Zion National Park Permits: What You Need and When

Introduction to Zion National Park permits

Zion has permits because too many people want the same narrow places at the same time. Some of those places can hurt you when they are crowded. That is the whole idea. Most of the park needs no permit at all. The canyon floor, the shuttle, the viewpoints and most named trails are open. Permits cover a short list of routes where the rock or the crowds make open access a bad idea.

This matters for your plans, because the permit hikes are the ones people come for. Say you reach Springdale hoping to do Angels Landing or The Subway the next morning. You may be out of luck. The system rewards people who know what it covers and apply the right way. Everyone else misses out.

The good news is that the list is short. Each permit hike also has a good hike close by that needs no permit.

Which hikes require a permit?

Only a few routes in Zion need a permit. Almost all of the park's trail miles are open to anyone who pays to enter.

The permit routes:

• Angels Landing. Angels Landing is roughly 5.4 miles round trip. Angels Landing gains roughly 1,488 feet from the canyon floor. You start at the Grotto trailhead and climb the West Rim Trail. The permit covers the last part, the ridge with chains above Scout Lookout. You can walk to Scout Lookout without one.
• The Narrows, top-down. The Narrows can be walked top-down from Chamberlain Ranch, roughly 16 miles to the Temple of Sinawava. You walk in the Virgin River itself. It needs a permit because it is a long day in a canyon with no easy way out.
• The Subway. The Subway is a route in the Left Fork of North Creek. It is on the park's west side, far from the canyon road. You need a permit in both directions. The permit is the easy part. The route asks you to find your way, scramble and swim in cold water, based on conditions.

What does not need a permit, and is worth saying plainly:

• The Narrows, bottom-up. Big Spring is the upstream limit for walking the Narrows bottom-up without a permit. Most people who say they "hiked the Narrows" did just this. It is a real version of the hike. See the bottom-up Narrows for how it works.
• Scout Lookout, and the West Rim Trail in general.
• Emerald Pools, Canyon Overlook, Observation Point, Weeping Rock, and the rest of the named trails.

So the honest answer to "do I need a permit to hike in Zion?" is this. Probably not, unless you want one of three things.

How the permit lottery works for Angels Landing

Angels Landing is the one most visitors care about. It is the only one run as a lottery through the park's official booking system. There are two draws. A seasonal lottery is for people who plan far ahead. A smaller lottery the day before is for people already nearby. You apply with the dates you want and the size of your group. Then you either win a slot or you do not.

Things to know before you apply:

• Apply for more than one date if your trip allows it. Being flexible helps you win more than anything else.

• Weekdays are easier than weekends. Not easy, just easier.

• A permit is for the ridge, not the view. If you do not win, you can still walk to Scout Lookout through Refrigerator Canyon. Walter's Wiggles is a series of 21 switchbacks below Scout Lookout. That walk is open to everyone and shows you most of the views. The full permit picture for Angels Landing has the details.

• Do not plan your whole trip around a win. Have a second choice ready, because the odds are against you in the busy season.

How to get a permit for the top-down Narrows

The top-down Narrows works in a different way from the lottery. It is a booking with a daily limit. The park gives out permits for a set number of people each day, and they go on sale ahead of time through its official system. When a day is full, it is full.

What to plan for:

• This is a long day. You cover roughly 16 miles, much of it in the river, with no short way out. It is a whole other hike from the bottom-up walk.
• You need a ride. The start and the end are far apart. Most people book a private shuttle.
• Conditions close it. Flash floods and high water shut the route, permit or not. Check the forecast and the park's current conditions page before you go.

If the top-down hike is booked or does not suit your group, the bottom-up walk needs no permit. The top-down Narrows guide covers it.

How to get a Subway permit

The Subway uses a lottery too. Part of it is drawn ahead of time and part at the last minute. For how many people want it, it is the hardest permit in the park to win. The route needs you to scramble, swim and find your own way. The permit is there partly for crowds. It is also there because people get into trouble out there.

Two honest warnings:

• Most people hike it from the bottom up. You climb up through the canyon and then back out. It is a hard day, even for strong hikers.
• A permit does not mean you are ready. Think hard about how well you scramble and swim in cold water before you go. The Subway trail guide explains what the route asks of you.

Walk-up permits and last-minute options

If you get here without a permit, you still have a chance. The park holds back some permits for the last minute. The lottery the day before Angels Landing is there for people already in the area. You enter these online through the official booking system, not at a desk. So "walk-up" is a bit of a strange name for what is really a quick online draw.

Be real about the odds. Last-minute odds are worse than early odds. Everyone who missed the seasonal lottery is now trying with you. Treat these as a bonus, not a plan.

Express permits and third-party services

You will see companies that sell "express permits" or promise Angels Landing slots. Be careful here. Some are real guided trips that get permits through the park's system for guides. You pay for a guide, and the permit comes with the guide. Others are resellers who charge extra for something you could apply for yourself. Some are worse than that.

Here is a simple test. If a company sells you a permit alone, for extra money, be wary. If it sells you a guided day with a real outfitter, that is a different thing. It can be a fair choice for people who want it. Check who you are paying before you pay.

Tips for securing permits and planning ahead

• Apply the moment applications open. Not the day after.
• Build your trip around a hike you already have, not one you hope for. If you win the lottery, it becomes a bonus.
• Travel outside the busy season if you can. Fewer people apply, so your odds are better, and the hiking is cooler.
• Have a day ready that needs no permit. None of these need a permit, and all of them bring people back:
  • the canyon floor
  • the Riverside Walk to the mouth of the Narrows
  • the east side, through the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway tunnel
  • Kolob Canyons, off Interstate 15
• Do not buy from anyone who cannot tell you just what you are paying for.

The permit system is not a wall. It is a filter, and most of Zion is on the other side of it, waiting, with no paperwork at all.