Infos zum Zion NP

Zion National Park announces 2024 Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program Seasonal Lottery dates

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National Park Service continues to provide accessible, flexible, and fair opportunities for hikers to visit Angels Landing

Mark your calendars! Hikers who want to visit Angels Landing in 2024 can apply to four Seasonal Lotteries.

“We’ve issued hundreds of thousands of permits to hike to Angels Landing since the program began in 2022,” Jeff Bradybaugh Zion National Park Superintendent said. “Visitors and rangers report that the program has been successful at reducing crowding and congestion, and we are building on this success as we prepare for 2024.”

Fast facts about the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program

Zion has issued nearly 400,000 permits to hikers since the program began in 2022.

The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program has continued to accommodate more than 80% of the previous use NPS recorded in studies conducted in 2019 and 2021.

Zion rangers observed that the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program spread hikers’ start times throughout the day.

Rangers observed, and hikers reported, less crowding and congestion on the trail than in past years.

Hikers can also apply the day before hikes to get a permit to visit Angels Landing. Learn more about Seasonal- and Day-before Lotteries at go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding

About the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program

This is a pilot program, and the National Park Service (NPS) is assessing and adjusting it. The pilot permit program reflects comments from the public, park neighbors and other stakeholders. It also reflects lessons learned during trail studies in 2019 and 2021.

Angels Landing is one of many places visitors enjoy hiking in Zion National Park. Zion hosted a record 5 million visits in 2021, and this program is an important element of the National Park Service’s ongoing work to ensure park landscapes, plants, animals, and human history are conserved so that visitors can continue to enjoy this iconic destination.

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Zion National Park marks two years of the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program

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National Park Service observes two years of success

Zion National Park is marking two years of success reducing crowding and congestion on the half-mile of trail that leads from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing.

“Angels Landing is one of Zion National Park’s most popular destinations,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park superintendent. “The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program helps us maximize the number of people who make the hike and minimize crowding and congestion on the route. We know this from what visitors are telling us, and from rangers have observed since 2022.”

Fast facts about the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program The Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program has continued to accommodate more than 80% of the previous use NPS recorded in studies conducted in 2019 and 2021.

Zion rangers observed that the Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program spread hikers’ start times throughout the day.

Zion has issued nearly 400,000 permits to hikers since the program began in 2022 (about 200,000 per year). Daily allocations of permits range from a few hundred to 800 or more per day.

Some permits, about half, are issued months ahead in a Seasonal Lottery while others are issued in the Day-before Lottery to accommodate visitors’ trip planning time frames.

Depending on the day of the week and time of year, between 10% and 100% of lottery applicants receive permits. Holidays and weekends are busier than most weekdays.

Rangers observed less crowding and congestion on the trail than in past years. Hikers often report that they have better experiences on the trail now with the permit system in place.

Tips for permit applicants

With two years of data, there a few things applicants should keep in mind when they’re preparing permit applications:

Over the last two years, the overall odds in both the Seasonal Lottery and the Day-before Lottery average to about 50%. However, the range of those odds vary from 8% in the Day-before Lottery on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday to 100% on random mid-week days throughout the year.

Zion continues to experience high visitation, and that also leads to a high number of applications for the Angels Landing Lottery. If planning a trip on a holiday or weekend, odds of receiving a permit will be significantly lower.

You are more likely to receive a permit if you apply to hike mid-week. Weekends consistently see higher visitation numbers.

Only select the time slot(s) you are able and willing to hike. Visitors hiking at different times of day helps assist with reducing crowding on the hike.

Compliance with the permit program is extremely high, and we have issued citations to visitors who attempt the hike without a permit.

Apply for a permit on Recreation.gov

Take advantage of our lotteries to get a permit for your hike. We issue permits through a Seasonal Lottery (up to three months ahead of hikes) and using a Day-before Lottery (apply by 3 p.m. on the day before you want to visit Angels Landing).

If you plan to visit between June 1 and August 31, you can apply in our Seasonal Lottery for a permit to hike to Angels Landing until 11:59 MT on April 20.

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Zion National Park announces plan and timeline to reduce likelihood of collisions on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway

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Zion National Park will be implementing changes to improve trips through Zion on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. These changes reflect discussions with departments of transportation, neighbors, elected officials, business owners, and many other stakeholders.

Beginning in mid-2026, the park plans to reroute vehicles that exceed 11’4” tall, 7’10” wide, 35’9” long, or 50,000 pounds to routes other than the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (the road across Zion National Park). Vehicles that exceed these specifications can use existing alternate routes surrounding the park. These changes aim to help reduce:

collision likelihood.

overweight transits on road bridges.

lane-crossing due to vehicles being too long to negotiate turns.

“These changes reflect months of discussions to find the best way forward to manage the historic Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and increase driver safety,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent. “Our goal is to protect drivers, meet modern safety standards and ensure the integrity of the road and tunnels so that we continue to enjoy scenic drives on the historic Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.”

Vehicles that exceed the specifications listed here will still be able to enter the park and drive on open roads. If they are too large to safely drive on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, they can drive around the park on existing roads, which will add an estimated ten to forty minutes trips, depending on route and destination. In the years to come, regional partners are also discussing improvements to roads around Zion that should simplify travel.

Background

Engineering and traffic studies regarding contemporary road use show that travel by many large vehicles presents public safety concerns. In addition to exceeding engineering limits on park bridges, large vehicles like recreational vehicles or motorcoach buses cross the centerline in 18 locations where the road’s turning radius cannot accommodate long vehicles – which becomes problematic when vehicle length exceeds 35 feet 9 inches.

