Zion reservations.

Entering Zion vs. the permit.

You do not need a reservation to enter Zion in 2026, but hiking Angels Landing needs a permit. You pay the park fee and drive or ride in. The park says everyone who hikes Angels Landing needs a permit, and that hikers do not need one to go to Scout Lookout.

How the Angels Landing lottery works.

There are two ways in, both on Recreation.gov. In the seasonal lottery you choose seven ranked days and times, or windows of days and times, for a three-month block of hiking dates. Each block's application window runs for about three weeks a couple of months ahead, and permits are issued a few days after it closes. For the winter block of December 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, for example, the park set an application window of October 1 at 8 a.m. Mountain time to October 20 at 11:59 p.m., with permits issued October 25. The day-before lottery opens at 12:01 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. Mountain time on the day before your hike, with permits issued at 4 p.m. If you win a seasonal permit and cannot go, cancel at least two days ahead to get the $3 per person fee back. Day-before permits cannot be changed or refunded.

Getting around Zion Canyon.

During shuttle season you cannot drive your own car on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, even before the shuttles start or after they stop for the day. The park shuttle is free and needs no ticket, permit, or reservation. The park says it usually runs daily from March through November, plus a short holiday period at the end of December, and that the hours shorten in steps through the fall. Its published 2026 schedule has the last bus out of the canyon leaving Temple of Sinawava at 8:15 p.m. from May 17 to September 12, 7:15 p.m. from September 13 to October 24, and 6:15 p.m. from October 25 to November 28, with no service from November 29 to December 25 and a 5:45 p.m. last bus from December 26 to January 2. The park says the schedule may change, so read it again for your dates. Watch the time on the way out: if the last shuttle is full or you miss it, the park says you may have to walk nine miles back to the visitor center.

When it matters most.

Permit demand tracks the crowds. June is the busiest month of the year here, with about 601,680 visits in a typical recent year and 585,040 in 2025. The summer stretch from June through September carries roughly 43 percent of the whole year's visits, so that is when lines, parking, and any booking pressure are heaviest. For the full month-by-month picture, see the crowd calendar linked below.

Common questions.

Do you need a reservation to enter Zion in 2026?
No. You just pay the park fee. Hiking Angels Landing needs a permit from a Recreation.gov lottery, and riding the park shuttle needs no reservation.

Do you need a permit for Angels Landing?
Yes. Everyone who hikes Angels Landing needs a permit from the Recreation.gov lottery. You can hike to Scout Lookout without one.

How do the Angels Landing lotteries work?
Two of them. A seasonal lottery covers each three-month block of hiking dates, with an application window a couple of months ahead. A day-before lottery runs every day from 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain time, with permits issued at 4 p.m. Both are on Recreation.gov.

Can you drive through Zion Canyon?
Not during shuttle season, which the park says usually runs March through November. You ride the free park shuttle up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive instead, and it needs no reservation. In winter, when the shuttle is not running, private vehicles can use the drive.

How we read the crowds

The monthly visit counts on this page come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics. "Share of peak" compares a month against the park's own busiest month, so 100 percent marks the single busiest month of the year. The reservation and permit rules come from each park's official NPS pages, linked above and last verified on September 13, 2026. We are an independent site and not affiliated with the National Park Service.