In the not-so-distant past, you could head to any of the National Parks and pay your entrance fee and secure a backcountry or frontcountry campsite and pay that fee, then go and explore pretty much any trail. With the explosion in popularity of the park system over the last couple decades, you need to be prepared and not only make reservations, but know what you need reservations for!
Below I try to break out all of the fees, passes, permits, and reservations at each park, from entrance fees to hiking permits to vehicle reservation passes. I provide links to the associated park pages which I encourage you to check out.
While I make every effort to keep this up to date, it’s a moving target as the parks continually adjust to dealing with millions of visitors each year. Please let me know if you find out of date information or more information I should add!
Jump to the following park using the list below:
Entrance Fee
Every park has an entrance fee or “park pass”. If all you are doing is visiting only one park for less than seven days, then the specific park’s seven day pass (outlined in the parks below) is probably right for you. If you plan on visiting two or more parks or other federal fee areas, I would recommend just getting the America the Beautiful Pass.
The America the Beautiful Pass is good for one year from date of purchase (with a couple options being lifetime) at all national parks and many other federal fee areas including National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges, National Monuments, etc (more details and lists here). Purchase online at the USGS Store or at the park entrance stations and visitor centers.
America the Beautiful Pass options
- Annual Pass – $80
- Senior Lifetime (over 62 and purchase once) – $80
- Senior Annual (over 62 and good for one year) – $20
- Military Annual and Lifetime – $10 fee if purchased online
- 4th Grade Pass – Free
- Access Pass (for US Citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities) – Free
- Volunteer Pass – Free and must get from supervisor
Glacier National Park
Entrance Fee
Glacier specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $35 (motorcycles – $30 and on foot $20/person)
- Glacier Annual Pass (only good for Glacier) – $70
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Vehicle Reservation System
Starting in 2020, Glacier implemented a vehicle reservation system for Going-to-the-Sun Road to manage congestion along the road. This was done both for safety and to make the park experience more enjoyable. Since then, the program has expanded to the other areas of the park. Find out more details at Glacier’s Vehicle Reservation System page. Get your reservations here at recreation.gov with details below.
A notable exception to the reservation is that a reservation for lodging, camping, tours, etc can be used. See the park’s Vehicle Reservation System page for more details.
Going-to-the-Sun Road
- Reservation is good for three days.
- Reservation required from May 26th – September 10th from 6am-3pm
- Rolling reservations for approximately 120 days in advance are as follows
- May 26th- June 30th available February 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- July 1st – July 31st available March 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- August 1st – August 31st available April 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- September 1st – September 10th available May 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- Remaining reservations will be made available 24 hours in advance at 8am
North Fork
- Reservation is good for one day.
- Reservation required from May 26th – September 10th from 6am-3pm
- Rolling reservations for approximately 120 days in advance are as follows
- May 26th- June 30th available February 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- July 1st – July 31st available March 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- August 1st – August 31st available April 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- September 1st – September 10th available May 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- Remaining reservations will be made available 24 hours in advance at 8am
Many Glacier
- Reservation is good for one day.
- Reservation required from July 1st – September 10th from 6am-3pm
- Rolling reservations for approximately 120 days in advance are as follows
- July 1st – July 31st available March 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- August 1st – August 31st available April 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- September 1st – September 10th available May 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- Remaining reservations will be made available 24 hours in advance at 8am
Two Medicine
- Reservation is good for one day.
- Reservation required from July 1st – September 10th from 6am-3pm
- Rolling reservations for approximately 120 days in advance are as follows
- July 1st – July 31st available March 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- August 1st – August 31st available April 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- September 1st – September 10th available May 1st at 8am Mountain Time
- Remaining reservations will be made available 24 hours in advance at 8am
Front Country Camping
Front country camping is camping that you can drive up to. Glacier has 13 front country campsites all run by the park service. Three are reservable and the rest are first-come, first-served. Cost varies depending upon time of year. Check Glacier’s Camping page for current status.
Reservation campgrounds
Reservations can be made on a six month rolling basis. Some sites are held back for reservations four days in advance. Reservable campgrounds are below with associated recreation.gov links.
