Angels Landing and the Great White Throne · Óðinn · CC BY-SA 2.5 CA · cropped
Zion National Park’s winter seasonal lottery for Angels Landing is open now, and the National Park Service lists October 20, 2026, as the last day to apply for hike dates from December 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027. The park’s Angels Landing permit page says permits are issued on October 25. Anyone who wants the chained half-mile beyond Scout Lookout this winter has a 19-day application window, then a day-before lottery as the backup.
Applications run only on Recreation.gov. There is no walk-up desk in Springdale and no same-day permit. Rank up to seven dates or time windows, pay the $6 application fee, and keep a card on file for the $3 per-person charge if you win. Winter trip planning for Zion National Park should treat that October 20 cutoff as a hard booking gate, not a reminder you can finish after you land.
- Hike window: December 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027.
- Apply by: October 20, 2026, on Recreation.gov.
- Results: October 25, 2026, by email.
- Fees: $6 non-refundable application for up to six people, then $3 per person if issued.
- Permit line: required from Scout Lookout to the chains; West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout stays open without one.
October 20 Closes the Winter Seasonal Lottery
The park’s current permit table sets three dates for the winter round. Applications open October 1, close October 20, and results go out October 25. Those dates cover every winter hike from December 1 through February 28, 2027. The same table already closed spring, summer, and fall 2026 seasonal rounds, so this is the last advance lottery of the 2026 to 2027 cycle.
Recreation.gov’s winter Angels Landing permit page matches that window and adds the mechanics. You may list up to seven ranked days, times, or ranges. Put the dates you actually need first. The system uses ranked choice, so a second or third choice can still land if your first date is full. You may list up to six people, including the person who submits the form.
Use the name that appears on a photo ID. Rangers can ask for both the permit and identification on the trail. The permit holder and alternate names cannot change after you submit. That is the rule that catches groups who apply under a nickname, a partner’s account, or a trip leader who will not be on the hike.
Day-Before Lottery Stays Open After Results
If October 25 is a miss, the day-before lottery is the remaining legal path. It opens at 12:01 a.m. Mountain Time and closes at 3 p.m. Mountain Time the calendar day before you want to hike. Results go out by 4 p.m. that same afternoon. Example from the park: apply Monday between 12:01 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mountain Time if you want a Tuesday hike.
There is no day-of lottery and no in-park counter. Hiking the chained section without a permit is a violation of 36 CFR 1.6, with a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail, according to Recreation.gov. The confirmation email is the permit. Print it, download it, or screenshot it before you reach the canyon. Cell service at the checkpoint is unreliable, and a phone that cannot load email is not a permit.
Canceled seasonal-lottery permits roll into that day-before pool. Day-before cancellations do not go back out. If your dates are flexible, the October 20 seasonal round is still the cleaner shot. If your dates are locked to a holiday week, plan to sit the 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. window the day before as a second try.
Permit Fees, Names, and Cancellation Rules
Budget two charges. The $6 application fee covers up to six people and is not refunded, win or lose. If Recreation.gov issues a permit, it automatically bills $3 per person to the same card. If that charge fails, the permit is not issued and the slot goes to another applicant. Permit holders still pay the park entrance fee on arrival unless they hold a federal recreation pass.
Seasonal-lottery winners can cancel until two days before the reservation date and get the $3 per-person fee back. The $6 application fee stays gone. You may reduce group size until that same two-day mark and receive a recreation-fee refund for the dropped names. You cannot add people, change the date, or swap the permit holder. Those limits make a ranked seven-date list more valuable than a single “perfect” day.
Commercial groups follow a different Recreation.gov product and different weekday caps. Do not enter the public lottery on behalf of a paid client. If a guide is joining a private group that already won a public permit, that is a separate commercial-use question on the park’s CUA pages, not a reason to put the guide’s name on your seasonal application.
Scout Lookout Stays Open Without a Permit
The permit is for the half-mile of trail with chains from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing, at every hour and every day of the year. The West Rim Trail from the Grotto to Scout Lookout does not require one. That split matters for winter groups that include someone who does not want the chains, or a day when ice makes the spine a no-go after you have already hiked to the lookout.
