Navigating Zion’s New Angel’s Landing Permit System

Zion National Park is one of the most popular National Parks in the National Park System, and Angel’s Landing is one of the most popular trails in the park. Starting on April 1, 2022, hikers are going to be required to have a permit to hike Angel’s Landing, which is an attempt to help increase safety on the trail, as well as promote further conservation efforts of this landscape.

Angel’s Landing is a hike that requires technical skill to complete, but because of its popularity, many people end up getting injured or worse while attempting this hike. The hike starts off with 27 steep switchbacks for a mile, and then turns into a portion of the trail where you need to use chains that are installed on the sides of the trail so that you can ascend the rest of the way. The chains are there to help you pull yourself up the rock, but also to prevent falling because there are steep drop offs on one and sometimes both sides of the trail. The trail does get extremely congested, and requires groups to take turns ascending and descending the trail as they hike. The entire hike is about 5 miles long, and gains about 1,500 feet in elevation on the ascent.

Understanding the new permit system

This is going to be the first year that Angel’s Landing has a permit requirement for hiking. For this year at least, the National Park Service (NPS) is only going to issue permits via a lottery system, similar to Yosemite’s Half Dome permit system.

At the top of Angel’s Landing, surrounded by the usual crowds

You can apply in advance for permits by choosing a few dates you would like to hike Angel’s Landing. You can apply for advance permits via recreation.gov or choose to enter the daily lottery instead.

The Day-before Lottery is similar to the advance lottery, but will only be an application for people trying to do the hike the day after they apply. You have to apply the day before you want to hike, between noon and 3pm Mountain Standard Time.

No matter which lottery you choose to enter to try and score a permit, it does cost $6 to apply for a permit. The good news is, that money goes back to the NPS to keep places like this going!

Getting on the trail

In the busy season, you will need to take a free shuttle to the Grotto, which is where your trailhead will be. A ranger might check your permit here before you start the trail, or they might check for permits at Scouts Lookout, at the top of the switchbacks.

You can still hike to Scouts Lookout without a permit.

It’s recommended that you have proper gear for this hike. As someone who has summited Angel’s Landing twice, I recommend hiking boots, a backpack (so you can keep your hands free), and a water bladder that holds at least 2 liters of water. In the summers, you’re going to want to carry about 2 liters per person for this hike.

Now, you’re ready to hit the trail! Make sure that you leave no trace, be safe, and have fun!

Learn more at NPS.gov

My Top 10 Favorite US States

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that my bio announces that I’ve been for 49 of the 50 US states. Because of that, two of the most common questions I get on basically every platform are “what state are you missing?” and “what are your favorite states?” Well, the one I’m missing is Alaska, and there’s a maybe chance that it might be in the plans for 2020 (but nothing’s official yet). The harder question to answer is which states are my favorite, and the reason for that is because the US is so diverse. Every state has something unique to offer, but there are 10 that stand out above the other 39 I’ve been to.

Here are my top 10 US states:

Joshua Tree National Park, CA

10: Minnesota

When I reached Minnesota on while I was traveling over the summer, it was one of the northernmost destinations I had on my list. I was heading to Voyageurs National Park, which was located right on the Canadian Border. When I was driving north, I remember feeling like I’d finally accomplished something. Minnesota was one of the prettiest states I’ve been to. The entire thing is lined with pine trees, and the highway to the national park was one of the most unique drives I’ve done. The trails in the national park often overlook lake Kabetogama, and provide views of Canada on the other side. The people in Minnesota were also super nice, and made it really easy to enjoy my time there.

Lake Kabetogama, Voyageurs National Park, MN

9: Washington

This was a strange one to put on this list for me. While it’s incredibly similar to Oregon in terms of its landscape, it had a very different energy. Washington has a bit of a spooky vibe, and it turns out, it’s actually known for UFO and ghost sightings. The national parks here are absolutely gorgeous. Olympic is super unique, and is home to multiple different landscapes: from mountains, to lakes, to beaches, to rain forests. North Cascades is a unique free park interspersed with national forest land. Mount Rainier is home to glaciers, an impressive mountain, and tons of wildlife. Washington does have a ton to offer, but it’s a very different feeling than the other PNW state, which I’ll get to later on this list.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Shore Section, WA

8: Maine

Maine is actually going to be the only eastern state on this list. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the east coast, it’s just that most of the east coast is known for their cities, and I’m a nature girl. I absolutely loved Maine though. As I drove into Maine, I saw my first “moose crossing” sign, and it was the first time I saw pine forests since leaving Colorado nearly two months prior, so it’s got a special place in my heart for that reason. Maine really is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a mixture of pine forests and ocean, and Acadia National Park is a gorgeous and unique small park. The people were nice, everywhere was beautiful, and it had some of the best early morning sunrises I’ve ever seen.

