Hi,
I am hiking Angels LAnding next week in Utah and am wondering if anyone has experienced this hike? I'd like to know if it is dangerous, the pictures look intimidating, I'm a bit leary of heights but not too bad. Can you give me advice???
Tina

I was in Zion in June and never even considered Angel's Landing. Now I'm a bit sorry I didn't go part way.

I definitely wouldn't have gone the whole way.

If you do a search you'll see some links to photos people have posted.

At my age I'm striclty an "easy" hiker. From the bottom I could see some people walking near the top. Very far up.

Hi Myer,
Thanks for the information. My sister and I plan to hike up to Scouts Landing throught Walters' Wiggles. From there I'd like to try some of the hike to Angels Landing but I'm afraid I'll freeze and won't be able to move!
My sister is afraid of heights so she is not attempting the finale. Did you do any other hikes in Zion?
We are doing The Narrows, the shorter route, and Observation Point.
From there we head to Bryce. Have you been to Bryce??
Thanks for replying.

I only do "easy". Too old.

At Zion I hiked to all 3 Emerald Pools, the easy Riverside Walk (twice - once in PM and once AM). I'm an amateur photog so the different light was interesting.

At Bryce I hiked Navajo Loop - Queens Garden on my first day and then started with the closed side on Navajo Loop (now open), then Navajo Loop, Peek-A-Boo Loop, bottom of closed side of Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden. This second day took me 5 1/2 hours. A lot of walking.

I have photos at:

www.travelwalks.com

Select the Bryce, Zion, etc trip on the lower right side of the page.

Hi Tunema,

I've hiked up to Scout's Outlook many times, but the first time I did the hike, I tried to go all the way. I'm a person who has absolutely no fear of heights and hikes a lot. At the time I was still living in southern CA. We zipped up Walter's Wiggles (steep) and stopped for a rest a Scout's Outlook then continued on.

About 1/2 way up on the final section, I started to feel dizzy, shakey and like I had vertigo. I wasn't afraid, but I felt like it was unwise to continue, so I waited for my friend (a marathon runner) while she went up and back. I felt fine on the way down after the rest.

I think it was a situation where I wasn't in good enough physical shape at the time. I think I made the right decision not to continue.

Now, I live in UT at high altitude and will try it again this fall.

You should do the hike. It's long and steep in places, but not scary at all up to Scout's Outlook. The trail is plenty wide. You can pretty much enjoy the same scenery from there.

Take a hat, sunscreen, snacks, and more water than you think you could ever drink. You'll be just fine.

Also, Observation Point is a difficult hike too. Long and steep.

Have fun!

Tunema -
My family and sisters' families hiked Angels Landing June 07. 15 of us, ages 12 - 49. Two days before we flew to Utah, my sister phoned me, very worried about AL. She thought it appeared too dangerous. However, after hiking up Walter's Wiggles, and staring at the last 1/2 mile to AL, she was the first one to say, "Let's do it."

Our impression was that it looks worse than it is. The last half mile starts out steep and gets steeper. Near the top there are fixed chains to hold on to and good, wide steps chopped into the sandstone. At the top it was a huge feeling of accomplishment. 10 out of 15 of us said AL was the highlight of our 2 weeks in Utah. If you use common sense and don't rush, the average person can do it. However, losing your step would be like falling off the Empire State Building. I believe there were 2 deaths this summer. Go early in the morning when the crowds are thinner. Don't wear flip-flops. Let us know if you decide to go for it. Good luck.

Thank you for the laugh, dadof3 (flip-flops). There were actually a few women doing it in skirts...Mormons we assumed from the style.

I only went as far as Scouts Landing. Looking back over my shoulder midway through the first set of chains reminded me of every nightmare I've ever had off falling off the side of a mountain. I inched back down! DD and SIL made it to the top, DH and DS partway, then retreated. It is more a mental challenge than physical I think.

We went to Zion in May. I hiked part way and DH went to the top. He is not afraid of heights, has been skydiving and used to rappel. When I asked him what he thought of Angel's Landing, his first words were "I can't believe they let people do that!" He loved it though and would do it again in a minute!

OO,

LDS women do not wear skirts for athletic outdoor activities. Unless they had some very unusual reason for doing it!

