yeah. unfortunately angel's landing has gotten to the point they have to do permits and reservations during the peak seasons. I've seen pics of the line of people waiting hundreds of feet behind even where it gets narrow enough for only one person to pass.

the alternate beauty spot is observation point. but unfortunately the hike up from the canyon is closed because of a huge rockslide a few years ago, which probably exacerbated the angel's landing demand. it's still accessible from the east perimeter of the park, but my close-second favorite part of the hike(echo canyon) is on the route up from the main canyon. it's still worth doing, though I've only ever done it up from the canyon myself

the view from up there is unmatched. it just doesn't have the adventure of angel's landing

and you might be surprised how far you can get into the narrows before claustrophobia would kick in. wall street is a ways up into it. you have to hike for a couple hours to get that far up. if you make another trip, I highly recommend it. although the timing on it is important, as well. I did it in mid August, and the water/air temp balance was perfect, and it was also at a relatively low level

the thing I would say between bryce and zion is that zion seems to me to be more grand, even though it's very intimate. bryce is gorgeous also from a distance, but when you're up close and personal with the hoodoos and such, it just gets old. I can't really explain it, but it's almost like a really amazing taste you get at first, but after you've been eating it for a couple hours, the taste is just too overbearing and no longer enjoyable. the panoramic of bryce is gorgeous, but zion is gorgeous both up close AND at a distance