Million dollar view of the Zion Canyon from the summit of Angels Landing, Zion NP.
There has been much already written about the hike up Angels Landing in Zion NP. The hike itself is quite short and simple. The views from the final stretch are absolutely enthralling. The hike puts a person right into the middle of the valley. The shear drops off the side of the trail to valley floor and the chains that increase the safety and comfort level of the hikers are what make the hike somewhat unique. The throngs of people fighting their way up and down the ledges (before the present permit system) did detract somewhat from the experience. Somehow I have found time to do the hike twice!
The monolith that is Angels Landing. Somehow there is a way to the summit.
I am not going to give a detailed account of our hike. Instead I am going to share some photos of our trip interspersed within the photos will be videos of little interviews I did with Siobhan on the way up. The videos are super fun as they capture the raw in the moment feelings of the hike. There was no permit system when we did the hike in 2015 and the trail was very crowded. For the most up to date information always check out the National Park Service website, a good place to start is the webpage Angels Landing Permits & Hiking.
For Siobhan and I the trip to Zion NP was a continuation of our 2015 Colorado River trip, and for Laura and Alex it was the beginning of their trip. On the previous day we had done a 3 hour horse back riding trip through Zion. This was “owed” to Siobhan as on our first trip to Zion NP when we had a similar trip booked it snowed! Siobhan had two things that she wanted to do at Zion, the horse back ride and Angels Landing.
If I did it again on this trip considering since 2 of the 4 of us did not make it all the way to Angels Landing I may have tried to do Observation Point. I do remember Laura being insistent that we do Angles Landing, as it is the go to hike in Zion.
We headed out from the bus stop at 9:55 am.
Off we go. Me, Siobhan, Alex and Laura ready for our adventure.
The initial part of the hike is on well graded trail, much of it is paved due to the extremely high traffic the trail receives.
Crossing the Virgin River.
Easy wide trail.
Frosty on the hike. Never one to miss out on a new destination.
Concrete trail.
Cactus thrive wherever there some soil in the desert.
We have gained a lot of elevation in just 30 minutes.
Fun rock weathering.
Bridge crossing.
This narrow canyon is known as Refrigerator Canyon.. The high close walls and the small creek work to keep the canyon cool even on the hottest of day.
Walter’s Wiggles. A series of 21 switchbacks that take you to Scout Lookout.
Ancient sand dunes frozen in time.
Looking down at Walter’s Wiggles.
Welcome to the Hogsback. The last half mile of the hike to the summit of Angels Landing. It took us one hour to arrive at Scout Lookout which is the beginning of the summit trail.
The summit is just right there.
Looking over the edge. It could not be more straight down.
Alex and Laura surveying the landscape, the feature at centre is The Organ. They chose to stay at Scout Lookout.
It begins. 11:04 am.10 minutes in, waiting in line to go up the next section.Thoughts 15 minutes in, 11:22 am.Just a minute or so after the last video, 11:23 am.
A relatively easy part, time to breath.
11:28 am.11:29 am
To our north is the peak of Observation Point. Observation Point is over 1000 ft (300 m) higher than Angels Landing, but Angels landing has the unobstructed view of the Zion Valley.
11:36 am.Looking north into Zion Valley.11:47 am. Summit Push.
So there is still a little walk from where the video ended to the summit. It took us about 45 minutes even with all the traffic to make it from Scout Lookout to the summit of Angels Landing.
The summit is not a place to expect solitude.
Looking north to Observation Point.
Looking down at The Organ.
As relaxed as you can be beside a 1000 ft cliff.
Happy, happy, happy.
Siobhan snapped a picture of me at the summit. Some people (Micah) do not like the camera bag on the front as it obstructs the view of your feet somewhat.
Off into the distance from the summit. Looking north-west.
The view looking south.
You had to make a little jump over to the rocks to put up the rock piles. We decided that we wouldn’t.
Siobhan and the view of Zion Valley.
The way down is back through the throngs to the tree just left of centre.
If you zoom in the outhouses at Scout Landing are at centre.
Close up of the white outhouses at Scout Landing.
12:01 pm, Siobhan is saying it is time to head back down. The chains start where the people are standing in the distance.s
It did not take as long to get down as up just a bit under 40 minutes but the traffic was horrendous.
Frosty hanging in there. Looking pretty clean after spending 4 days on the river and now hiking in Zion NP.
One last look up. 12:21 pm
Happy last thoughts. 12:39 pm.
It was a quick and easy with the wide trail allowing fo easy passage of the many people traveling up or down.
More kewl rocks.Walter’s Wiggles looking from the top.It is steep and exposed.
Siobhan all smiles after a successful hike.
A last long look at Angels Landing.
Alex snapping pictures.
The bottom of the canyon, 1:30 pm.
Siobhan taking a well earned rest in the warm sun on the warm grass. Would really appreciate a Beamers coffee right now.
Total time for the hike was 3 hours 35 minutes. Even with the crowds, it is hard to complain about the day, with the sun shining and blue skies overhead it was an intense hike which made for a wonderful experience to share with my daughter.
