Angels Landing, known previously as the Temple of Aeolus, is a tall

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock (geology), rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock Geological formation, formation ...

Zion National Park Zion National Park is a national park of the United States located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a ...

in southwestern

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States. A renowned trail cut into solid rock in 1926 leads to the top of Angels Landing and provides panoramic views of

Zion Canyon Zion Canyon (also called Little Zion, Mukuntuweap, Mu-Loon'-Tu-Weap, and Straight Cañon; ''weap'' is Southern Paiute, Paiute for canyon) is a deep and narrow gorge in southwestern Utah, Utah, United States, carved by the North Fork of the Virgin ...

Trail

The trail to Angels Landing is long with an approximate elevation gain. The hike is rated as a class 3 difficulty based on the

Yosemite Decimal System The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a five-part Grade (climbing), grading system used for rating the difficulty of rock climbing climbing routes, routes in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southe ...

. It begins at the Grotto drop-off point on the park's shuttle system, which operates from early spring through late fall. It roughly follows the path of the

Virgin River The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long.Calculated with Google Maps and Google Earth It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the ...

for some distance along the West Rim Trail, slowly gaining elevation in sandy terrain. Most of the trail is uphill on the way up to Angels Landing. As the trail gets steeper and leaves the river, it becomes paved. After a series of steep switchbacks, the trail goes through the area between Angels Landing and the Zion Canyon that is a gradual ascent. Walter's Wiggles, a series of 21 steep switchbacks, are the last hurdle before Scout Lookout. The wiggles are named after Walter Ruesch, who was the first superintendent for Zion National Park and constructed the switchbacks in 1926. Scout Lookout is generally the turnaround point for those who are unwilling to make the final summit push to the top of Angels Landing. The last half-mile of the trail is strenuous and lined with numerous sharp drop-offs and narrow paths. Chains to grip are provided for portions of the last half-mile to the top at . The half-mile section up the spine, the Angels Landing Trail-West Rim Trail, was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1987. As of 2024, 18 deaths have been confirmed at or near Angels Landing. In July 2018, the trail was closed following damage due to a severe storm and was reopened in September 2018. Since 2022, hikers who go beyond Scout Lookout have been required to have a permit. This permit program was instituted due to overcrowding in prior years and is intended to improve visitor experiences, protect the park, and increase the safety of the hike. Permits can be acquired from the National Park Service in a quarterly seasonal lottery, as well as through a day-before application.

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Angels Landing. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, it is located in a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Climbing routes

Climbing routes on Angels Landing include: * Prodigal Son – V C2 – 9 pitches * Lowe Route – IV/V C3 – 13 pitches * Northeast Buttress – IV – 8 pitches * South Face – II – 3 pitches * Ball and Chain – V A0 – 9 pitches * Angels Hair – V – 11 pitches

Gallery

File:The summit of Angels Landing.jpg, File:Zion angels landing view.jpg, File:Angel's Landing Summit.JPG, Looking toward the top of Angels Landing File:Angel's Landing Trail.JPG, Angels Landing trail including chain cables File:Zion-AngelsLandingEdge.jpg, Zion Canyon viewed from Angels Landing, showing the immense vertical relief

References

External links