US National Parks That Will Require Reservations in 2024 – Must Read
Are you planning on going to a US National Park in 2024? 312 million recreation visits were recorded in 2022 compared to 297 million recreation visits in 2021, an increase of five percent year over year.
To handle the increase in visitation, the US National Park system will requiring reservations and/or permits for entry and popular activities. This is in an effort to manage high traffic volumes within parks while also delivering quality visitor experiences. Most permits/reservations require additional cost with most ranging from $1-6. The following parks will require you to have a reservation:
US National Parks That Will Require Reservations In 2024
Arches National Park, Utah
From April 1 through October 31, visitors entering the park in a vehicle will require two things:
- A timed entry ticket (purchased in advance)
- Park entrance fee
Glacier National Park, Montana
Starting May 24 for the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork and on July 1 for Many Glacier, vehicles entering the park will be required to have a reservation.
How to get reservations: visit Recreation.gov
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Timed entry permits will be required to enter the park during specific hours of the day beginning on May 24, 2024 through Oct. 20.
two types of reservations available. One permit will be for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor, as well as access to the rest of the park. This reservation period will be from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The second permit will be for the “rest of the park,” excluding the Bear Lake Road Corridor. This “rest of park” reservation period will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Yosemite National Park, California
On weekends from April 13 to June 30; every day from July 1 to Aug. 16; and on weekends from Aug. 17 to Oct. 27.
Reservations will be required for vehicle entry to the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the reservation periods.
Zion National Park, Utah
To Hike Angel’s Landing, you will need a permit. The permit lottery can be accessed on recreation.gov.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Visitors are required to purchase a daily, weekly, or annual parking tag to park anywhere within the park’s boundaries for over 15 minutes. Daily tags are $5, weekly tags are $15. The parking tag MUST be printed out.
Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Visitors wanting to observe sunrise at the summit of Haleakala will be required to have a reservation, which can be requested on recreation.gov.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Visitors to Old Rag Mountain are required to purchase a day-use ticket in advance of their visit, in addition to a Park entrance pass. Old Rag Day Use Tickets are required March 1-November 30.
Want more National Park Tips, Tricks, and Itineraries?
As we are making our way to all 63 US National Parks in 2023-2024, we’ve been documenting everything! From where we stayed, what we ate, what we did, weather, and so much more! Check out all of our National Park blog posts.
What camera equipment should I bring?
We are huge camera nerds. Maybe Joey is a bit more than Katie, but we both love cameras and love photography and videography. So we might go a little “extra” when it comes to what we purchase but we want to shoot the best quality content for you all to enjoy. Check out our camera gear here!
In Conclusion
If you are thinking about visiting any National Park this year, go to recreation.gov to see if any permits or reservations are required and when those that do open their lotteries and reservation portals. Now is the time to start planning your travel to National Parks this year because many permits/reservations are either open now or are opening this month.