Acadia National Park, ME (and the Atlantic Ocean)

7: Utah

I absolutely loved Utah. It’s home to five incredible national parks, including Bryce, which holds the largest collection of hoodoos in the world. The entire state feels a bit like a national park though, and the highways bring you through green mountains, big cities, and rolling farmland. The entire state, from bottom to top is absolutely gorgeous, from the national parks in the southern half of the state to the mountains you can see from something as simple as a Starbucks in Logan.

The famous hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

6: Wyoming

I’ve written about Wyoming a few times now, and that just means it had to make it on this list. Wyoming is one of my favorite mountain states. Wyoming simply has some of the most unique landscapes in the country, from active volcanoes in Yellowstone, to long extinct ones at Devils Tower. This state is super diverse in its wilderness, morphing from the high mountains of the Tetons to the almost-desert of Fossil Butte in the southern part of the state. It’s also home to some of the most diverse wildlife in the country. Here, you can see bears (grizzly and black bears), moose, bison, eagles, elk, and even wolves. Needless to say, if you love nature, Wyoming is the place for you.

Bison hanging out in Yellowstone National Park, WY

5: Arizona

Arizona was actually the place I chose for my first solo trip. I went to the Grand Canyon solo during my last spring break ever, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Arizona is a beautiful state, and one that truly feels unique from its neighboring California landscape. Between its red rocks and the fact that its home to one of the Earth’s natural wonders, Arizona is one of the most beautiful southwestern states. Here, you’ll find classic saguaro cactuses, unique rock formations, and plenty of tourists, which just goes to show you that this state is just incredible. It’s popular for a reason.

This view will make you cry, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

4: Hawaii

Hawaii is an old favorite of mine. I’ve been traveling to Hawaii since childhood, and its landscapes never fail to blow me away. I’ve been to three of the four main islands, and by far, Maui is my favorite. Here, I have memories of learning to surf, eating too much shave ice, and jumping off of black rock into the reef and crystal blue ocean below. Hawaii is simply one of the best vacation destinations in the country, and while Maui is my favorite, the other two islands I’ve been to, Kauai and Oahu have been beautiful as well.

Black Rock on Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii (photo ca. 2012)

3: Montana

Montana is home to my favorite place on Earth, Glacier National Park. Glacier is an absolutely gorgeous mountain park that’s home to some of the only glaciers in the continental US. Here, I hiked my favorite hike ever: Grinnell Glacier. Other than Glacier National Park, Montana is actually gorgeous. As you enter the state from Wyoming, you’ll be greeted by Big Sky Montana, an open, vast expanse of land with, well, some of the biggest sky you’ve ever seen. I also had the privilege of staying a night in Bozeman, a cute little outdoorsy town surrounded by national forest land. Montana is truly a nature-lover’s paradise, and is more than worth exploring.

Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park, MT

2: Oregon

I’ve been to Oregon three times now, and I’m actually writing this from an Airbnb in Portland. Oregon is such a beautiful state full of my favorite forested landscape, without the weird Washington vibes. It’s home to Portland, a quirky little PNW city, the Oregon coast, the outdoorsy town of Bend, the climber’s paradise of Smith Rock State Park, and of course, the deepest lake in the country: Crater Lake. Crater Lake was absolutely stunning, but also one of the coldest places I’ve been, so make sure you have the right gear! Oregon simply seems like it’s full of endless adventures, and it’s a place that I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of visiting.

Multnomah Falls, Portland, OR

1: California

Okay, so I might be biased, but my home state is the best state in the country. It’s so huge, and spans the most diverse landscapes within one state. Here, you’ll find desert, mountains, forests (including the world’s tallest trees, the redwoods), cities, and of course, beaches. California is home to nine national parks, including a volcano, and the state includes one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the country: Highway 1 through Big Sur. California truly has a little something for everybody, no matter what you’re traveling for.

Glacier Point, Yosemite, CA

Coming up with this list was actually super hard. I love everywhere I’ve been for different reasons, even the places I say I hated. The thing is, traveling gives everyone a unique experience, and we have to appreciate it for that. Every destination is going to leave a different impression on every traveler, and the US is home to such uniqueness that everyone is bound to have their own unique experience.

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To read more about the 48 contiguous states, make sure you check out my complete road trip route in my new ebook, dropping December 1, 2019 in the shop!