First-come, First Served Campgrounds
The following campgrounds are first-come, first-served. Show up early in the morning get your spot. For more on these campgrounds, visit the First-come, First Served Campgrounds page for Glacier. (Note that both Apgar and St. Mary become First-come, First-Served in the winter months.)
- Avalanche
- Bowman Lake
- Cut Bank
- Kintla Lake
- Logging Creek
- Quartz Creek
- Rising Sun
- Two Medicine
Back Country Camping
There are many great backpacking trips to be had in Glacier. Trouble is, many folks are trying to get those trips as well! Knowing how to navigate the system won’t guarantee you a spot, but just showing up at a back country desk and expecting your dream backpack will only lead to walking away with some disappointment.
Two words you’ll hear are “reservation” and “permit”. A reservation is simply reserving a site, but you’ll still need to swing by one of the ranger stations to pick up your actual permit before you hit the trail. For those without a reservation, you’ll want to know what’s available and be at a permitting location very early the day before your trip. For more information on advanced reservations, check out the Wilderness Camping Advanced Reservations page for Glacier which is going to have updated information mid-February 2023.
Be prepared before you go in for your walk-in permit, but also remember that you can have an amazing backpacking trip even if you don’t get your ideal itinerary. I’ve got a few videos on trip planning on my Backcountry Permits of Glacier National Park page. Also visit the park’s Wilderness Camping page for the official details.
Permitting Locations
- Apgar Backcountry Permit Center
- St. Mary Visitor Center
- Many Glacier Ranger Station
- Two Medicine Ranger Station
- Polebridge Ranger Station
Grand Teton National Park
Entrance Fee
Grand Teton specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $35 (motorcycles – $30 and on foot $20/person)
- Grand Teton Annual Pass (only good for Grand Teton) – $70
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Front Country Camping
Front country camping is camping that you can drive up to. Grand Teton has 8 front country campsites all run by the park service. All are reservation only. Check out the park’s Camping page for the official details and the links below to reserve them on recreation.gov.
Reservation campgrounds
- Gros Ventre (recreation.gov)
- Jenny Lake (recreation.gov)
- Signal Mountain (recreation.gov)
- Colter Bay (recreation.gov)
- Colter Bay RV Park (recreation.gov)
- Colter Bay Tent Village (recreation.gov)
- Lizard Creek (recreation.gov)
- Headwaters (recreation.gov)
Back Country Camping
There are many great backpacking trips to be had in Grand Teton. Trouble is, many folks are trying to get those trips as well! Knowing how to navigate the system won’t guarantee you a spot, but just showing up at a back country desk and expecting your dream backpack will only lead to walking away with some disappointment.
Two words you’ll hear are “reservation” and “permit”. In Grand Teton, you can get an advanced reservation from January to May. A reservation is simply reserving a site, but you’ll still need to swing by one of the permitting locations to pick up your actual permit before you hit the trail. For those without a reservation, you’ll want to know what’s available and be at a permitting location very early the day before your trip. For more information on advanced reservations, check out the Backcountry Permits page for Grand Teton for the details. Permits are acquired on recreation.gov.
Check out the Grand Teton Backcountry Camping page for all of the details and to find planning guides, maps and more information.
Fees
- $45 for advanced reservations booked through recreation.gov (only available from January to May)
- $35 for walk-in permits
Permitting Locations
- Colter Bay Visitor Center
- Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center
- Jenny Lake Ranger Station
Olympic National Park
Entrance Fee
Olympic specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $30 (motorcycles – $25 and on foot $15/person)
- Olympic Annual Pass (only good for Olympic) – $55
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Misc Access Fees
Makah Recreation Permit
A Makah Recreation Permit is required for activities in the Near Bay Area including Shi Shi Beach. Visit their Neah Bay Activities page for where one can be purchased.
Discover Pass Washington
A Discover Pass is required for hiking the Little River Trail and the South Fork Hoh River as well as for camping in Washington’s state lands. Visit the Discover Pass site for more details and where to pick one up.
Front Country Camping
Front country camping is camping that you can drive up to. Olympic has 15 campgrounds within its boundaries and six of those are reservable. Fairholme, Kalaloch, Mora, and Hoh are operated by the park service and are first-come, first-served during the off-season. The rest are first-come, first served. For the official list and more details, visit the Olympic Camping page.