Start from the Grotto trailhead, shuttle stop 6, when the canyon shuttle is running. Recreation.gov is explicit that a permit is not a parking guarantee. When shuttles are not running, parking at the Grotto is limited. If that lot is full, you may need a nearby trailhead or a later start. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive can close when parking fills. Pair this lottery with the park’s published shuttle hours rather than assuming a private car can idle at the Grotto all morning.
For October visit timing, including how canyon access works as shuttle hours change, see Deep Arrival’s guide to Zion National Park in October. For the hike dates this lottery actually covers, use the winter destination page for Zion National Park in winter, then keep the permit email in the same folder as lodging and entrance-pass plans.
Ice, Parking, and Holiday Shuttle Access
Recreation.gov warns that ice and snow can cover substantial portions of the trail through winter, and that the route is extremely dangerous in those conditions. The agency recommends traction devices and tells hikers to check the forecast, then decide whether the day is actually walkable. A winter permit is an opportunity, not a promise the spine will be open. The National Park Service can close the trail at any time.
One dated access fact sits on the same winter permit page: from December 26, 2026, to January 2, 2027, access to Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is shuttle only. Park at the Visitor Center and ride. That holiday week overlaps the lottery’s hike window. A December 26 to January 2 permit is useless if you planned to drive a private vehicle to the Grotto. Check current shuttle hours before you rank those dates, including Deep Arrival’s live note on when Zion shuttle access ends each day in October.
Winter days are shorter, the sandstone holds shade, and the chains section is less than three feet wide with steep drop-offs. Bring layers, a headlamp, water from a potable source, and a plan to turn around at Scout Lookout if the spine is iced. Cyanobacteria advisories still apply to untreated canyon water year-round. None of that is solved by winning the lottery. The lottery only gets you legally onto the chains on a day the park has not closed them.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want a December 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027, hike with ranked dates | Apply on Recreation.gov before October 20, 2026; results land October 25. |
| Miss the seasonal round or need a specific leftover date | Enter the day-before lottery from 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain Time the day before the hike. |
| Only want views from Scout Lookout | Skip the permit. Hike West Rim from the Grotto; stop before the chains. |
| Hold a permit for December 26, 2026, to January 2, 2027 | Plan Visitor Center parking and a shuttle. Scenic Drive is shuttle only that week. |
October 20, 2026, is the seasonal application cutoff. Submit the ranked list, the $6 fee, and ID-matching names before that date if you want an advance winter permit.
October 25, 2026, is results day. If you are selected, screenshot the email and calendar the two-day cancellation deadline. If you are not, switch to the day-before lottery for your travel dates.
December 26, 2026, to January 2, 2027, is shuttle-only on Scenic Drive. Do not rank those dates unless your group can use the Visitor Center shuttle.
When does the Angels Landing winter lottery close?
The National Park Service lists October 20, 2026, as the close date for the winter seasonal lottery, with permits issued October 25 for hikes from December 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027.
How much does an Angels Landing permit cost?
It costs $6 to apply for up to six people. That fee is not refunded. If you win, Recreation.gov charges $3 per person automatically, and you still pay the park entrance fee unless you have a federal pass.
Do I need a permit to hike to Scout Lookout?
No. A permit is required only from Scout Lookout along the chained section to Angels Landing. The West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout does not require one.
What if I miss the October 20 lottery?
Use the day-before lottery. Apply between 12:01 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mountain Time the day before your hike. Results arrive by 4 p.m. There is no day-of option.
Can I change the names or date on a winter permit?
No. Holder and alternate names are locked at submission. You may reduce group size until two days before the hike. You cannot add people or change the date.
Is Zion Canyon Scenic Drive open to cars on winter holidays?
Recreation.gov says access to Scenic Drive is shuttle only from December 26, 2026, to January 2, 2027. Park at the Visitor Center and ride to the Grotto.
