Stepping out of your comfort zone to push your limits and experience incredible moments is, above all, what makes travel so special. We know a thing or two about that! In Zion National Park, Rémi, my mom, and I set ourselves a challenge: Angels Landing. This steep, vertigo-inducing, and impressive cliffside hike is a must-do in Zion and is known as one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States—if not the world!
Friday, October 7, 2022
It all started a few weeks earlier. We were preparing for my mom’s arrival in the United States, and we decided to take her to Zion National Park because it’s very different from all the parks we were planning to visit: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Monument Valley—all dry, arid, and rocky landscapes. Zion, on the other hand, is a lush oasis. And in Zion, we wanted to tackle THE hike: Angels Landing. The catch? My mom is afraid of heights… To test the waters, we casually sent her a YouTube video of the hike and asked, “Do you think you can do it?” Her reply: “We’ll see… worst case, I’ll turn back.”
A dangerous hike usually means a very popular one! To deal with the overwhelming number of hikers—which made the trail even more dangerous—the park introduced a highly effective system: a lottery. For a few weeks now, hiking Angels Landing requires not only courage but also a good dose of luck. The day before the hike, we applied. Then in the evening—jackpot! A message informed us that we had been selected! 🥳🥳 Our fate was sealed: we were heading to Angels Landing.
Well, that’s assuming Jeepy actually decides to start… Because yes, that morning, when we turn the key in the ignition—nothing happens. Nothing at all. After several failed attempts, we cross the street to ask for help at a nearby garage. The mechanic arrives, tinkers around, crawls under the Jeep, disconnects a cable, reconnects it. Verdict: a wiring issue. He tells us the Jeep will need to be towed to the shop, where they might be able to take a look later that afternoon—or maybe the next day… Disaster!
And what about our hike, sir? Without hesitation, we contact Christian on Facebook, our prep specialist in Montreal from Passion4x4. He replies immediately… and fixes the issue in ten minutes! It was just a loose connection, solved by resetting the battery. Once again, thank you Christian for your invaluable help—even from thousands of miles away!! Nothing beats a good Jeep specialist 💪
After that little scare, we head to Zion National Park using only my mom’s rental car. Jeepy gets a day off—we leave it in the parking lot. After an hour’s drive, we spend long minutes stuck in line at the park entrance. Then we circle the visitor center parking lot for a while before finally finding a spot. Next, we hop on the shuttle bus to reach the trailhead. That’s when we realize we’ve crossed into a new time zone and moved forward one hour! In the end, it’s already 1 p.m. when we start this long and challenging hike under scorching heat. We still have no idea what awaits us… although it’s not hard to guess: just look up. Way up there. The top of the cliff—that’s Angels Landing.
🥾 Angels Landing – 8.6 km, 450 m elevation gain
The hike is divided into two sections. The first part doesn’t require a permit, so anyone can access it. We begin the climb alongside other hikers. It’s hot—very hot. And steep—very steep. Rémi and I take the lead, while Mom follows bravely at her own pace. Let’s be honest—we’re a bit worried about her. We keep encouraging her to drink, but she refuses to stop! 😅 “If I stop, I won’t start again!” Step by step, without slowing down, she tackles each switchback. And we quickly gain some elevation.
But the summit is still a long way off—the climb is far from over! The switchbacks are tight and steep. Mom is struggling, but once again, she doesn’t give up! We’re truly impressed by her determination. I took her camera to capture her achievement along the trail for her—because she, fully focused, is only looking at her feet! 😅
After two hours, we finally reach the end of the first section of the hike. That was the easy part! We arrive on a plateau and take a well-deserved break. From here, we have a breathtaking view over the valley… but also of Angels Landing itself! For all three of us, it’s incredibly impressive. The drop on either side of the ridge is dizzying, and the climb ahead looks extremely steep. Once again, I ask Mom if she wants to continue. This time, faced with such a slope—and especially such exposure—she hesitates for a moment. But she didn’t come all this way for nothing! Determined, she agrees to keep going. So here we go for the final ascent!
