Angels Landing is a "must hike" while visiting Zion National ParkPerhaps best known for it's "wiggles," Angels Landing in Zion National Park is a hike that we highly recommend you take your family on. Sure it is a tough vertical climb up 1700 feet in 2.5 miles, but believe me, the view you get atop is well worth it. Before you go, make sure you bring along a couple water bottles for yourself and several for your children, they will burn through it faster than you. Depending on the size of your children and how active they are, you can plan on the hike to the top to take anywhere from 1 and a half hours to 2 and a half hours. Bring along some snack food and a good camera because you will want both when you are sitting atop the mountain looking out at the site. Also bring along some sunscreen because you will have a lot of sun exposure on top the mountain. Remember you will be at around 6,000 feet elevation.
The hike up Angels Landing starts near Zion Lodge in a parking lot. You cross a little bridge and then follow the river up an uninteresting short trail heading towards the actual mountain of Angels Landing. As you walk towards it, you can look up in awe at the mountain you are about to climb and get an idea of the great views out over the valley. As soon as you hit the switch backs you will see that it is a paved trail. This is actually great because you will find that if you want to take a baby stroller along, you can actually make it a good way up the mountain before you can't proceed any longer. The point obviously being that if the point of this hike is just to take your child out for some exercise and you don't care about the view, then this hike will certainly provide that for you.
Hiking up the "shady" side of the mountain is fun because it is out of the sun and the kids will find cracks and caves alongside the trail that make good locations to stop and take pictures in. After hiking for a little over a mile, you will hit the "wiggles" a series of short switchbacks that head up the side of Angels Landing in a steep ascent. If you look above you, you may be a little discouraged at the distance you still have to climb, but don't worry, it is worth it! Besides, when you get done, you can go buy a professional poster of the "wiggles" and proudly display it at home proclaiming your accomplishment. If you or your kids like a good challenge, you found one! At the top of the "wiggles" you come out on a small level area where you can catch your breath and use one of the outhouses that seems a little out of place on top of a mountain. From this level area, you can see 
the last pitch up Angels Landing. This is actually more of a climb, with a chain attached to the mountain to aid you in this last climb. At this point, you will want to keep a close eye on your kids, because a fall from this area would be fatal and you don't want your kids doing anything foolish. As you begin your climb, you will find that most of the people who are coming down Angels Landing will give you the right of way and move aside to let you pass. Chances are, your kids will have a lot more fun on this section of Angels Landing than you will, afterall, what kid doesn't like to climb? This section will take a little while to get to the top of, but once on top, that is it! From here, you will get a great look out over Zion National Park. One of our favorite things to do is sit on a ledge and look down on the small buses 1700 feet below us. A word of caution: KEEP YOUR CHILD WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES! There are no guard rails up here and a slip and fall would be tragic and fatal. We recommend that if your children are young, you hold their hand at all times.
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