The Most Unexpected Bucket List Landscapes in the US

This post may include affiliate links

Let’s just get one thing out on the table: the US is huge. Because of its size, this one country is home to tons of crazy landscapes, from the tundra of Alaska (which is still on my list) to the volcanoes of Hawaii. Really, the US is home to some incredible, insane, unexpected landscapes you can’t find anywhere else. These are worlds you might think you’d find way up in Canada’s Northern Territories, in the deserts of Africa, or even, maybe, an alien planet?

Here are the most unexpected destinations in the US, which you should probably add to that bucket list after you’re done reading this.

(Disclaimer: 100% of these spots are run by the National Park Service. There’s a reason these spots are protected land, so please, if you visit, make sure you keep them as pretty as when you arrived).

Glacier National Park, Montana

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

I know I’ve talked about it on the blog before, but it’s such a cool place, it can’t not make this list (don’t worry, it’s the only repeat destination on here). Devils Tower is truly one of a kind. It’s the only rock formation like this in the world and attracts huge numbers of rock climbers, hikers, and sightseers to its park every year. Devils Tower is a sacred place for Native Americans, and you might see prayer flags as you hike around the park, especially close to the tower. This is also a great place to see wildlife (especially prairie dogs), as this part of Wyoming is right where the pine forests of this mountain state and the grasslands of the neighboring Dakotas meet. And, if you want to visit Devils Tower and the Badlands in one go, they’re not too far from each other!

Read more about Devils Tower HERE!

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Okay, I know Utah’s other National Parks are a bit more famous, but Bryce is absolutely mind-blowing. Bryce Canyon is known for its hoodoos—the strange rock formations that visitors describe as looking like either people or sandcastles (or both!). Advanced hikers have the chance to hike down into the hoodoos and experience them up close, but even if you don’t trust your hiking ability, there are plenty of fantastic views from the rim! This is one of the most unique desert landscapes out there, and is the largest collection of hoodoos in the world. They’re formed through a combination of plate tectonics, sediment deposition, and erosion, and their bright orange color lets them form a truly alien landscape.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington

While there are a couple temperate rainforests in the United States, the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National Park is the only temperate rainforest you can actually drive your car into. Complete with a campground, tons of interesting wildlife, and scattered rainstorms, this is truly a landscape to escape to. It honestly feels like you’re in a different country (or maybe the world of Jurassic Park?), and the temperature ranges from hot and humid to freezing cold in the winter. Located in the Pacific Northwest, it’s clear that this is a place that stands out amongst the surrounding mountains, coastline, and big cities.

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington

Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii

Haleakala National Park literally looks like Mars. This was actually the first National Park I ever visited, and needless to say, I was blown away. From the long winding drive up the dormant volcano to the vast, red landscapes that feel like they don’t belong on the lush, green island of Maui, Haleakala is a landscape you truly can’t find anywhere else in the US, and perhaps nowhere else in the world. Haleakala is known for its sunrises, and often, tourists will take a bike tour to ride down the mountain just as the sun comes up over the Hawaiian horizon.

Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii (photo “vintage” circa 2012)

Glacier National Park, Montana

 Glacier National Park is hands down, my favorite place I’ve ever visited. This alpine landscape definitely deserves to be on this list as one of the most unexpected places in the US, simply because it’s not a landscape that you’d generally find this far south. Although many of the Glaciers are now melted, there are still a few that stand which are accessible by hiking trails. I wouldn’t recommend hiking to the glacial views, though, unless you’re an advanced hiker, as the trails that allow you to see the most intact Glaciers are quite long. There are accessible views of Jackson Glacier, though, along the Going to the Sun Road. The Going to the Sun Road offers some of the most beautiful views in the country (although it is often closed November through May), and is only accessible to vehicles less than 21 feet long.

There are three sections of Glacier: East Glacier, which is at a higher elevation and offers great views of St. Mary Lake and some of the first views of these incredible mountains, West Glacier, which is tucked away in the woods and close to the adorable town of Whitefish, and Many Glacier, which is where much of the glacial access is hiding, including the famous Grinnell Glacier trail.

I could go on about Glacier forever, but for now, it should definitely be added to your summer bucket list. It does get crowded, so get there early for a campsite, and plan on taking the shuttle around the park if you can to reduce car traffic. Most importantly, though, in this remote National Park, make sure that you respect wildlife—it’s everywhere, it’s beautiful, but wildlife is wild, and should be enjoyed from a distance.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Honorable Mentions:

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Congaree National Park, South Carolina

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

 The United States is home to an incredible array of unique landscapes. From the deserts and hoodoos of Bryce Canyon to the melting glaciers of Glacier National Park, the diversity of the country’s landscape is one that’s hard to challenge. These are five places that should absolutely be on your adventure list— they’re sure to give you the wow factor you’re looking for in a National Park, and will inspire adventures to last a lifetime.

