Angel’s Landing (Zion NP)

Angel’s Landing Hike (Zion NP)

I have to admit, this must be the scariest hike that I’ve ever did!! It needs strong courage and belief in your abilities to be able to navigate the last part of this crazy trail! but the reward is the iconic view over the entire Zion canyon that only few can reach. It is a hike that truly captures the essence of the Wild Wild west; and as always…you can do it On Your Own!

To access this hike, you’ve to first start by hiking the strenuous West Rim trail till you reach Scout lookout. If you are here for this hike only, then you can access the West Rim trail from the Grotto parking lot; however, I combined this hike with the Emerald Pools hike so it was longer but with added rewards. So, following on from the Emerald Pools hike blog, I’ll take you in this blog through this amazing and unforgettable hike.

Coming down from the Upper Emerald Pools, you’ll merge with the Kayenta trail instead of heading back to your car. This is a moderate 1-mile trail that will mark the start of your endless uphill journey to Angel’s Landing:) The trail first starts gently along the North Fork of the Virgin river.

Then will start climbing up till you reach the junction with the West Rim trail. At this point you would have gained 150ft of elevation and, looking back, the bird’s eye views of the valley will start to unfold.

Now you’ll start the real hike, or shall I call it…the battle! From here you’ll continuously hike uphill on the West Rim trail. You’ll need every breath with every step you take, so take your time and use the opportunity to admire the views along the way…Behind You!

After around half a mile, you would have gained a considerable elevation by now; and looking back towards the rive and the snaking trail, you’ll realize how high up you are! The views here are a glimpse of what awaits you during the rest of your adventure, but they are outright amazing.

Take your breath and continue hiking up! Your muscles will start to ache by now, but also the adrenaline will be pumping:) The trail will continue along the rim for another mile or so before the start of the switchbacks to Scout landing, so take a break here and admire those yet more amazing views.

The landscape here is a true reflection of the Wild West with rocky desert terrain, a deep canyon carved by a mighty river, and cactus trees dotting the landscape.

Now you are close to Scout landing, only half a mile, but it is all uphill through endless switchbacks.

The switchbacks will take you away from the river and deep into the rocky rim that will give you a feeling of a wanderer:)

Finally, you’ll reach Scout landing after gaining an elevation of almost 1,400ft. At this point, the views are magnificent enough to make you wonder wait more can possibly await you! You are now almost at the top of the west rim of the canyon and you can see all the way down to the bottom of it.

And this is the road that you drove on!!

You can also see both sides of the canyon from here which gives you a stunning 360 degrees panoramic views.

Now its time to take a long rest and have your lunch because what awaits you is a completely different animal! You only have half a mile left to hike with approximately 90ft of elevation gain till you reach Angel’s landing, but this is not what should concern you here…what should is the trail itself!!

Take a close look at this picture!

Yes, you’ll hike on that trail and On Your Own!! So, you’ve a big decision to make! You should trust your abilities, but also know your limitations as fatalities are not uncommon here! So take your time, assess the trail and the weather, and decide if you want to continue or not…and, if you need any encouragement… I spent almost an hour at Scout landing trying to make a decision! I kept peaking at the trail, hike few yards and back, and thinking will I be able to do it! But, at the end, I gathered all the courage that I have and decided to go for it…and I’m glad I did. My advice to you when doing this part of the hike is to take your time, watch every step you take, use the guardrails and chains installed, don’t get distracted by the views, forget about taking pictures here:( and above all…NEVER LOOK DOWN!! And remember you have to come back the same way!

The start of the Angel’s landing trail will be on a slippery rock face. After this initial hurdle, you’ll feel a bit secure as, although the trail gets very narrow, it is not exposed from both sides. But this is the last of such comfort feeling which explains why I was happy in these pictures (took on my way back), and why these are the last pictures that I took:) I’ve to admit, I was scared to death and being a solo hiker, self-timer pictures aren’t an option here:)

  

It took me nearly an hour to navigate this trail and, lucky me, it wasn’t that windy. At some sections, I felt that I want to go back, but I couldn’t turn as the trail is so narrow, so my only option was to go forward and gather all the courage I have and trust my abilities.

I can’t describe the feeling when I reached this magical spot and because it took me so long to come here, I was alone which is an added bonus! It is so surreal, scary, and peaceful st the same time. So enjoy this unforgettable moment and take as long as you like…you did something really tough and you deserve this reward.

One last advice… don’t get a false sense of security on your way back and say to yourself that it’ll be easy as you did it before! Yes, it will be easier, but never easy. So, take the same precautions on your way back till you reach Scout landing…at this point youcan start dancing if you want:)