2021 and nearly reaching that record-setting level again in 2024.
Statement by Cassidy Jones, Senior Visitation Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association
“The successful permit system at Zion preserves the visitor experience on this awe-inspiring trail and crucially protects visitor safety. We’ve long supported this and other systems for managing access in busy parks, such as Arches, another popular national park in Utah. We urge the Department of the Interior to swiftly renew the pilot timed-entry system at Arches National Park as the busy spring and summer seasons are fast approaching.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
