Angels Landing Trail in Zion temporarily closed due to damaged chain section

An undated file photo from 2017 shows hiker descending the Angels Landing route with near 1,000-foot drops on both side, Zion National Park, Utah | Photo by Caitlin Ceci/Zion National Park, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Zion National Park officials have closed Angels Landing Trail until further notice, after learning of chain damage that could affect hiker safety.

Update – June 7, 2022

The trail to Angels Landing will reopen on Wednesday, June 8. The park trail crew is finishing work to reattach a rock anchor that supports the trail chain, assess the rest of the trail, clean graffiti, and remove trash, according to Zion National Park officials.
This file photo shows the chain section of Angels Land Trail in Zion National Park, Utah | Photo by picturist/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

Park officials tweeted at approximately 12:29 p.m. on Sunday, stating that Angels Landing is closed until further notice after discovering damage to the chain section located at the last half-mile of the trail.

An anchor that supports a section of the chain has detached from the stone, said Zion National Park spokesperson Jonathan Shafer, adding that park staff is working on repairs.  The cause of the damage is currently unknown.

According to Zion National Park’s website, the chain offers hikers something to hold while moving across a thin ridge, which is where the majority of deadly accidents have occurred there since 1930.

Shafer said the park’s priority is reattaching the anchor and reopening the trail as soon as it’s safe to do so.

No injuries were reported as a result of the anchor becoming detached, Shafer added.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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