Recently took a trip out to Zion National Park and did the Angels Landing Hike. They now have started a lottery system which there are three time slots for each day. They also have NPS personnel along the trail to check for permits. You can still access the trail all the way up to the chain section without a permit and I hear if you continue the trail past the chain section the views are just as good or better. We were lucky enough to get a permit by applying the day before the hike. We also lucked out because it had rained earlier that day and there was a few hour window of no rain in the forecast at our time slot. We got light drizzle but nothing significant. This was in the beginning of November so the crowds were down. I would recommend this hike to everyone, its a great experience. See first hand with this video what the chain section is like. Cheers