Reservation campgrounds
- Fairholme (recreation.gov) (unreserved or cancelled sites will be sold in person at the ranger tent at the boat dock)
- Kalaloch (recreation.gov)
- Mora (recreation.gov)(unreserved or cancelled sites will be sold in person at the Mora Ranger Station)
- Hoh Rain Forest (recreation.gov)(unreserved or cancelled sites will be sold in person at the Hoh Visitor Center)
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort RV Park & Campground (recreation.gov)
- Log Cabin Resort RV & Campground
First-come, First-served
- Deer Park
- Dosewallips
- Graves Creek
- Heart O’ the Hills
- North Fork
- Ozette
- Queets
- South Beach
- Staircase
Back Country Camping
To explore Olympic’s back country, you’ll need to make sure you get your permit in advance! There are no walk-in permits or self-registration/trailhead permits. Visit Olympic’s Planning Your Wilderness Trip page for details on planning your trip, proper food storage, current trail conditions, weather/tides, etc. To make a reservation, visit the Olympic Wilderness Permit page on recreation.gov.
The summer season is defined as May 15th – October 15th (higher elevation areas have shorter summer seasons starting in June or July). You can begin making reservations for the summer season on April 15th at 7am PST.
You will first make your reservation at recreation.gov, then you will get confirmation from the Wilderness Information Center that your permit is ready. You can then log in and print your permit. You can make a reservation less than a week in advance and usually get your permit within a day or so. If you need it sooner, visit or contact a Wilderness Information Center.
Fees
- A reservation fee of $6 for the permit
- Another $8 per person per night (This fee is waived for those with the $45 Olympic National Park Annual Wilderness Pass)
Permitting Locations
- Port Angeles Wilderness Information Center
- Quinault (South Shore) Wilderness Information Center
- Hoodsport Wilderness Information Center
Rocky Mountain National Park
Entrance Fee
Rocky Mountain specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 1- day pass – $30 (motorcycles – $25 and on foot $15/person)
- 7-day pass – $35 (motorcycles – $30)
- Rocky Mountain Annual Pass (only good for Rocky Mountain) – $70
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Timed Entry Permits
In order to help reduce congestion within the park, Rocky Mountain has implemented a Timed Entry Permit system. This system is only in place from May 26th – October 22nd, 2023.
There are two different permits. One permit is the Bear Lake Road Corridor which gives you access both the the Bear Lake Road Corridor and the rest of the park. The second permit is for the “rest of the park” which excludes the Bear Lake Road Corridor. The timed entry allows for visitors to enter into the park in two hour windows and leave at any point.
For visitors with camping reservations at Aspenglen, Glacier Basin, and Timber Creek Campgrounds, a Timed Entry Permit is included in the reservation. They will be able to get into the park at 1pm on the first day of their reservation.
More details available on the Timed Entry Permit System page and reservations will be made available on the Timed Entry page at recreation.gov beginning at 8am MDT on May 1st, 2023. 40% of the reservations will be held until the day before.
Hiker Shuttle
If you wish to leave your vehicle parked in Estes Park and take a shuttle into the Park and Ride area, you will need to purchase a Hiker Shuttle Ticket at recreation.gov. Make sure that you are back at the Park and Ride before 5:15pm to catch the last shuttle back to Estes Park. Also note that at least one person in the group will need an annual or lifetime park pass in addition to the Hiker Shuttle Ticket.
Front Country Camping
Coming…
Back Country Camping
Coming…
Yellowstone National Park
Entrance Fee
Yellowstone specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $35 (motorcycles – $30 and on foot $20/person)
- Yellowstone Annual Pass (only good for Yellowstone) – $70
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Front Country Camping
Coming…
Back Country Camping
Coming…
Yosemite National Park
Entrance Fee
Yosemite specific park passes can be purchased online at recreation.gov or in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $35 (motorcycles – $30 and on foot $20/person)
- Yosemite Annual Pass (only good for Yosemite) – $70
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Entrance Reservations
As with other busy parks, Yosemite implemented a vehicle reservation system in 2020 and continued through 2022 to help reduce congestion. For the summer of 2023, there will be no entrance reservations with the below exemption. Note that, in addition to the vehicle reservation, you’ll still need your park pass.
