The Angels Landing trail at Zion National Park will reopen on Wednesday after repairs to the chained portion of the popular and treacherous climb are completed.
Park staff has been working since Sunday to reattach a rock anchor that supports the trail chain. They’ve also been assessing the rest of the trail, cleaning graffiti and removing trash. They expect the trail to reopen first thing Wednesday morning.
The chain sections — where hikers can hang on to keep from falling — cover steep and dangerous parts of the trail. At least 13 people have died while hiking the trail since 2000.
The park instituted a reservation system for the hike in January, along with a lottery to win reservations. The Angels Landing trail averages more than 1,200 hikers per day, with more than 2,000 hikers per day during the summer months.
Zion National Park is encouraging hikers to apply for a permit for the hike, which are now available for Wednesday.