It soon could cost you to hike to the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park/NPS file

In a bid to better manage the crowds that want to stand atop Angels Landing in Zion National Park, the National Park Service is proposing a reservation plan with permits distributed via a lottery system.

The proposal, announced Friday morning along with a plan to place the park's Lava Point Campground on a reservation system, is the first approach Zion officials have moved forward to better manage visitation in the popular park in southwestern Utah. For years park staff has been mulling various approaches to visitor management, ranging from reservations to enter the iconic Zion Canyon to reservations for particularly busy locations, such as Angels Landing.

Under the plan open for public comment through September 12, applications for groups up to six people would carry a $6 fee, and then a $3 per person fee for each permit received.

Angels Landing is a one-half mile chained trail beginning at Scout Lookout and is a highly sought-after hike at Zion, with more than 300,000 visitors making the ascent in 2019. Growth has continued rapidly in 2021 and increasing park popularity has led to intense crowding and congestion along the Angels Landing trail. There also have been fatal falls from the majestic outcrop through the years.

Crowding continues to raise safety and visitor experience concerns. In 2017, Zion initiated a trail use study to understand hiking patterns and visitor experience on Angels Landing and in The Narrows. In 2019 and 2021, results from the research were used to pilot an informal means of managing hiker flow along the chains section of Angels Landing on holiday weekends. This allowed the park to understand levels and rates of visitor use that alleviate congestion and safety concerns along the trail.

In the release Friday, the park said a more formalized system on Angels Landing would provide an equitable process that prioritizes visitor safety along the chain section of Angel Landing while ensuring park resources are protected and desired visitor experiences are available. The system would be closely monitored and adjusted to allow park managers to learn and improve the application of the day-use permit lottery system, the release added.

If successful, the day-use permit lottery system may be adopted permanently as part of a larger visitor-use planning effort and may be considered for additional locations following additional public engagement.

Permits would allow for groups of up to six people and would be connected to the email of one person from each group. Proof of identification would be required prior to accessing the permitted portion of the trail.  Permits would be made available in an advanced lottery several months ahead of the visit date.

If approved, the first lottery opening for Angels Landing would take place in January 2022 for permits during March through May 2022. A second opportunity to obtain an Angels Landing permit would also be available the day before the desired hike date. Additional information on the Angels Landing permit is available on the park website.

Regarding the Lava Point Campground, growth in use of the six primitive sites there has the park proposing to place the campground on the national reservations platform beginning next year. This would align the Lava Point Campground with the management of frontcountry campgrounds, specifically South and Watchman, as well as provide certainty in securing a campsite prior to arriving in a remote area. 

Amenities at the Lava Point Campground include fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets, and trash cans. No water is available. A $20 per night fee is proposed for all campsites at the Lava Point Campground to address costs associated with servicing this remote location including trash removal, vault toilet servicing, general site maintenance, and administrative processing.  

Public comments on proposed changes to the amenity fees for the Lava Point Campground and day-use permit pilot on Angels Landing are being accepted through September 12 at this site.