What are the actual odds in the Angels Landing permit lottery, and which dates are easiest to win?

Angels Landing is the friendliest big-name lottery in the national parks: about 47% of applicants won permits in 2024, roughly a coin flip, and averaged near 50% across the program's first two years. Date choice is what moves you from long shot to near lock.

The spread is dramatic. Success rates range from about 10% on peak holiday days to near 100% on quiet weekdays. August has been the standout month; seasonal-lottery entries for August succeeded at 87% in 2023, and even the day-before lottery ran about 64% that month. The pattern makes sense: summer heat scares off casual demand while the quota stays constant.

So the strategy is simple. Avoid holiday weekends and spring-break weeks. Favor weekdays. If your schedule flexes, late summer is the sweet spot, and winter also draws thin fields if you are comfortable with potential ice on the chains, which is worth taking seriously since storms or ice are a legitimate reason to skip the route regardless of permit status.

Two structural notes. The seasonal lottery opens on the 1st of the month and closes on the 15th, so mark that window rather than discovering it late. And the fee is $6, cheap enough that applying every month you could plausibly go costs almost nothing.

If you lose, you are not done: the day-before lottery runs daily, and Scout Lookout, which needs no permit, still delivers most of the climb and a large share of the view.