The Angels Landing trail at Zion National Park in Utah is set to reopen today (June 8, 2022) following repairs to the metal chains that help hikers ascend the steepest and narrowest portion of the route.
The Park announced the closure of the trail on June 5, but officials now seem satisfied that the repaired chains will soon be safe enough for visitors to return. It's also taking the opportunity while the trail is closed to do some cleaning ready for the summer season.
"The park trail crew is finishing work to reattach a rock anchor that supports the trail chain, assess the rest of the trail, clean graffiti, and remove trash," the park posted on Twitter.
Good news! The trail to Angels Landing will reopen on Wednesday, June 8. Visit https://t.co/h5V5b9hoOd to get a permit.The park trail crew is finishing work to reattach a rock anchor that supports the trail chain, assess the rest of the trail, clean graffiti, and remove trash.June 7, 2022
If Angels Landing is on your bucket list, you can now apply online for a permit to hike the trail. There's a seasonal lottery if you want to plan your visit in advance, and a next-day lottery if you're already at the park and want to hike as soon as possible.
The Angels Landing trail is quite straightforward, but as Down the Trail explains, it's only a few feet wide at points, forcing hikers to walk single-file, and the ridge has sheer cliffs on both sides. It's notoriously one of the most dangerous trails in any US National Park, with 14 deaths reported since 2000. Most of these accidents were a result of people simply losing their footing and falling.
Despite (or perhaps because of) its dangerous reputation, it's also the most popular trail at Zion. The park introduced the permit system in 2020 to help manage visitor numbers, but was forced to temporarily close the trail at the height of the pandemic due to the lack of social distancing and risk of hikers transmitting the virus by touching the chains.