Certain times of the year, the setting sun lights up Horsetail Fall. It requires the sun in a certain position and water to be flowing. During the weekends in the middle to the end of February, all visitors must have a reservation. You can acquire a reservation at Yosemite Ticketed Entry page on recreation.gov. Dates are Feb 10-12, 17-19, and 24-26, 2023.
Half Dome
Climbing the iconic Half Dome is a classic experience and should be on any visitor’s list who is physically capable. Due to the popularity of the climb, the park service has a permit system in place when the cables go up. You can hike without a permit to the base up subdome, but can go no further.
The target limit is 300 hikers per day with 225 being available for day hikers and 75 being available for backpackers as part of the preseason lottery which runs from March 1st – March 31st (eastern time). You can apply for that lottery by going to the Cables on Half Dome Permits page on recreation.gov during the month of March.
For those that want to climb to the top, but missed getting a reservation, a daily lottery is set up where you apply two days prior to when you want to climb. (For example, if you wanted to climb on Saturday, you would apply on Thursday.) The application is from midnight to 4pm and you should find out some time after 4pm. Pay attention to how popular different days are, if you have the flexibility, to improve your chances. Like the early lottery, you apply at the Cables on Half Dome Permits page on recreation.gov.
For all of the details, visit the official Half Dome Permits for Day Hikers page.
Fees
There is a $10 application fee regardless of whether you get the permit or not. If you get a permit, you’ll be charged an additional $10 per person.
Front Country Camping
Coming…
Back Country Camping
Coming…
Zion National Park
Entrance Fee
Zion specific park passes can be purchased in person when you arrive.
- 7-day pass – $30 (motorcycles – $25 and on foot $15/person)
- Zion Annual Pass (only good for Zion) – $55
- America the Beautiful Pass as listed above
Angels Landing
Angels Landing puts you right in the middle of Zion Canyon. Not only is it breathtaking in beauty, but the scramble along the knife-edge ridge is not for the faint of heart. Due to its popularity, people were waiting for hours for others to go up and come back down. This caused people to trample the area, overuse the toilet, and run out of water making the whole thing not very enjoyable.
Zion has gradually been tweaking a program to reduce the number of visitors to the top making it an enjoyable experience once again.
Seasonal lotteries run quarterly ending approximately a month before the quarter (for example the lottery for the spring dates of March 1st – May 31st run between January 1st and January 20th). Head over to the Angels Landing page on recreation.gov and pick seven ranked days and times or windows of days and times, then you’ll be notified by the 25th after the lottery ends.
For those that didn’t get a permit in the seasonal lottery, you can apply for the Day-before Lottery, once again at the Angels Landing page on recreation.gov. Apply the day before you wish to hike up Angels Landing between midnight and 3pm Mountain. You will be notified by 4pm that day if you got your permit.
See table below for how the dates work:
| DATES | INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2023 – January 20, 2023 | Seasonal lottery for spring dates (hikes on March 1 – May 31, 2023) |
| January 25, 2023 | Notification of results of spring seasonal lottery |
| February 28, 2023 – May 30, 2023 | Day-before lotteries (apply one day in advance of desired hiking dates) |
| April 3, 2023 – April 6, 2023 | No permits issued, trail maintenance taking place |
| April 1, 2023 – April 20, 2023 | Seasonal lottery for summer dates (June 1- August 31, 2023) |
| April 25, 2023 – July 20, 2023 | Notification of results of summer seasonal lottery |
| July 1, 2023 – July 20, 2023 | Seasonal lottery for fall dates (hikes on September 1 – November 30, 2023) |
| July 25, 2023 – October 20, 2023 | Notification of results of fall seasonal lottery |
| October 1, 2023 – October 20, 2023 | Seasonal lottery for winter dates (hikes on December 1, 2023 – February 29, 2024) |
| October 25, 2023 | Notification of results of winter seasonal lottery |
For the official details and any changes, visit the park’s page on Angels Landing Permits.
Fees
It costs $6 (non-refundable) to apply for the permit in either lottery and then $3 (refundable) per person is charged for awarded permits.
Front Country Camping
Coming…
Back Country Camping
Coming…