Bridges on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway are rated for 50,000-pound vehicles. Some large vehicles exceed this weight. Additionally, the Zion - Mt. Carmel Tunnel requires its own restrictions. Vehicles wider than 7 feet 10 inches and taller than 11 feet 4 inches cannot pass through the tunnel while maintaining two-way traffic and require a tunnel escort. Vehicles taller than 13 feet 1 inch cannot fit through the tunnel and are not allowed.

Historic Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. This historic road was originally designed and constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. To complement the landscape, the road has:

tight turns.

some steep grades.

a large number of switchbacks.

relatively narrow lanes.

two low and narrow tunnels.

bridges.

These design elements make the road more compatible with the landscape but also hard for modern, larger vehicles to travel safely.

When the road was designed, vehicles were smaller, moved at slower speeds, and weighed far less. Expanding the historic road is not feasible because of the terrain. New construction could be prohibitively expensive and harm the park’s landscapes, plants, animals, and impact the historic values of the road itself.

To reduce the likelihood of collisions and fulfill our responsibly to take care of this historic road, Zion intends to reroute large vehicle traffic in mid-2026 to help ensure visitor safety, improve driving conditions, and reduce the likelihood of structural damage.

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'The camera gets me out': Utah man wins 1st place for photo of Zion's Subway in annual contest

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The shimmering blue-green water of Zion National Park's Subway was captured in a photograph selected as the winner of the Bank of Utah's "My Utah" Photo Contest for 2024.

Megan Kenley, associate vice president of the Bank of Utah, told St. George News the contest's goal is to display Utah's unique beauty and spirit.

"One of the things that Utah is known for is its beautiful history, diversity and different types of scenery," Kenley said. "So we like to be able to showcase that and show the difference, not only the talents of our customers and the people here in Utah but also all of the beauty that Utah has to offer, something that we feel really ties in well with our brand."

She said choosing the winners was difficult, as all the entries were striking. Participants ranged from casual to professional photographers.

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Zion National Park shuttle service limited for several days as officials address safety issue

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Traveling on the shuttle bus in Zion National Park and Springdale came to a crawl on Monday as service was limited due to a safety issue. Jeff Bradybaugh, superintendent of Zion National Park, stated in a news release that the park shuttle buses are being assessed and repaired.

“Visitors should expect delays at shuttle stops in town and in the park,” Bradybaugh said. “We are working to resolve the problem.”

Until Wednesday, Aug. 21, one bus will operate in Springdale rather than the normal two. Usually, 12 buses are operating in the park. Bradybaugh said this limited capacity could result in longer-than-usual waits at shuttle stops.

Amanda told St. George News that more updates will be provided as they are available.

According to a previous article in St. George News, the buses were funded by a $33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The current electric shuttle buses replaced propane-fueled buses that had been in operation since 2008.

The park partners that assisted in funding the new buses include the Zion Forever Project, the National Park Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Clean Cities, the town of Springdale, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Lands and the Native American Tribal Program, with contributions from the National Park Service, Iron and Washington counties.

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Zion National Park shuttle bus service starts March 2

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Shuttle schedule released for spring, summer, and fall of 2025

Zion National Park is beginning shuttle service on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Every year, the National Park Service (NPS) adjusts shuttle schedules to reflect the seasons. Here is what you need to know to plan your visit.

Genaue Daten hier.

Zion National Park Reopens Emerald Pools Bridge After Major Reconstruction

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Bridge relocated 100 feet upstream after engineers detected shifting at its original foundation in 2023

After two years of planning, design, and construction, the bridge connecting Zion Lodge (Shuttle Stop #5) to the Emerald Pools Trail system is once again open to visitors.

The project, led by National Park Service engineers and contracted construction teams, involved lifting the historic bridge off its original, unstable foundation and relocating it approximately 100 feet upstream. New concrete abutments were built to provide a stable, resilient base capable of withstanding Zion’s dynamic environmental conditions, including flash floods and landslides.

“Reopening this bridge restores a critical connection to one of Zion’s most iconic trail systems,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, Superintendent of Zion National Park. “We appreciate our visitors’ patience and support as we worked to ensure this structure can safely serve future generations.”

The entire project was funded through entrance and recreation fees, made possible by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). This is one of many examples of how visitor fees directly support infrastructure and preservation work across the park.

The bridge closed in May 2023 after a nearby landslide destabilized its attachment to both its concrete abutments and the ground underneath. While the bridge itself remained safe for the time being, park engineers determined that relocating it upstream, outside of the geologically active zone, would provide a longer-lasting solution.

Visitors can now once again enjoy direct access from the Lodge area to the Emerald Pools trails, offering spectacular views and unique desert landscapes just steps away from the main canyon road.

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Zion National Park Closed This Hiking Trail In The 1960s Because It Was Too Dangerous

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Two hikers make their way up a Zion National Park trail that’s been unmaintained since the 60’s.

Zion National Park offers several well built and well maintained trails. Some are for the casual national park visitors while others are more directed toward the intense hikers and climbers looking to push their limits.

One of Zion’s earliest man-made trails was the Lady Mountain Trail, first completed in 1924. It was originally built as a cable route, utilizing 2000 feet of cable, 1400 carved steps and at least 2 ladders to climb 2650 feet over 1.9 miles. Unfortunately due to the difficulty of maintenance and frequency of rescues on the trail, park staff decided to discontinue maintenance in the 1960’s.

Eventually all signage and hardware was removed from the route leaving it significantly more difficult. While it’s no longer an official route, the Lady Mountain Trail is still there for those hoping to reach the summit of the remarkable feature. Today it features several class 4 and class 5 routes where roped climbing is highly recommended, but people still manage to work their way up it.

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