Probably the women you saw hiking were polygamists (who are not LDS). They are required to wear long skirts at all time, but the men get to dress normally (for the 21 century).

The decision to hike Angel's Landing is a personal one and is often unpredictable. I usually have no fear, but had to quit the last part of AL, scooting back down on my butt to Scout's Lookout. My husband, however, usually the chicken, did the whole thing, lived to tell the tale and is very happy he tried it. The hike to Scout's Lookout is easy and enjoyable.

Observation Point is one of my favorite hikes. Plan on a full day and start early.

Thanks for the clarification Dayle. You are right about the skirt length. I'm glad I didn't know it at the time though, as I might have been tempted to stare at the group!! It's still hard for me to comprehend that this does in fact go on in todays day and age.

The first time I tried Angels Landing, I made it to Scouts Lookout, looked up at the high, steep and narrow rock in front of me and thought "That can't be the trail, I must have made a mistake somewhere." So I went up to the West Rim instead. On the way down, I saw a hiker on the Landing and realized my mistake.

Since that day in 1986, I have been to the top of Angels Landing a half-dozen times. My wife and I even did it in winter once when it was covered with a dusting of ice and snow (wouldn't do that again).

It is called Angels Landing because the early Mormon settlers believed that only the Angels could reach the summit.

People have died in falls from Angels Landing (e.g., http://tinyurl.com/2atmyu), but it is certainly not a routine occurrence. I would not even consider taking small children along, although I have seen them on the trail.

The Landing appears intimidating, but it is really like an amusement park ride - more scary than dangerous.

The best advice I can offer is don't assess the hike in its entirety from a distant viewpoint. If you scan the entire path from Scouts Landing to the top, you very well may have second thoughts.

There are a few places where the cliff-edge ledge is fairly narrow (a few feet) and the drop is a vertical 1,500, but that's what makes the hike exhilarating. Along these stretches, don't look down, just look at the rock (or chain) in front of you.

Instead, always maintain your focus on the 30 to 50 feet of trail directly in front of you. The trail is less intimidating on that scale, and there is no single stretch that is absolutely petrifying.

So, forget about what lies ahead, focus on the dirt, rock and trail in front of you, before you realize it, you'll be at the top.

Once you're up there, take your time to enjoy the place. Some people are so anxious about getting back down that they don't want to hang around. They must regret this later.

Oops, my 3rd-to-the-last and 4th-to-the-last paragraphs were switched as I made some final edits.

My post will make more sense if you correct for that mistake.

smueller, knowing what was on either side of me (nothing) would not be exhilarating, just downright terrifying. I have some slight acrophobia, nothing that hinders me anywhere else but there or getting close to the edge of any cliff. Grand Canyon I'm fine...but I don't walk to the edge either, and Bright Angel doesn't bother me. It is not such a drop that your fall wouldn't be broken until it's too late.

I do know precisely why some people turn around and go back immediately. There is one other hike in Zion that employs chains along one section--can't recall which now. I know the feeling of not wanting to linger at the destination with that facing you again--you just want to get it over with. I did the same with that hike...told the rest of the crew I'd meet them after that section and left immediately. I had to get it over with again asap. I know I do not belong on the last section of Angels Landing, but do enjoy hikers expressions of accomplishment as they return to Scouts Landing where I wait...happily.

Now I know why I didn't go near it!!!!

Hello fellow Angels Landing climbers,
I have returned from 7 fabulous days of hiking Zion and Bryce.
My favorite hike in Zion was Observation Point, especially scary coming down in the wind & rain! YIkes.
Thanks for all your input on Angels Landing, we went up to Scout's Landing and that was it for me. Maybe someday I'll be more brave, but it was great as far as I got.
Happy hiking to everyone.
We stayed at a great B & B outside Bryce if anyone is interested, called Buffalo Sage.
Tina

Scouts Landing is a admirable stopping point Tunema! I used to think I'd finish the hike some day, but have decided the emotional agony isn't worth it. Thanks for letting us know how you did...it's so nice to hear back!

Tunema,

So glad to hear you had a good time! Tell us more about the Buffalo Sage B&B. I'm interested and I know lots of people what to know more about lodging options other than the Bryce Lodge and Rubys!