The trail is very intimidating. Some rocky sections are extremely narrow and vertigo-inducing. Beneath our feet, the cliff drops straight down for meters and meters. This is no place to slip! Thankfully, chains anchored into the rock allow us to move forward more safely. We cling to them tightly. Some sections are less intimidating—we scramble up the rock, shielded from the void by the walls on either side of the trail. Rémi leads the way and helps my mom move forward, showing her where to hold on and where to place her feet. She’s struggling, but keeps bravely climbing higher and higher. Her technique? Never look up! Throughout the entire ascent, she only sees the tips of her shoes! You can’t say she’s enjoying the view, but at least she’s not dealing with vertigo!
And for good reason—the trail is truly vertigo-inducing. One misstep and it’s a guaranteed fall. We climb sections where, without the chains, it would be extremely dangerous. We didn’t tell my mom, but since 2004, 13 people have died on this trail! We’ll tell her on the way back 😁 Beyond the danger, the trail is also physically demanding, with steep climbs that feel more like scrambling than hiking. Our legs are burning.
After an hour and a half of effort—and several false hopes—the summit finally comes into view. “We’re almost there!” Mom doesn’t believe us anymore, since it’s the third time we’ve said it. But this time, it’s for real! We walk all the way to the edge of the cliff. The view is breathtaking. But above all, what a sense of pride! Well done, Mom! You can be proud of yourself and your achievement! Despite your fear of heights, you climbed Angels Landing, known as one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States! And well done to us too! 😁
The thing with hikes is that at some point, once the euphoria of success fades and the photos have captured those magical moments… well, you have to go back down! And we all know it: the descent is always more intimidating. On the way up, it’s easy to ignore the drop since it’s behind you. But on the way down, you have no choice—you have to face it.
Carefully and bravely, we make our way down the cliff. What a relief! Nobody fell 😁 But the trail isn’t over. Now we have to descend all the switchbacks we climbed on the way up. And there are plenty of them!
By the time we finish the hike, it’s past 6 p.m.! The valley is plunged into shadow. We look up for one last glance at Angels Landing towering above us. At the very top, the summit is still bathed in the last rays of the day’s sun. You could almost see an angel up there!
Exhausted but proud and happy, we collapse onto the bus that will take us back to the visitor center. From there, we get the car and drive across the park again. It’s still an hour to retrieve the Jeep. Given the hour and our fatigue, we skip the cooking chore. We grab a burger at a fast food in Kanab. Then we hit the road again—another 45 minutes, at night, to reach our evening campsite. Tonight, Mom doesn’t have the strength to crawl and contort herself to sleep in the Jeep. She will sleep with me in the tent, while Rémi enjoys a peaceful night alone in the Jeep. Barely settled, the three of us fall into a deep sleep. What a day! Too many emotions 😴
Friday, October 14
A jump in time! It’s a week later. We have dropped my mom off in Las Vegas for her return flight and are heading back to Utah, specifically to Zion National Park. This time, we arrive from the south, but our hike is in the northern part of the park! Exactly the opposite of last time! After waiting a little to pass through the gate, we are back on the park roads. It’s chilly, but the rising sun promises a beautiful day. We rediscover with great pleasure the lush, mountainous landscapes of this national park.
🥾 Canyon Overlook Trail – 1.6 km
In the northern part of the park, we stop for our first hike. Short and popular, it takes us along a steep trail. At the end, the viewpoint offers a beautiful panorama of the park’s canyon and its winding road.
🥾 Observation Point Trail – 11 km
To reach our second hike of the day, we exit Zion National Park to the north and drive about twenty minutes. This sandy, dusty trail is long, flat, and monotonous. We walk, walk, walk without stopping. The real reward is at the end: the viewpoint overlooking Zion. The landscape is stunning! From up there, we look down on Angels Landing. And from this perspective, the ridge looks even more impressive and vertiginous! A true victory 😊
These past few days, we’ve been incredibly lucky. Very lucky. Very, very lucky. Being selected for Angels Landing was already a stroke of luck. Many permits are offered each day, and we were confident. On the same day, however, we were also selected in another lottery. And this one, more than luck, was a miracle: we got a permit for The Wave! The Wave!! A huge privilege. And there, in the heart of The Wave, we left a little piece of ourselves. We’ll tell you all about this incredible adventure in the next article about our hike to The Wave 😉