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Why I Travel Solo

“You’re going where by yourself?”

“That must be so lonely.”

“Why on Earth would you travel solo?”

Long story short, because I love it.

In the summer of 2019, three days after I graduated university, I loaded up my Kia Soul and hit the road for three months straight, living out of the back of the car, and driving to all 48 connecting United States. (More on this in “My Journey.”)

But, it didn’t start there. This wasn’t a spontaneous decision, although a lot of the decisions I made while on the road were. This trip was brewing for a long time, and the thing that sparked it the most was my Horrible Year of 2018. But of course, one bad year isn’t the reason I travel solo, it’s just a big part of why I hit the road at all. Traveling solo to me is an empowering experience, and a liberating one. As a solo female traveler, the road is a strange place to reside, but it feels like home now, and I don’t know if I would feel that way if I’d never made the decision to go it alone.

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

I got tons of questions when I was on the road. One conversation I remember vividly happened at a private campground in Indiana that I ended up at because the National Park didn’t have a spot for me. The owner of the campground had talked to his wife who’d checked me in, and came up to me while I was making dinner, asking “You’re going all the way to Mammoth Cave by yourself? That doesn’t seem very safe.” By this time, I’d been on the road for two months and very much knew what I was doing. The solo thing didn’t feel strange to me, but it dawned on me that it was probably very strange to other people.

Mount Rainier National Park, WA

There are a ton of reasons I travel solo, and if you ask any solo female traveler their reasons, they might have some of the same ones as me, and some completely different ones, but the fact is, solo travel is an experience that’s unique to the person doing it.

First and foremost, solo travel is incredibly liberating. Have you ever been on a trip with someone and spent the entire time worrying about whether or not the other person is having a good time? Maybe you spend the whole trip just doing things they want to do so that you can sidestep any guilt you might have if you pick a spot and they hate it? Yeah, me too.

Traveling with friends can be great, truly it can. But for the long stretches of time that I like to go for, it’s an incredibly liberating feeling to be able to make all your decisions for yourself without another person to worry about.

Glacier National Park, MT

When you don’t have another person with you, you’re able to learn more: about yourself, about life, about the world. I had to do things on the road I never would’ve experienced had I not been alone. I had to troubleshoot and make decisions on my own and listen to my gut more than I ever would’ve with a partner, and for that, I’m super grateful.

Solo travel allowed me to figure out parts of myself I think I was missing after that Horrible 2018 and allowed me to fall in love with this nomadic lifestyle. Being kinetic is something that felt so right to me, as if to say “no wonder you felt so stuck when you were in school! You’re meant to be moving!” And I never would’ve found that little bit of my soul—my wandering soul—had I not been alone.

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA

Now, you’re probably wondering: what possibly could’ve happened in 2018 that prompted her to take off around the country by herself for 3 months with an insane goal? Plenty. Plenty happened.

2018 started with my dog passing away unexpectedly. A few months later, the last summer break I’d ever have started off with a breakup with someone I never should’ve been in a relationship with in the first place, and then a few months after that, I started one of the most physically and emotionally demanding jobs I’ve ever worked. And a slew of other things.

If you’ve read My Journey, then you’ll know that the trip that started it all had been in the back of my head for about 5 years before I actually left on it. And it was at the beginning of that summer of 2018 that I decided I was going to do it alone, and in a year, instead of waiting any longer.

Congaree National Park, SC

And when I did finally do it, I experienced some of the most beautiful places of my life. From the hot Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, to the swamps of Congaree National Park in South Carolina, to the icy cold of Glacier National Park in Montana, I’ve gotten to see some of the most unreal landscapes in the country, and all because I made a decision for myself to prioritize my own happiness.

Just the prospect of traveling alone was an act of stepping out of my comfort zone, and that in itself was one of the most empowering decisions I ever made.

Shenandoah National Park, WV

Traveling alone can be scary. It can be stressful. It can be lonely. But despite what plenty of people told me before I left, I never once felt unsafe, and the reason for that is that I listened to my gut about everything I did. If you trust yourself, solo travel can be a freeing experience, rather than one of mystery and the danger everyone projected onto me prior to leaving. Solo travel is scary in the way that any new experience is, making you so aware and present of everything happening around you, in the best way.

So, if you haven’t traveled alone, or haven’t even thought of traveling alone, this is for you: make that first move. Hit the road, book the flight, choose your first destination. The world is waiting to show you what you’ve had hiding inside you all along.