Jessica H.
Yelp
The lottery system to do this hike starts March 2022, so if you want to do this hike on your own without restrictions, now is the time!
For those who don't know much about Angel's Landing, this hike is often ranked as one of the most dangerous AND the one of the most beautiful hikes in the U.S.
The "dangerous" part comes into play during the last half-mile of the hike, where you cling precariously to chains as you ascend a rock fin high, high above the canyon floor.
Fatalities occur here every year -- two this year, in fact. However, hundreds complete the hike every day, so numbers-wise the odds are in your favor. Just take it slow and steady. And give the last half-mile a miss if you have young kids with you, a serious fear of heights, or do not like technical hikes (ropes/chains/etc.) This hike has chains and plenty of 'em.
For my part, I've been hiking in the Washington mountains all summer so the first two miles of this hike were surprisingly easy. There are a ton of switchbacks, but they are tight little corkscrew-type switchbacks that did not bother me much at all. I took a few "photo breaks" (really breather breaks, haha) and other than that was fine. I was up at Scout's Landing in no time.
Scout's Landing is where you decide if you want to continue onto the chains or not. To be honest, the view from here and up to here is breathtaking, and it's not all that much more amazing at the top of Angel's Landing. I really feel people do the chains section to the top of Angel's Landing for the thrill, experience, and satisfaction of it, rather than having THAT much better of a view than what they've already seen. So, if you're looking for an amazing view and are worried about the chains, just stop here -- there's absolutely no shame in it and it's not worth stressing out about because you already have a great view.
I've also read Observation Point has a very similar view to Angel's Landing and is a much wider, safer trail, but I haven't done it yet. So if you're stressing, skip the chains and do that one for a great view too.
The chains section itself was pretty nerve-wracking to me, especially on the descent, but I made it through. Twice I lost my footing, once in a dangerous spot and once in a not-so-dangerous spot. Both times the chains were there to save me. But the chains are not always there -- there is a chainless section right at the start, a couple of times briefly in the middle, and again at the summit where you walk straight across slanted rock to the end.
The chainless sections freaked me out more than anything. I hunkered down to make my center of mass very low to the ground to avoid slips and trips (physics, yo!) and even scooted down on my butt a few times (no shame). And I survived, and even had a little fun doing so...but I'd also be perfectly happy to never do that chains section again in my life.
Logistics of hiking in the afternoon:
I did the hike this afternoon, a Wednesday, starting about 2:45pm to avoid the crowds. This turned out to be a wonderful idea because it was not at all crowded.
Everyone likes to start SUPER early and just get it done with, but waiting until late afternoon was much better for me because I could a) sleep in late and not worry about how lack of sleep would affect my judgment up there, and b) not stress out about having too many people passing me on the chains (which is when deadly falls may occur).
Also, descending at dusk means you have a good chance for some wildlife sightings. We saw mule-eared deer, a gray fox, and a small tarantula.
The downsides to a late afternoon start:
1) You need to be able to be off the chains section well before dark, for obvious safety reasons.
2) You need to make it off the trail in time to catch the last shuttle bus out of the canyon. The times vary depending on the season. Today it was 7:15pm, and I was (luckily) done with the hike around 6:45pm.
If you miss the last shuttle, it's a long 8ish mile walk back to the visitor center...in the dark!!
Some people also rent bikes so they can stay later on the trail and not stress out about missing the last shuttle bus.
3) The lighting is not great for photography in either the very early morning or late afternoon. Most of the canyon floor will be dark due to the position of the sun. I didn't get any of those "Insta-worthy" photos as you can see, but the scenery is still beautiful -- just not ideal for photography.
Once the lottery comes into place in March 2022, I'm not sure how my tips above will apply, if they'll let you select your start time or what. But we'll see!