"Mark, I'm afraid of heights." We were just starting up the final ascent when Michelle confessed to me. "Well, this isn't the best hike to do if you have a fear of heights," I said. "Why don't you stay right here and wait for me. I'll go to the top and then come back down to get you."
For many years I've read articles and watched Youtube videos about Angels Landing. It's one of the top two hikes (The Narrows being the other one) in Zion National Park. It's been on my radar, but never really considered it because, well, it's scary and dangerous. That's the hype around Angels Landing.
Michelle and I booked a trip to Zion for late Spring 2023. We love to hike in our national parks, so I researched some good hikes to do. We did The Narrows a few years ago, and it was fantastic. Hiking IN the Virgin River with walls of granite a thousand feet tall on both sides is something everyone needs to experience. But The Narrows was closed during our visit because the river was too high from the snow melt. So I turned my attention to Angels Landing.
The trail to Angels Landing isn't long. Barely five miles round-trip. We've gone on much longer ones. Half Dome in Yosemite comes to mind. The altitude isn't one of those sucking for air adventures, like our hikes in the Rockies of Colorado, Wyoming or Montana. No, this one is scary and dangerous for what comes at the end.
Angels Landing is a narrow spine that juts out proudly in the center of Zion Canyon. The final ascent to the top is nothing short of exhilarating. And scary. And dangerous. On either side of the spine are 1500 foot drop-offs. Sometimes the trail is no more than 24 inches wide. But there are chains. Thank goodness for the chains. Years ago, they placed these posts with chains to hang onto. Without the chains, the hike would be suicidal. With them, the hike is just dangerous and scary.
The hike could be compared to Half Dome. Check out how dangerous and scary that hike is online. I did Half Dome just before I turned 50. The person who convinced me to give Angels Landing a try was Trevor James. Trevor is co-owner of Moterra, the camper van company we rent for all our adventures. Trevor told me if I could do Half Dome, I could do Angels Landing. I was convinced. Now to convince Michelle.
Turns out Michelle is game for just about any adventure. There was just one obstacle to my plans. Angels Landing is so popular, the National Park Service started a permit system in 2022. I applied for the seasonal lottery in January and got picked for our chance to hike Angels Landing. Later we learned from so many others who weren't so lucky how difficult it is to get a permit.
We were just starting up the chain section when Michelle told me about her fear of heights. Now's not the best time to find that out, as I took a quick glance at the river more than a thousand feet below. If you know Michelle, you know she's pretty competitive. So we trudged on together. I won't lie, The chain section was incredibly scary and dangerous. One mis-step is all it would take. Those chains were like gold to us.
Was it worth it? Definitely. The views from the top are amazing. A 360 degree view of one of the most beautiful places in America. Would we do it again? I don't know. But what I do know is it felt really good to check Angels Landing off my bucket list. And really scary! Check out the Youtube channel podcast on our Angels Landing hike. And if you don't want to take on the scariest, most dangerous hike in America, you can buy this poster in our store.
Angels Landing
Here's our podcast on the hike to Angels Landing