- Set up Recreation.gov logins for every hiker30 min
One verified Recreation.gov account per adult in the group is the entry ticket to every lottery in this playbook. The trap is the word “every”: a Wave application lists the whole group and each listed hiker must hold their own account and accept the invite, so the accounts have to exist before anyone applies.
How it works: use a personal email per person — result emails and invites go only to the applicant's inbox. Verify the email from the confirmation message, then add and verify a phone number under Profile. Store each login in a password manager and write each account's email plus full legal name on the master calendar — rangers check photo ID against the permit name.
Cost to note: the Zion Angels Landing lottery entry costs a $6 non-refundable application fee per application, plus a $3 per-person fee only if a permit is issued.
To do
Open recreation.gov and choose Sign Up. Use one personal email per adult who will hike. Repeat until every adult hiker can log in.
On each account, confirm the email from the confirmation message, then add and verify a phone number under Profile. Log out and back in once to prove each login works.
Keep logins in a password manager. Copy each account email plus full legal name onto the master calendar for permit invites and ID checks.
Open the Angels Landing permit page on Recreation.gov and confirm the current application fee and the per-person fee charged only if a permit is issued.
If a Grand Canyon river trip is a target, create the free trip-leader profile at grcariverpermits.nps.gov — the weighted lottery runs only there.
Names, headcount, ages, mobility limits, how you move between parks, trip budget and the one constraint that shapes the route.
Who hikes, how many, how you move